Yes, it’s legal to homeschool your child in all 50 of the United States. It’s becoming more popular internationally as well. Each state has its own laws, and some are more favorable to the idea of homeschooling than others. Google the homeschooling laws for your state and start there.
Do I need to be a certified teacher to homeschool my children? The answer is no. While it’s true that most states do require a parent to have a high school diploma or equivalent, even if you do not have one, you can still educate your child. In that case, you will need a certified assessor who has a bachelor’s degree. These certified teachers will be your ally. They can answer your questions and also suggest resources. They are individuals who believe in the value of homeschooling and have more than likely homeschooled their own children after leaving the school system themselves. You pay them for their assessment services, so they work for you; that way, you will have a paper signed by a certified teacher saying that they have reviewed your child’s work and that the child’s academic progress is in accordance with the child’s abilities. That verbiage allows you and your child the freedom to work at your own pace and skill level. You can find this type of assessor on Facebook. Put the name of your state in the Facebook search bar, followed by “homeschool group” (for example, “Florida homeschool group”), and click to join. Ask questions about a local assessor’s name, and someone will know. These assessors have magical ways of supporting and honoring the way you do things in your homeschool. Most states require you to let your local school district know that you intend to homeschool your children by filling out an NOI (Notice of Intent) to Homeschool. Most states also require an end-of-the-school-year report. That can be standardized testing or a portfolio review by a certified teacher who does the assessment, as mentioned above. We use an assessor and do not do any standardized testing. We pay a small yearly fee to have Ben’s work assessed. There are a few ways an assessor can view your child’s work. You can meet them in person, but during Covid, everything was online, so some started holding meetings via Zoom. Our assessor considers Ben’s work via a private and closed Facebook page that we invited her to join. I post photos there of his work throughout the year. You can show as little or as much as you want to. They may offer you suggestions on what to work on, but typically they assume that the child is working to the best of their abilities. You would then send in the assessor’s signed paperwork with your NOI at the beginning of the following school year.