VIRGINIA
Homeschooling in Virginia: Requirements, Paperwork, and How to Start
A notice by August 15 listing the subjects you will study, one of four ways to qualify as the teaching parent, and evidence of academic progress filed by August 1 after each year.
Homeschooling in Virginia, Summarized
The Six Things Virginia Asks of You
Legal in Virginia
Yes
or by religious exemption
Compulsory ages
5 to 18
Do I notify anyone?
Yes — every year, by August 15
Paperwork load
Low to Medium
one submission a year
Parent qualification
One of four options
Standardized testing
Evidence of progress — a pass mark applies
by August 1
Legal requirements last reviewed: June 2026 · Plain English · Not legal advice
Homeschooling is legal in Virginia
What You Need to Know
File an annual notice of intent with your division superintendent by August 15, listing the subjects your child will study and showing that you meet one of four qualification options. After each year, submit evidence of progress by August 1, in one of two accepted forms. A separate religious exemption route exists.
What Virginia Asks of You
A notice each August, evidence the following August.
Must do
File an annual notice of intent with your division superintendent
List the subjects your child will study
Show that you meet one of the four qualification options
Submit evidence of academic progress after each school year
Dates that matter
August 15 each year for the notice, or promptly if you move in or start mid-year
August 1 following each school year, for the evidence of progress
Good practice — not required
Decide early which of the two evidence options you will use — they suit different children
Keep your own records: nothing beyond the annual evidence is submitted
A religious exemption under a separate section excuses a pupil from attendance where the family is conscientiously opposed, with no statutory deadline. It is a different route, not a variation.
Virginia wants evidence of progress every August. StudyPug builds the year behind it while your child works.
Funding for Virginia Home Education
The short answer, before the detail.
Virginia provides no direct funding to home instruction families.
There is no education savings account or voucher for home instruction. The state's scholarship tax-credit program funds private-school places and is generally capped at the state share of per-pupil funding — home-instructed students are outside it.
To your family
$0 — no state funding
Scholarship program
Private-school places — not home instruction
To apply for
Nothing — the notice is not an application
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 the subjects listed in your notice
One-click package to seed your August evidence of progress
Every child in one account — up to 5
Questions About Homeschooling in Virginia
Quick answers for homeschooling families.
Is homeschooling legal in Virginia?
Yes, by two separate routes. Home instruction under § 22.1-254.1 is the main one, with an annual notice and evidence of progress. A religious exemption under a different section excuses attendance entirely where a family is conscientiously opposed.
Do parents need a teaching certificate?
Not necessarily. Virginia asks that you satisfy one of four qualification options, and holding a high-school diploma or higher is the first of them. Being a teacher qualified under the Board's prescriptions is another. The options give most families a route through.
Does Virginia fund homeschooling?
No. There is no education savings account or voucher for home instruction. The state's scholarship tax-credit program funds private-school places, generally capped at the state share of per-pupil funding, and home-instructed students are not within it.
What is the evidence of academic progress?
A submission to your division superintendent by August 1. Either a nationally normed test composite at or above the fourth stanine — roughly the 23rd percentile — or an assessment from a licensed teacher or master's-degree holder. Falling short puts you on a year's probation; failing that year ends home instruction.
What goes in the August notice?
Your intent to provide home instruction, the subjects your child will study, and evidence that you meet one of the four qualification options. It goes in by August 15, or promptly if you move into the state or begin after the year has started.
What records should I keep, and for how long?
There is no portfolio submission — only the annual evidence of progress. Maintaining your own records is worth doing regardless, because the superintendent's oversight rests entirely on that one yearly submission.
What is the religious exemption?
A separate route. Where a pupil and their parents are conscientiously opposed to attendance on religious grounds, the school board must excuse the pupil. There is no statutory deadline attached, and it operates instead of the home instruction requirements rather than alongside them.
Official Sources
Confirm the rules and apply directly with your state.
§ 22.1-254.1 — Home Instruction
→The notice, the qualification options and the evidence of progress.
law.lis.virginia.gov — § 22.1-254.1
§ 22.1-254 — Compulsory Attendance
→The section carrying the religious exemption.
law.lis.virginia.gov — § 22.1-254
Virginia Home Instruction
→The department's page on the notice, the options and the evidence.
doe.virginia.gov — Home Instruction
Other States:
Homeschooling in Washington·Homeschooling in West Virginia·Homeschooling in Wisconsin— 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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