Homeschooling in South Dakota

If you have chosen to homeschool your children in the state of South Dakota, then you may be looking for information on legal issues, resources, and curriculum. This page aims to provide you with the facts and links to help guide you through the process of homeschooling in the Mount Rushmore state. So take a few minutes and read through all of the following info, and feel free to share this page with other new homeschoolers in your state.

If you have any questions or comments about homeschooling in South Dakota, visit our online South Dakota support group.

South Dakota Homeschooling Resources

Discovering Resources and Support

There are many types of resources and support for homeschoolers in South Dakota.

There are also homeschooling conferences at various times and locations throughout the year.

The web provides plenty of opportunities for support as well, with many information pages targeted to SD homeschoolers, as well as Yahoo groups, online forums, and email lists.

Within the state, homeschoolers will find even more opportunities. Many counties in South Dakota offer local homeschooling support groups. Home-School.com includes a full list of homeschool support groups by county. South Dakota is full of great field trip options, including the NASA Education Resource Center, Siouxland Heritage Museums, the Great Plains Zoo, and the Washington Pavilion.

South Dakota Home School Laws

Legal disclaimer: This section is not intended and should not be used as definitive legal advice. In most states, parents find a variety of legal methods to pursue the educational approach that they prefer for their child.

In order to begin homeschooling in South Dakota, parents must complete a form requesting exemption from public school attendance and return it to their local school district. This form can be obtained from the SD Department of Education. Other state requirements for homeschooling state that parents may not instruct more than 22 students, and that they must administer standardized tests to students in grades 2, 4, 8, and 11. Resultsneed to be submitted to the local school district.

South Dakota does not require parents to be certified as teachers, but does require that they teach a minimum number of educational hours and that they include the subjects of language arts and math into the instruction. Of course there are a variety of ways and methods that individual homeschooling parents in South Dakota interpret and fulfill these obligations. Homeschooling styles and preferences vary widely from family to family, and no one method is the "right" way to follow the state guidelines.

Choosing Homeschool Curriculum

South Dakota homeschool law includes the freedom for families to pick and choose their own curriculum based on what works best for their child. However, families new to homeschooling quickly discover a dizzying array of choices when it comes to selecting a homeschool curriculum. There is no more popular discussion among homeschoolers on the web than the pros and cons of various homeschool programs. After sifting through the homeschool curriculum reviews, most parents end up mixing and matching homeschool programs, trying to create the best match for their child.

For families with more than one child, choosing a homeschool programs can even be more problematic. What works for one child may not work for another. What works for one subject may not work on the next. What works one year, may fall flat the very next year. Time4Learning's experience shows that there is no single, best homeschool material. Rather than feeling torn between homeschool resources, parents should select a diverse blend of materials and activities.

The benefits of using Time4Learning's curriculum

For families with more than one child, choosing a homeschool program can be more problematic. What works for one child may not work for another. What works for one subject may not work on the next. What works one year, may fall flat the very next year.

Time4Learning's experience shows that there is no single, best homeschool material. Rather than feeling torn between homeschool resources, parents should select a diverse blend of materials and activities.

Some of the features that make Time4Learning so successful include:

• Time4Learning appeals to a wide range of learning styles. Our online learning materials are especially well-suited to children who are visual or kinesthetic learners. These children can take advantage of Time4Learning's interactive, multimedia materials.
• Children like using the computer to learn. It's a convenient, interactive homeschool resource that provides a welcome change each day to paper-and-pencil workbooks and textbook-based lessons.
• Parents like that it tracks progress and helps children advance by clearly presenting and reinforcing each lesson. Quizzes and tests are graded by the computer, saving valuable time and effort for parents who would be happier concentrating on other areas.
• Time4Learning's self-paced, modularized lesson plans allow you to move forward and back through the materials whenever you want. You can skip lessons that teach concepts your child has already mastered and repeat those he or she has not. The choice is yours. With Time4Learning, you are always in control.

Time4Learning is proven effective with homeschoolers, has a low monthly price, is easy-to-use, and provides a money-back guarantee so you can make sure that it works for your children!

Sign up for Time4Learning as part of your overall homeschool program.


If you have any questions or comments about homeschooling in South Dakota, why not contact me on the South Dakota Parent Forum.