HAWAII
Homeschooling in Hawaii: Requirements, Paperwork, and How to Start
One notice to your local school principal, a curriculum record you keep yourself, and a progress report at the end of each year. Here is exactly what Hawaii asks of you.
Homeschooling in Hawaii, Summarized
The Six Things Hawaii Asks of You
Legal in Hawaii
Yes
Compulsory ages
5 to 17
Do I notify anyone?
Yes — once, before you begin
no annual re-filing
Paperwork load
Low
one report a year
Parent qualification
None required
a parent is qualified by rule
Standardized testing
At grades 3, 5, 8 and 10 — confirm the last
Legal requirements last reviewed: June 2026 · Plain English · Not legal advice
Homeschooling is legal in Hawaii
What You Need to Know
Hawaii is a single statewide district, so everything runs through your local public school. Send the principal a notice of intent before you start, and you need not file again unless you move. Keep a private curriculum record, send one progress report each year, and have your child tested at four grade points.
What Hawaii Asks of You
One notice, one record, one report a year.
Must do
Send a notice of intent to the principal of your local public school before you begin
Keep a private record of the planned curriculum, start and end dates and weekly instruction
Send the principal an annual progress report at the end of each school year
Test at grades 3, 5 and 8, and once in the senior years — confirm which
Dates that matter
Before you begin — the principal acknowledges receipt rather than approving it
The end of each school year, for the progress report
By the end of the school year covering grades 3, 5, 8 and 10
Good practice — not required
Keep the acknowledgement: it is the only paper trail the notice leaves
Re-file only if you move to a new school zone — otherwise once is enough
The progress report may take one of four forms, including a nationally normed score at grade level or evidence of a year's growth. A parent is a qualified instructor by rule.
Hawaii wants a curriculum record and a progress report each year. StudyPug builds both while your child works.
Funding for Hawaii Home Education
The short answer, before the detail.
Hawaii provides no direct funding to homeschooling families.
No state education savings account, voucher or reimbursement exists, so materials are paid for by the family. What the state does provide is the testing your child is required to take, through the local school.
To your family
$0 — no state funding
To apply for
Nothing — there is no state program
Through your school
The required grade-level testing
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 to seed your curriculum record
One-click package when your annual progress report is due
Every child in one account — up to 5
Questions About Homeschooling in Hawaii
Quick answers for homeschooling families.
Is homeschooling legal in Hawaii?
Yes, as an exception to compulsory attendance. You submit a notice of intent to the principal of the public school your child would otherwise attend. The principal and the complex area superintendent acknowledge receipt — they do not approve it, and there is nothing to be granted.
Do parents need a teaching certificate?
No. A parent teaching their own child at home is deemed a qualified instructor by rule. No teaching credential, degree or minimum education level is required of you.
Does Hawaii fund homeschooling?
No. There is no state education savings account, voucher or reimbursement for homeschooling families, so materials and resources are paid for out of pocket. The required grade-level testing runs through the local public school rather than at your expense.
Do I have to file the notice every year?
No, and this is one of the friendlier details. The notice is one-time. You re-file only if you move into a new school zone, or where a school-level change makes it necessary. Most families file once and never again.
What goes in the annual progress report?
You choose from four accepted methods. Two of them rest on a nationally normed standardised test: a score showing achievement appropriate to your child's age, or evidence of a year's growth even where overall achievement sits below grade level. It goes to your local school principal at the end of the year.
What records should I keep, and for how long?
A private record of the planned curriculum, covering the program's start and end dates and the weekly instruction. It is not submitted unless the principal asks for it, so it is your own document rather than a filing.
Which grades involve testing?
Grades 3, 5, 8 and 10. Your child takes a standardised test by the end of the school year covering each of those grades — four times across a school career rather than annually.
Official Sources
Confirm the rules and apply directly with your state.
Compulsory Attendance Exceptions
→Board of Education policy — the notice, the report and the testing.
boe.hawaii.gov — Chapter 12 (PDF)
Hawaii Homeschool
→The department's page, and Form 4140 with the steps that follow.
hawaiipublicschools.org — Homeschool
HRS § 302A-1132
→Compulsory attendance, and the exceptions written into it.
capitol.hawaii.gov — HRS 302A-1132
Other States:
Homeschooling in Idaho·Homeschooling in Illinois·Homeschooling in Indiana— 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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