New York
• Compulsory Attendance Ages: Between 6 (on or before the first of December in any school year) and 16 (the last day of session in the school year in which the minor becomes sixteen years of age) or completion of high school. (Effective July 1, 2005, the local board of education can raise the compulsory attendance age in their school district from 16 to 17 if the minor is not employed.) (§ 3205)
• Required Days of Instruction: Substantial equivalent of 180 days. 900 hours per year for grades 1-6; 990 hours per year for grades 7-12.
• Required Subjects: (§§ 801, 804, 806, 808, 3204)
Grades K-12: Patriotism and citizenship, about substance abuse, traffic safety, fire safety;
Grades 1 through 6: Arithmetic, reading, spelling, writing, English, geography, United States history, science, health, music, visual arts, and physical education;
Grades 7 and 8: English, history and geography, science, mathematics, physical education, health, art, music, practical arts, and library skills; (at least once in first 8 grades): United States and New York history and constitutions;
Grades 9 through 12: English, social studies-including American history, participation in government, and economics-math, science, art or music, health, physical education, and electives. N.Y. Educ. Law
• Teacher Qualifications: Instruction need only be given by a competent teacher.
(§ 3204) The parent does not need to be certified. A parent is deemed "competent" if the regulations below are followed.
• Standardized Tests: The parent can choose one of five approved standardized tests, at a place of the parents' choosing.
• A child "may attend a public school or elsewhere." (§ 3204(2)). Instruction given to a minor "elsewhere" must be "at least substantially equivalent to the instruction given to minors of like age or attainments at the public schools." Using this statute as its authority, the state board of education, in 1988, enacted home school regulations.
These home school regulations require parents to do the following:
a. submit a notice of intent to home school to the district superintendent by July 1 (the beginning of the school year) annually, or within fourteen days of starting home schooling during the middle of a school year.
b. subsequently, fill out an Individualized Home Instruction Plan (IHIP) form according to deadlines specified in the regulations, containing
(1) the child's name, age, and grade level;
(2) a list of the syllabi, curriculum materials, textbooks, or a plan of instruction;
(3) dates for submission of quarterly reports; and
(4) name of the persons giving instruction.
c. maintain records of attendance (180 days).
d. file quarterly reports giving
(1) the number of hours of instruction during quarter,
(2) description of material covered in each subject, and
(3) a grade or narrative evaluation in each subject (the superintendent has no authority to judge the adequacy of these reports); and
e. file an annual assessment including
(1) achievement test results, or
(2) alternative evaluation by any of the following:
(a) a certified teacher,
(b) a home instruction peer review panel,
(c) or other person. For grades one through three, the alternative evaluation may be used. In grades four through eight, the alternative evaluation may be used every other year. Beginning with ninth grade, standardized testing must be done every year. The child's composite score must be above the 33rd percentile.
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New York State High School Graduation Requirements:
- English units: 4
- Math units: 3
- Social studies units: 4. 1 unit American history, .5 unit each in "participation in government" and "economics or their equivalent."
- Science units: 3 (incl. min. 1 unit lab). 3 units of "commencement level science," including 1 unit life sciences, 1 unit physical sciences and 1 unit either life sciences or physical sciences.
- P.E./Health units: 2.5. 2 units p.e. and .5 unit health education.
- Arts: 1
- Foreign language: 1
- Electives units: 0
- Other units: 0
Other diploma options: State offers honors/college prep and technical curriculum options and proficiency-based credit option.
N.Y. COMP. CODES R. & REGS. tit. 8, § 100.2, 100.5
Important Note: State Graduation requirements are not necessarily the best guideline for homeschoolers to use. They have been included here as a guideline for what a typical public school student would need to complete in order to graduate.
A more important guideline may be the College Entrance requirements for where your student would like to attend college. While colleges have differing requirements, there are many colleges that publish requirements for homeschool graduates.
Related Pages:
Homeschool Support Groups in New York
Colleges in New York