SOUTH DAKOTA
Homeschooling in South Dakota: Requirements, Paperwork, and How to Start
One notification, filed once, and nothing after it. A 2021 law removed the annual filing, the standardised-test reporting and the certification requirement in a single stroke.
Homeschooling in South Dakota, Summarized
The Six Things South Dakota Asks of You
Legal in South Dakota
Yes
as alternative instruction
Compulsory ages
5 or 6 to 18
Do I notify anyone?
Yes — once, within 30 days
no annual renewal
Paperwork load
Low
no records, but two subjects are set
Parent qualification
None required
certification expressly not needed
Standardized testing
Not required
Legal requirements last reviewed: August 2026 · Plain English · Not legal advice
Homeschooling is legal in South Dakota
What You Need to Know
South Dakota is among the least regulated states, and it became so recently. A 2021 act eliminated the annual notification, the standardised-test reporting and the teacher-certification requirement together. What remains is one alternative instruction notification, filed within thirty days of starting.
What South Dakota Asks of You
One notification, filed once, and nothing after it.
Must do
File one alternative instruction notification with the Department, online or on paper
Dates that matter
Within 30 days of starting, of enrolling in a school, or of changing district
Good practice — not required
Keep transcripts anyway: they must be produced before certain activities, and nothing else generates them
Optional testing is available at your discretion if a benchmark matters
No records are mandated and the instructor need not be certified — a requirement removed in 2021. The curriculum is not entirely open, though: language arts and mathematics are prescribed.
South Dakota mandates no records at all. StudyPug keeps the transcript you will eventually need, while your child works.
Funding for South Dakota Home Education
The short answer, before the detail.
South Dakota provides no direct funding to homeschooling families.
There is no state education savings account, voucher, tax credit or reimbursement. The notification costs nothing to file, and carries nothing financial with it.
To your family
$0 — no state funding
To apply for
Nothing — the notification is not an application
Cost to file
Nothing — online or on paper
What StudyPug Handles for You
Not templates you fill in — records that fill themselves in.
Work-samples record — South Dakota mandates none, so yours is the only one
Hours & attendance log that fills itself in
Progress reports you can download and share
Scope & Sequence export you can turn into a transcript
Every child in one account — up to 5
Questions About Homeschooling in South Dakota
Quick answers for homeschooling families.
Is homeschooling legal in South Dakota?
Yes, as alternative instruction under SDCL 13-27. It is among the least regulated arrangements in the country, and became markedly lighter after a 2021 act.
Do parents need a teaching certificate?
No, and the statute says so directly: the person providing instruction is not required to be certified. That language was added in 2021, replacing a requirement that had applied before.
Does South Dakota fund homeschooling?
No. There is no state education savings account, voucher, tax credit or reimbursement for homeschooling families. Filing the notification is free but brings no money with it.
What changed in 2021?
Three things went at once: the annual notification requirement, the standardised-test reporting, and the teacher-certification requirement. What replaced them is a single notification filed within thirty days of starting, which never renews.
Do I have to file every year?
No annual renewal and no reporting cycle. Two events restart it, each within 30 days: your child enrolling in a public or nonpublic school, or moving to a different school district.
What records should I keep, and for how long?
None are legally mandated. There is one practical exception worth planning for: transcripts must be produced before certain activities, and since nothing else generates them, keeping your own is the only way they exist.
Is there any testing?
None required. Standardised testing is optional and entirely at your discretion — the reporting requirement that used to accompany it was removed in 2021 along with everything else.
Official Sources
Confirm the rules and apply directly with your state.
South Dakota Alternative Instruction FAQ
→The notification, and what the 2021 act removed.
doe.sd.gov — Alternative Instruction FAQ (PDF)
Senate Bill 177
→The 2021 act itself.
doe.sd.gov — SB 177 (PDF)
South Dakota Home Schooling
→The department's page: the notification, and the online form.
doe.sd.gov — Home Schooling
Other States:
Homeschooling in Tennessee·Homeschooling in Texas·Homeschooling in Utah— each reviewed against its own official sources
See How Families Run Their Homeschool on StudyPug
Lessons, practice, and the records above — one family plan.
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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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