16-19-2 speaks to compulsory attendance for both private and homeschooled children. In Rhode Island, homeschoolers file a Letter of Intent (LOI) with their local school district. We are required to verify 3 things according to the State Statutes:

• That attendance will be substantially equal to that of public school.
• That we will teach the required subjects.
• That our teaching will be “thorough and efficient.”

The school committee is explicitly charged with approving homeschool Letters of Intent. Others within the district may be designated to review your Letter of Intent for completeness but only the school committee is charged with approval. No other person or official has the authority to approve or deny your homeschool LOI.

• State Statute 16-19-1 speaks to mandatory attendance by age. The law says that mandatory attendance begins when a child is 6 years old by September 1st .
• State Statutes 16-2-27 and 16-2-28 speak to mandatory Kindergarten.  Due to these laws if you plan to homeschool Kindergarten and then put your child into school for 1st grade you must report as a homeschooler for the Kindergarten year.
• If your child is not yet 5 years old by September 1st, you should wait to file until the next homeschool year. 
• Children must attend school until they graduate or are age 18. 
• Letters of intent can be submitted as soon as you decide to homeschool. We recommend that you submit your letter several months prior to beginning to homeschool if possible. Most homeschoolers file during the summer.

If you are removing your child from school at any time of the year you should send a withdrawal letter (see sample letters) to the school principal as well as the district superintendent. At the same time, you will file your Letter of Intent with the district superintendent (see #1 above).

Your Letter of Intent should fulfill all your legal obligations to homeschool in Rhode Island. While students enrolling in public schools do need to register to attend school, this is inapplicable for homeschool students.

Districts often put homeschool “application” forms online or will send packets to your home. These forms are not necessary and often ask for more information than is required by law and so we recommend they are not returned to the district.

If your child has never been registered for school in your school district before you may be asked to provide Proof of Residency and you should do so.  This usually can be easily done by sending a copy of a utility bill.

Some districts ask for more than is required by law. Providing information beyond what is required by law is not recommended and can be detrimental to other homeschoolers who are following the law.  Your approval process is not expedited or given preference based on providing additional information.

Items you should not submit include:

Full child’s dates of birth (Month/Year only) or gender

• Parent teaching credentials (Commissioner of Education ruling- Kimberly J. vs Coventry School Committee, 2000)
• Detailed list of curriculum/resources *
• Your reason for homeschooling
• Quarterly attendance
• Hours of attendance or “time on task”
• Standardized testing or test scores
• Portfolios or work samples
• Per subject evaluation
• Do not agree to home visitation (Commissioner of Education Ruling-Kindstedt v. East Greenwich 1986)

*Some districts may ask for curriculum.  We recommend using the basic Letter of Intent found on our website. It contains a simple line about resources and providing additional information is not recommended. If your district asks for information beyond the sample Letter of Intent please contact us.

No, it is not required. We do not recommend that you attend any meetings with school officials without legal counsel or a knowledgeable support person.  These meetings are unnecessary and are not part of the process to homeschool. Further, we find most districts will request information that is not required by law at these meetings. Your letter of intent has all the information needed to legally homeschool in Rhode Island.

​​​​​​​State Statutes (16-19-2, 16-22-2, 16-22-4) require that: Reading, Writing, Geography, Arithmetic, History of the United States and Rhode Island, Civics, Health and Physical Education are taught each year.

No. The State Statutes do not require that we follow the Common Core state standards (CCSS), grade level expectations (GLE’s) or follow any particular curriculum.  Parents are free to utilize resources that best fit the needs of their children.

Most homeschoolers find it unnecessary to use texts from public schools and choose to purchase their own curriculum or find other free sources to use.  However, State Statute 16-23-2 says that public schools must provide textbooks and ebooks that are used in public schools upon request from homeschool parents.

Homeschoolers are not required to follow the public school calendar.  State Statute 16-19-2 only requires that the number of days we homeschool “be substantially equal to that required by law in public schools.” You may choose whatever method you like to record attendance. The law only speaks to the number of days in attendance for all children (regardless if public school, private or homeschool). It does not matter for the purposes of RI State Law whether the “school year” begins in the summer or continues year round. Stating you will submit your attendance at the end of the year in your letter of intent should fulfill your legal obligations to homeschool in Rhode Island.

No. Districts may offer standardized testing to homeschoolers. If you are interested in standardized testing you will need to contact your district. Most homeschoolers find standardized testing aligned with public school curriculum and therefore not a valid indicator of learning in the homeschool setting. Homeschoolers usually find that working with their children each day provides enough information about their learning. There are standardized tests available for parents to administer at home if they choose.

After receiving your Letter of Intent most districts will place it on the agenda for acknowledgment at the next available school committee meeting (no personal or identifying information is made public) and then send an annual acknowledgment letter, but not all do. If you need a letter we recommend that you contact your district in writing to request one. An acknowledgement letter can serve as verification if needed for college enrollment, job applications and for educator’s discounts.

Use certified mail with a return receipt or email to send your annual End of Year (EOY) report and either a statement of attendance or a calendar if you prefer. Please see our sample EOY. Most homeschoolers will send in their EOY report and the Letter of Intent for next year at the same time.

We recommend all correspondences maintain a paper trail and thus should be in writing.  Communication can be by certified mail OR by email.  When using certified mail be sure to add a return receipt, this receipt is important proof that you sent your paperwork and it was signed as received by the district.  While email can lead to unnecessary communication from the district it is quick, easy and free while still maintaining a paper trail.

ENRICHri does not recommend speaking to school officials by phone because this does not leave a paper trail.

ENRICHri does not recommend bringing your paperwork into the school department in person, but if you choose to, bring 2 copies, get both stamped/signed as received, keep 1 copy for your records.

When moving out of a district you should inform the district by mail or email once you have left.  Simply state that you have left the district, they do not need to be told where you are moving to.  If this move occurs at the end of your school year be sure to include your annual EOY letter. At the same time you should send a new LOI to your new district if you are in state, or learn the homeschool laws in your new state.

Contact your school district of residence (superintendent’s office) as soon as you know that you want to have your child return (a planned return could be a week from now or looking ahead to the next school year).

You will need to fill out all the district’s registration forms.

Districts usually place the child into the age-appropriate grade but placement following long- or short-term homeschooling is ultimately up to the school superintendent.

Factors that the superintendent may consider:

• Age
• Your most recent End of Year report
• Any standardized tests the child has taken
• Requiring the child to take any standardized achievement tests that are regularly scheduled for district pupils of similar age
• Other evaluation information that may include interviews with the child and/or parent(s)
• You may be asked to provide a report card or transcript, usually for middle or high school
• Be honest (even if they are “behind”)
• Be accurate
• Be sure to include all the subjects required by RI law

Public schools have to take your student, but they don’t have to take your grades. This becomes especially true for high school credits. High school courses completed as a homeschooler may be closely scrutinized and ultimately not accepted towards a district diploma. 

It’s not always a matter of showing up at school and signing some papers. You may need to explain your child’s abilities and accomplishments to help the district determine placement, especially if you would like your child in a higher grade than the district suggests. The experience will vary from district-to-district, school-to-school and even differs between staff in the same school office. 

If you decide to enroll your child in a private school after homeschooling you should send your district superintendent a certified letter or email stating that your child will no longer be homeschooling as of X date and that they will be attending private school and you will no longer be reporting to the district.

Yes.  Many homeschoolers choose to receive services privately so they do not need to work with the public school system but homeschoolers can receive services through their district if they choose to.  Many private insurances will cover out-patient Speech Therapy, Physical Therapy, etc.. Most pediatrician offices can recommend places to call to set up appointments as can the experienced homeschool community. 

If your child is currently in public school and has an IEP you can choose to continue or discontinue those services as a homeschooler. If you discontinue services then you may be asked to sign a form saying such.  This releases the district from their IEP responsibilities. The school would send you a form to sign, you are not required to attend a meeting to end services. 

If your child has never been in the school system and you want to request services you can call or email the Special Education department in your district to begin their IEP/services process.

Each school district can decide if they will allow homeschoolers to participate in sports, band, academic classes or activities.

Contact your superintendent’s office for information.

You can homeschool on any budget. As there are no requirements for which curriculum, materials, activities, etc. that you need to use or participate in, you get to decide what you spend. There are many homeschoolers who utilize free curriculum, online materials, and/or borrow from friends and their library to homeschool for free. Others save money by shopping used curriculum sales, library book sales, and buy/sell/trade sites online. You can also take advantage of lower costs and/or discounts on homeschool specific activities, group classes, and field trips through local businesses and homeschooling groups. You can truly spend as much or as little as you wish and still have a fulfilling homeschool experience.

In Rhode Island parents determine the requirements for homeschool graduation and they issue the diploma/transcript as proof of completion of a child’s educational years. Homeschoolers do not need to adhere to any state or district requirements for graduation. While it is always an option, a GED is not necessary and we do not recommend homeschoolers acquire one. A transcript is a better indicator of the work your child completed in their high school years.

Absolutely. Many colleges across the country actively seek homeschoolers because of their independence and love of learning. Your child’s homeschool transcript will demonstrate academic rigor and college readiness.

Many homeschooled students choose dual enrollment at local colleges which allows them to combine their high school classes with college level credit classes at the same time. In Rhode Island and nearby Massachusetts, there are several colleges that offer dual enrollment and enrichment programs for high schoolers (BCC, CCRI, RIC, URI, RWU). There are also many online dual enrollment programs. Most colleges require transcripts and placement exams from anyone taking a college course regardless of being homeschooled or attending public school.

Our volunteer advocacy team works hard to monitor state and district laws and policies.  If you have questions pertaining to your district that were not addressed in the above FAQs you can contact our ENRICHri advocacy team at memberadvocate@enrichri.org.

Should you choose to join our homeschool group you can then post your questions on our active Facebook page. Our wonderful community will be sure to welcome you and help answer any general questions you might have about homeschooling.