Alaska Homeschool Laws
Are you exploring the option of home education in the Last Frontier State? Let’s take a look at the various Alaska homeschool laws, how families go about switching from public school to homeschool, what kind of records you may want to keep, and even how to complete your homeschooling experience—either through graduation or by returning to the public school system.
- Alaska Homeschool Options
- What is the Alaska Homeschool Allotment?
- Homeschool Recordkeeping in Alaska
- Homeschool Graduation Requirements in Alaska
- Returning to Public School after Homeschooling
- Additional Resources Related to Homeschooling in Alaska
This information should by no means be interpreted as legal advice. It is your responsibility to interpret and understand the laws that you will be homeschooling under.
Alaska Homeschool Options
The law requires that children between the ages of 7 and 16 either attend school or comply with Alaska homeschool requirements. The requirements for homeschooling in Alaska are very easy to navigate. There are four routes that you can take when legally switching from public school to homeschool in Alaska:
- Option 1: Homeschooling under the homeschool statute – As long as you are the parent or legal guardian, you can homeschool your child. There are no requirements to notify the state, seek approval, file forms, test, or have specific teaching qualifications.
- Option 2: Homeschool with a private tutor – The tutor must be an Alaska-certified teacher.
- Option 3: Homeschooling with school board approval – As long as your child “is equally well served by an educational experience approved by the school board”, parents can submit a written request for excuse and this needs to be approved by a school administrator or principal where your child attends.
- Option 4: Homeschooling as a religious private school – The fourth homeschool option in Alaska requires that parents file a private-school enrollment report with their local school superintendent no later than the first day of each homeschool year. Additional forms must also be completed, such as the School Calendar form and the Exempt Religious & Other Private Schools Enrollment form. Homeschooling under this option also requires that parents keep attendance records, maintain permanent records on their student(s), file a corporal discipline policy, and comply with all state testing requirements.
What is the Alaska Homeschool Allotment?
Homeschoolers in Alaska have access to a specific fund that can be used for their child’s educational needs. This Alaska homeschool stipend can be used to buy school materials or families can also be reimbursed if they have already made educational purchases.
More information relating to the home education rules for Alaska can be found at A2ZHomeschooling.com.
Homeschool Recordkeeping in Alaska
Keeping detailed records of your homeschooling progress means fewer problems when transitioning a student back to public school or preparing their college admissions. Examples of items to track for your homeschooler include:
- The results of any standardized tests your student has taken
- An outline of what curriculum subjects and topics you have covered (Time4Learning makes this easy with customized, printable reports)
- For high schoolers, a homeschool transcript
- Samples of your student’s work
- Attendance records
- Information on the textbooks and workbooks that have been used
- Correspondence with school officials
- Any document providing proof that your child is receiving an appropriate education in compliance with the law.
It’s a good idea to keep high school transcripts and proof of compliance with Alaska homeschool laws indefinitely in your files. One of the most effective ways to keep track of all that your homeschooler is accomplishing within a given school year is with a homeschool portfolio. The portfolio should accurately reflect not only what instruction you’ve covered, but how your student is retaining what they are learning.
Alaska Homeschool Graduation Requirements
Although Alaska has no formal graduation requirements for homeschoolers, parents may be curious what is required of traditional school students for graduation. In Alaska, public school students must complete a minimum of 22.5 credits to graduate. These credits are distributed accordingly:
- English – 4 credits
- Health – 0.5
- Mathematics – 3 credits
- Physical Education – 1.5
- Science – 3 credits
- Social Studies – 3.5 Credits
- Electives – 7 credits
Local school boards set the remaining credit requirements (nine or more) for their respective district. Additionally, public school students must also achieve passing scores on all 3 tests of the Alaska High School Graduation Qualifying Exam.
Returning To Public School After Homeschooling In Alaska
Most every family considers the decision to homeschool a year-to-year one. Some families will homeschool from kindergarten through graduation, but many other families will use homeschooling as an alternative for specific grades or in specific circumstances. If, after a period of teaching your child at home, you realize that it is not the right choice for your family anymore, you’ll need to know how to transfer from homeschool to public school.
If your family decides for any reason not to continue your adventure of homeschooling, you will want to contact the public or private school that your child will be registering with to learn about their registration requirements. They may ask to view your homeschool portfolio to make determinations about grade placement or they may have their own method of assessment.
Additional Resources Related to Homeschooling in Alaska
Have other questions about homeschooling in Alaska? You may find the following pages helpful.
- Homeschooling in Alaska
- Alaska Homeschooling Groups & Co-ops
- Alaska Homeschool Associations
- Homeschool Field Trips in Alaska
- Alaska Test Prep
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