Home Schooling

In Virginia, parents must ensure that a child attends school in compliance with the state compulsory attendance law as specified in § 22.1-254 of the Code of Virginia when the child has reached his 5th birthday on or before September 30 of any school year and has not passed his 18th birthday. The compulsory attendance law requires that a child subject to that law attend a private or public school or receive an education through one of the other Code alternatives to school attendance unless the child falls within one of the Code exceptions. Home instruction or home schooling is one alternative to school attendance, and parents may home school “when the requirements of § 22.1-254.1 of the Code have been satisfied.”

The Code of Virginia requires parents who home instruct to provide the school division with:

  • A Notice of Intent to Provide Home Instruction (available through the Hanover County School Board Office)
  • Evidence of having met one of the criteria for providing home instruction (see options below)
  • A list of subjects to be studied for the upcoming year, and
  • Evidence of academic progress at the end of the school year by August 1

The Code of Virginia will allow the parent of any child of school age to elect to home school a child if the parent provides evidence that he or she meets one of the following and the other requirements noted above:

  • Option I: The parent holds a high school diploma or a higher credential.
  • Option II: The parent meets the qualifications of a teacher as prescribed by the Virginia Board of Education.
  • Option III: The parent provides a program of study or curriculum which may be delivered through a correspondence course or distance learning program or in any other manner.
  • Option IV: The parent provides evidence that the parent is able to provide an adequate education for the child.

PSAT & AP Testing

Students who are home schooled are eligible to participate in the Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test (PSAT) and Advanced Placement (AP) examinations for courses being offered during the current school year by Hanover County Public Schools. The deadline to apply for AP tests for the 2024–2025 school year is November 15, 2024. 

Quick Links

Forms 

Contact

  • Laura BryantCoordinator of Student Support Services, McKinney-Vento Homeless Liaison, Title IX Coordinator
  • Ann Lundquist, Administrative Assistant - Accreditation & Accountability

(804) 365-4615

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