The Indiana Department of Education is not responsible for the content, opinions and advice expressed on external web sites. The content, opinions and advice are those of the web pages in question, not The Indiana Department of Education. Linking to a web site does not constitute an endorsement by The Indiana Department of Education or any of its employees of the sponsor of the site or the products presented on the site.

This document is provided upon request to all citizens interested in public and nonpublic education. Any public or nonpublic educator having questions about home education may contact the Indiana Department of Education.

Getting Started

• RESEARCH HOME EDUCATION:
  Before you withdraw your child from a traditional school, learn all you can. Talk to other home educators, read books about home education, learn about home school law in Indiana, "comparison shop" for a curriculum for your school.
• WITHDRAW YOUR CHILD AND NOTIFY HIS OR HER CURRENT PRINCIPAL, IN WRITING, OF YOUR DECISION
  While the Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) issues school numbers to all private schools after they report their grade level enrollment data as required by Indiana law, You do not need a home school number prior to withdrawing your child and beginning home instruction. However, you do need to let the public school know why your child is no longer in attendance or he or she may be considered truant.
• REQUEST A COPY OF YOUR CHILD'S PUBLIC SCHOOL RECORDS:
  You are entitled to a copy of these public school records, both as a school administrator and as the parent of a minor child, under state law and the federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). Please note that this does not apply to private school records.
• NOTIFY THE INDIANA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION OF YOUR GRADE LEVEL ENROLLMENT:
  Indiana law requires all private school administrators, including home educators, to notify the IDOE of their schools' grade level enrollments upon request of the State Superintendent of Public Instruction.
• All notification of grade level enrollment reported to the state will now be done online.  For online notification go here:  http://mustang.doe.in.gov/HOME/entry.cfm

Home School Law

In addition to reporting your enrollment, Indiana law requires the following of all home schools and other nonaccredited, private schools:

180 DAYS OF INSTRUCTION:
You decide which days your school will be in session, and how long to teach each day. In the case of mid-year transfers, days attended at the first school count toward the 180 day total at the home school.

ATTENDANCE RECORDS:
There is no special form for these records, which are used to verify private school attendance. Please note that the law allows local public school superintendents to request copies of your child's attendance records to verify attendance.

INSTRUCTION EQUIVALENT TO THAT GIVEN IN THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS:
State law does not define equivalency of instruction for public or private schools. If there is ever a question of educational neglect, keeping good attendance records and other documentation regarding attendance and continuing educational activity is highly instrumental in addressing these concerns.

CURRICULUM:
State law exempts home schools from the curriculum and program requirements which public schools must follow.

Books and Curricula

THERE IS NO STATE -APPROVED CURRICULUM FOR HOME EDUCATION AT ANY GRADE LEVEL, NOR ARE THERE STATE- APPROVED TEXTBOOKS YOU MUST USE.
Indiana law gives home educators the flexibility to choose the curriculum and textbooks they feel will most benefit their children.

THE INDIANA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION DOES NOT PROVIDE BOOKS OR CURRICULA FOR HOME EDUCATION AT ANY GRADE LEVEL.
Many home educators use correspondence programs to teach their children. The following names and numbers are included to assist you as you start your search; however, there are many others available.

THIS LIST DOES NOT CONSTITUTE ACCREDITATION OR ENDORSEMENT OF THESE PROGRAMS BY THE INDIANA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION.

You must contact them directly for answers to your questions about their prices and the comprehensiveness of their curricula:

* Accreditation is through the Western Association of Colleges and Schools, not through the Indiana Department of Education.
** Accreditation is through the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, not through the Indiana Department of Education.

** Accreditation is through the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, not through the Indiana Department of Education.

Home School Organizations

While not a source for textbooks, these organizations can provide guidance about local support groups, choosing curricula, and the "how to's" of home education.

More...

General Information

• HOME EDUCATED STUDENTS ARE NOT DROPOUTS. They are transfer students who keep their DRIVER'S LICENSES upon withdrawal.
  
  
• If you are home educating a SPECIAL NEEDS CHILD, referrals may be available from one of the home school organizations listed above. Under 20 U.S.C. 1412(a)(10), children with disabilities enrolled in home schools have the same genuine opportunities for participation in IDEA funded programs (through the public schools) as children with disabilities enrolled in an accredited, nonpublic school.
  
  
• WORK PERMITS must be obtained from the issuing officer at a local public or accredited private school. Home schooled students are bound by the same child labor regulations that bind all other students. For more information, contact the Indiana Department of Labor at (888)833- 6967 or visit the child labor web page at <www.state.in.us/labor/childlabor/childlabor.html>.
  
  
• While encouraged, KINDERGARTEN is not mandatory in Indiana. Children are to be enrolled and attending school in the fall of the school year during which they turn seven, unless their parents choose to home educate. Home educated children are to begin school no later than their seventh birthday.
  
  
• Participation in Elementary or Jr. High ATHLETICS is at the discretion of the public school. Participation in HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETICS is rare, as the home educated child's educational program must also conform to the bylaws of the Indiana High School Athletic Association (IHSAA).
  Such participation is subject to approval by the public school, and to the home educator's willingness to enroll the child in public school for at least three classes per day and in two additional classes (ie, correspondence, vocational, post-secondary) that are approved by the public school. The child's participation must otherwise comply with the by laws of the IHSAA. For specifics, contact the IHSAA at (317)846-6601.
  
  
  • Participation in public school EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES is also at the discretion of the public school.
    
    
  • Under Indiana law, students enrolled in nonaccredited, private schools (including, but not limited to, home schools) ARE NOT ELIGIBLE FOR THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY SCHOLARS PROGRAM.

Testing

State law does not require ISTEP+, or any other testing, for children in home schools. In fact, home educated children may not take ISTEP+ unless they are also enrolled in a public school for at least one period per day. The Department of Education recommends periodic, standardized achievement testing for home schooled children. If you wish, you may be able to arrange for private testing at one of the following:

Associates in Clinical Practice
8921 Broadway
Merrillville IN 46410
219-736-6220

Ball State University
School Psychology Clinic
Teachers' College Bldg. #503
Muncie, IN 46306
765-285-8525

Butler University
4600 Sunset Ave.
Jordan Hall 246
Indianapolis, IN 46208
317-940-9329

Indiana State University
Porter School Psych.-6th Floor
School of Education
Terre Haute, IN 47308
812-237-3588

Indiana University
Institute for Child Study
201 N. Rose Ave.
Bloomington, IN 47405
812-856-8303

Greater Lafayette Area Special Services
765-449-3208

St. Mary's Child Center
901 Dr. MLK, Jr. Drive
Indianapolis, IN 46202
317-635-1491

Bob Jones University
Testing Services
800-845-5731

T.E.A.C.H.
308 E. Main St.
Fairland, IN 46126
317-835-0326

University of Evansville
Dr. Nealon Gaskey, EdD
School of Education
1800 Lincoln Avenue
Evansville IN 47722
812-479-2367

Getting a Diploma

Home schooled children will not receive a diploma from the local public school or from the state. The IDOE suggests you use an accredited correspondence program which grants a diploma upon completion.

Students who are issued a diploma by the administrator (parent or legal guardian) of an Indiana home school possess a legally issued, non-accredited diploma according to the State of Indiana. Such a legally issued diploma passes the institutional eligibility test to participate in Title IV, HEA programs. Home schools, like all other non-accredited, nonpublic schools, may legally issue a diploma to students that complete the graduation requirements of that school, as established by that school.

Indiana law requires home schools to give instruction equivalent to public schools but does not bind any requirements set forth with regard to curriculum or the content of educational programs offered by the school. A guideline of what is required for public schools diplomas can be found at http://www.doe.in.gov/core40/pdf/Core40DiplReqsComp.pdf.

Seventeen-year-old home educated students may choose to take the general equivalency exam to earn a general educational development certificate (GED). A home school number is required for a student to take the GED at 17, but not to take GED classes. The forms required for participation in GED testing are available at local GED testing sites, or from the IDOE Division of Adult Education at 317-232-0522.