Hawaii
Homeschooling in Hawaii
The summaries below describe two different approaches, or alternative ways, the state of Hawaii offers homeschooling families to meet state compulsory education requirements. Additional and more extensive help may be found within our e-book: Hawaii Homeschool Legal Workbook: Your Guide to Compliance - Facts & Forms, prepared by HomeSchoolLegal.com.
Approach 1 |
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| Approach: | Establish a home school |
| Restrictions: | Teacher certification not required |
| Reporting: | File notice of intent with the principal of the public school the child would otherwise be required to attend before beginning homeschooling. Use a form from the Department of Education, or a letter containing name(s), address, phone number, birthdate(s), grade level(s) and parent’s signature. Also must notify public school within 5 days of ending homeschooling. |
| Recordkeeping: | Maintain a record of the planned curriculum, including (1) beginning and ending dates of the program, (2) record of number of hours per week that the child spends in instruction, and (3) subject areas to be covered. |
| Requirements: | Subjects required: The curriculum shall be structured and based on educational objectives as well as the needs of the child, be cumulative and sequential, provide a range of up-to-date knowledge and needed skills, and take into account the interests, needs and abilities of the child. An elementary school curriculum may include the areas of language arts, mathematics, social studies, science, art, music, health and physical education to be offered at the appropriate development stage of the child. A secondary school curriculum may include the subject areas of social studies, English, mathematics, science, health, physical education and guidance. |
| Testing: | Testing is Required. Test scores required for grades 3, 5, 8 and 10. Tests may be taken at the public school or through private testing which shall be at the parent’s expense. Other than for grades 3, 5, 8 and 10, parents shall submit to the principal an annual report for progress, consisting of either (1) standardized achievement test scores, (2) a written evaluation by a certified teacher, or (3) a written evaluation by the parent, including description of child’s progress in each subject, samples of work and representative tests and assignments including grades, if given. |
| Compulsory Attendance: | Applies to children who at least 6 but not yet 18 by January 1 of any school year. |
| Source of Law: | Hawaii Administrative Rules, Title 8, Department of Education, Subtitle 2, Education, Chapter 12 |
| NOTE: | This is not intended to be legal advice and is offered only as an educational service for visitors to www.Home-School-Inc.com and www.HomeSchoolLegal.com. It is not a substitute for competent legal advice. Requirements may change at any time, and interpretations of the law and regulations can differ. Consult a legal services provider and a local homeschooling support group for more specific information. |
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Approach 2 |
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| Approach: | Enroll in an appropriate alternative educational program which has been approved by the superintendent |
| Restrictions: | Bachelor’s degree required for teacher |
| Reporting: | Program must be approved by superintendent |
| Recordkeeping: | As required by school |
| Requirements: | Subjects as required by school |
| Testing: | Testing is Required |
| Compulsory Attendance: | Applies to children who are at least 6 but not yet 18 by January 1 of any school year. |
| Source of Law: | Hawaii Administrative Rules, Title 8, Department of Education, Subtitle 2, Education, Chapter 12 |
| NOTE: | This is not intended to be legal advice and is offered only as an educational service for visitors to www.Home-School-Inc.com and www.HomeSchoolLegal.com. It is not a substitute for competent legal advice. Requirements may change at any time, and interpretations of the law and regulations can differ. Consult a legal services provider and a local homeschooling support group for more specific information. |
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