Home Study

Every family in Vermont has the right to educate their own children. All students in Vermont must be enrolled at an approved public or independent school or enroll in a home study program. 

Home Study and Home Schooling mean the same thing; the family is responsible for educating the students.  Families must develop their own curriculum, or purchase a curriculum to implement or they can enroll their students in an online program/academy.  The family will determine which best meets their needs. 

The Agency of Education’s Home Study Team functions as a processesor of home study programs – not a school.  There are some minimum standards that the State of Vermont has determined all Home Study Programs must meet, and we are responsible for ensuring that all programs are in compliance with the requirements in 16 VSA §166b.  By enrolling in a Home Study Program, families choose not to access a publicly funded education.  There is no money available to pay for a Home Study Program at either the State level or the local level.     

Students enrolled in home study do not receive grades or diplomas from the State. We maintain records documenting that students satisfactorily meet all necessary standards, and confirm with school districts all who are enrolled with us so they can accurately enforce truancy laws. 

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Announcements

Enrollments for 2023-24 Accepted Starting March 1, 2023

Feb. 6, 2023: Enrollments for the 2023-2024 school year will be accepted beginning March 1st, 2023. Please do not submit any paperwork for next year (including End of Year Assessment materials) until after this date!

Guidance for Early College and Dual Enrollment

Feb. 16, 2022: The Agency of Education has updated guidance for students who wish to enroll in Early College or Dual Enrollment. Please see the following memo:

 

Home Study Timeline 

March 01, 2022 - Submission for the 2022-2023 school year enrollment begins. 

May 01, 2022 – No 2021-2022 year enrollments will be accepted after this date.

August 01, 2022 – Submission deadline to qualify for the MCOS exemption.    

Rolling enrollments are accepted anytime after March 1, 2021 until May 1, 2022. Students must remain in the public/independent school until you have received an official Home Study enrollment complete letter. 

Please note: not all students enrolling will need all forms. Enrollment and forms submission options can be found on the forms page. 

Enrollments can take up to 14 business days to process once received. Submission of an enrollment packet does not mean that the student has been enrolled in a home study program. When students are officially enrolled in a home study program, families will receive an enrollment complete letter from the Home Study Office, and may withdraw their students from school and begin home study.  

Special Needs/Special Education  

Students with disabilities may be enrolled in a Home Study Program.  Families should be aware that by enrolling in a Home Study Program: 

  • Students are not entitled to and may not receive any special education supports and services through the school 

  • Families are required to complete the Adaptations form.  This form provides us with information on what families will do to support their student’s education. Please see this Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) for more information, and see the sample Adaptations below 

Parents' Rights in Special Education  

Under the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) of 2004 and the Agency of Education's Special Education rules, parents have specific rights concerning their participation in the special education process. The Parents' Rights in Special Education (Procedural Safeguards Notice) booklet is designed to inform parents of those rights and provide a list of available resources. 

This document is available in the following languages: Bosnian, Nepali, Russian, Simplified Chinese, Somali, Spanish, Traditional Chinese, Turkish and Vietnamese. Translations in Arabic, French, and Swahili will be available in the near future. 

Enroll Online 

The Agency of Education offers a secure online method to create and submit Home Study forms. You may save and resume your work as long as you save the link provided. Upon submission, the Agency receives a copy of your forms and you will receive a pdf copy of your submission within a confirmation email. Please be sure to check your SPAM/Junk folder for the confirmation email. The confirmation email will go to the email addresses listed on the form. 

​Full Online Enrollment Packet 

Individual Forms 

  • Please see the forms page for a list of individual and printable forms

Home Study Resources 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) 

 

Public School and Home Study 

Each week, every supervisory union/school district (SU/SD) receives an enrollment report which lists the names of students who are currently enrolled or whose enrollment is pending.  Authorized personnel are issued a secure link to a Sharepoint Folder which contains the weekly reports. It is the responsibility of the SU/SD to divide and distribute this information directly to the schools to ensure all students within their district are accounted for. 

The Home Study office is happy to collaborate with the public schools to make sure that our lists are accurate.  Please direct all questions and concerns to aoe.homestudy@vermont.gov.

Home study students are permitted to enroll at their local school for up to 2 of the 5 main courses (Math, Science, Reading and Writing, History/Civics/Government, and Literature), as well as electives, athletics, and extra-curricular activities, as space permits.  Parents must collaborate with their local school to arrange enrollment and scheduling. 

Please also see these informational FAQs and Memos: 

 

If you have questions please contact the Home Study Team.

Email the Home Study Team at aoe.homestudy@vermont.gov, or call (802) 828-6225.