Know Your State Laws
GA Homeschool Resources
Be sure to take a look at our other homeschool resources for Parents and Students
What is the Compulsory Age for HS in Georgia?
In Georgia, the homeschooling requirements fall under O.C.G.A. § 20-2-690. The compulsory age for school attendance in Georgia is between the child’s 6th and 16th birthdays. In other words, if your child will be 6* years old or older by Sept 1, you must report your child as homeschooling and they must stay in some form of legal education through the age of 16. It is important to note that even though the compulsory age of attendance is through age 16, a parent/guardian must continue to report their child as homeschooling to the DOE until s/he has completed his/her home study program. Failure to report a child as homeschooling beyond the age of 16 would constitute the student as a drop out, whether he/she completes the work beyond that age or not.
*There is an exception to the compulsory attendance age of 6 if a child has been enrolled in a public school for more than 20 days. In this case, the parent would need to report the child to the DOE as homeschooling. An example of this would be if a child was in a public school kindergarten for more than 20 days. Even though the child may be 5 years old or turned 6 after Sept 1, the parent is required to report them as homeschooling.
Do I need to Notify the School of My Intent to Homeschool my Child(ren)?
Pursuant to Georgia law (O.C.G.A. § 20-2-690), the following are requirements for home study programs:
-- Parents or guardians who wish to teach their children at home in a home study program must annually submit to the Georgia Department of Education a Declaration of Intent to Utilize a Home Study Program by September 1 or within 30 days after a program is established. The Georgia Department of Education will provide for electronic submittal of the Declaration of Intent.
-- The declaration must include the names and ages of the students, the address where the program is located, and the dates of the school year.
-- Parents or guardians may teach only their own children in the home study program provided the teaching parent or guardian possesses at least a high school diploma or a general equivalency diploma (GED). Parents or guardians may also employ a tutor who holds at least a high school diploma or a GED to teach such children.
-- The home study program must include, but is not limited to, instruction in reading, language arts, mathematics, social studies, and science.
-- The school year must include the equivalent of 180 days of at least 4-1/2 hours of instruction per day unless the child is physically unable to comply with this requirement.