ARKANSAS
Homeschooling in Arkansas: Requirements, Paperwork, and How to Start
One notice of intent by August 15, and Arkansas asks nothing more. Take the Education Freedom Account money and the picture changes — about $6,864 a year, and a test to go with it.
Homeschooling in Arkansas, Summarized
The Eight Things Arkansas Asks of You
Legal in Arkansas
Yes
Compulsory ages
5 to 17
Your two options
Independent or with an Education Freedom Account
Funding available
About $6,864 per student, yearly
EFA participants only
Do I notify anyone?
Yes — once each school year
by August 15
Paperwork load
Low
medium if you take EFA funds
Parent qualification
None required
Standardized testing
Only if you take EFA funds
annual, maths and reading
Legal requirements last reviewed: August 2026 · Plain English · Not legal advice
Homeschooling is legal in Arkansas
What You Need to Know
Arkansas is among the most deregulated states in the country. File a Notice of Intent with your district superintendent by August 15 and that is the whole obligation: no credential, no required subjects, no mandated hours, no assessment. Taking Education Freedom Account money adds one thing — a yearly test.
What Arkansas Asks of You
One notice covers it — unless you take the money.
Must do
File a written Notice of Intent to Home School with your district superintendent, each year
Dates that matter
August 15 for a autumn start
December 15 for a spring-semester start, per Department guidance
At least 5 school days before you withdraw from public school, for a mid-year start
Good practice — not required
Keep a copy of the notice — the district holds the official one
Keep your own records: Arkansas requires none, but they help if you enroll later
No recordkeeping, no portfolio, no attendance log, no assessment, no parental credential. Homeschooling is barred where a person on the Sex and Child Offender Registry lives in the home.
Must do
Apply for an Education Freedom Account, in addition to filing your annual Notice of Intent
Administer an annual norm-referenced test in maths and reading
Submit the results to the Department of Education
Dates that matter
Applications are rolling; funds are disbursed each quarter
Around June 30 for the test results — confirm the date with the Department each year
Good practice — not required
Budget by the quarter rather than the year: the money arrives in four instalments
The trade-off
The annual test is the price of the funding — independent homeschoolers sit none
The account is universal as of 2025-26: every K-12 Arkansas resident is eligible. The enhanced Succeed tier pays more for disability, foster care and military families.
Take EFA money and Arkansas wants a yearly test result. StudyPug builds the practice record while your child works.
Funding for Arkansas Home Education
The key numbers before the details.
PROGRAM
Education Freedom Account — LEARNS Act
AMOUNT
$6,864 per student for 2025-26 · $1,716 a quarter
HOW IT'S CLAIMED
ClassWallet — marketplace, direct pay or reimbursement
ENHANCED TIER
$7,627 for disability, foster care and military families
How It Works
From registration to reimbursement, step by step.
1
Apply, and keep filing your notice
The Education Freedom Account application is separate from your annual Notice of Intent — you file both. Applications are rolling and the account is open to every K-12 Arkansas resident.
2
Spend through ClassWallet
Funds arrive quarterly and spend through ClassWallet — marketplace, direct payment or reimbursement. Online curriculum is an approved category; confirm the provider is enrolled first.
3
Show the learning
Administer a norm-referenced test in maths and reading each year and send the results to the Department. This applies only to families taking the funding.
Funding rules move faster than law. Amounts and eligibility can change every school year and every legislative session — always confirm with the official program sources below before you spend. Funding facts last reviewed: August 2026.
What StudyPug Handles for You
Not templates you fill in — records that fill themselves in.
Work-samples portfolio that assembles itself
Hours & attendance log that fills itself in
Progress reports you can download and share
Scope & Sequence export across reading and maths for your annual test
One-click receipts + usage package for EFA (ClassWallet) audits
Every child in one account — up to 5
Questions About Homeschooling in Arkansas
Quick answers for homeschooling families.
Is homeschooling legal in Arkansas?
Yes, and it is recognized as a full alternative to public or private school under A.C.A. § 6-15-501 and following. The one thing the law asks is an annual written Notice of Intent to your local district superintendent.
Do parents need a teaching certificate?
No. No credential, degree or teaching certificate is required to home school in Arkansas. The Notice of Intent form asks about the parent-teacher's qualifications, but there is no standard to meet.
Does Arkansas fund homeschooling?
Yes, through Education Freedom Accounts under the LEARNS Act — about $6,864 per student for 2025-26, paid in quarterly instalments of $1,716. An enhanced Succeed tier pays $7,627 for disability, foster care and military families. The account is universal: every K-12 Arkansas resident is eligible.
What does taking EFA money add?
One real obligation: an annual norm-referenced standardised test in maths and reading, with the results submitted to the Department of Education, usually around June 30. Independent homeschoolers who take no funding sit no test at all. That is the trade to weigh.
Do I have to teach particular subjects?
No. Arkansas mandates no subjects, no curriculum and no minimum instruction hours for homeschooling families. You choose what your child learns and how.
What records should I keep, and for how long?
Arkansas imposes no recordkeeping requirement on independent homeschoolers — no portfolio, no attendance log, no subject records, no work samples. If you take EFA funds, keep documentation of your spending and your annual test results. Keeping your own records is worthwhile either way.
Can my child play school sports?
Yes, under what is commonly called the Tim Tebow law. To take part in interscholastic activities at a public school, you notify the school in the first eleven days of the semester and provide a standardised test taken within the previous twelve months.
Official Sources
Confirm the rules and apply directly with your state.
Arkansas Home School Fact Sheet
→The notice, the deadlines and what the state does not ask for.
dese.ade.arkansas.gov — Fact Sheet (PDF)
Arkansas Home School
→Official overview — filing the notice, and what follows.
dese.ade.arkansas.gov — Home School
Education Freedom Accounts
→Amounts, eligibility and the annual testing condition.
dese.ade.arkansas.gov — EFA
Other States:
Homeschooling in California·Homeschooling in Colorado·Homeschooling in Connecticut— each reviewed against its own official sources
See How Families Run Their Homeschool on StudyPug
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StudyPug is a records tool, not legal advice. Homeschool rules, funding amounts, and deadlines change at least yearly — always confirm with the official sources above before you act. Requirements can also differ at the school-board or district level, so check with your local board or district too. We review every jurisdiction page and show you the date we last checked it; each requirement in your dashboard carries its own source and last-verified date.
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