Homeschool Q&A: Hour and Day Requirement

This post is part of a series titled, “Homeschool Q&A.” The series features questions we’ve received from parents on a variety of topics–and the answers!

Q. Does Virginia have a law or guideline as to how many hours a day a homeschooler needs to be schooled? Also, how many days of the year count for one school year? Is it the same as the 180 for public school?

A. The law says in part in 22.1-254 (A) that parents shall send a child to a public or private school, have a child taught by a tutor, or homeschool him according to 22.1-254.1 (the homeschool statute). The only time requirement given is “…during the period of each year the public schools are in session and for the same number of days and hours per day as public schools.” Interestingly, in recent years, public school days and schedules are not the same throughout Virginia–some districts even have year-round school now.

The homeschool statute, 22.1-254.1 referenced above, does NOT require homeschoolers to keep any records of the days and hours parents teach. Neither does the homeschool law require homeschoolers to turn in forms or attendance records.

With these facts in mind, your homeschool schedule should be reasonable and fit your family’s needs taking into account that a typical public school day has quite a bit of unproductive time and may also include times for study hall, physical education, and library visits.

Yvonne Bunn @ September 1, 2010