Tennessee recognizes home schooling, church-related private schools, and home schools
affiliated with church-related schools. Each of these options has specific requirements.
Home Schooling
A home school parent/teacher must meet the attendance, testing, and credential requirements
in Tenn. Stat. § 49-6-3050(b).
He/she must:
Give notice to the local school director by August 1 (or by September 1 with payment
of a penalty) of his/her intent to conduct a home school and include the name, number,
age, and grade level of the child, the location of the school, the curriculum, proposed
hours of instruction, and the qualifications of the parent/teacher;
Maintain attendance records and submit them to the director of schools at the end
of each school year;
Instruct at least four hours per day for the same number of instructional days required
by state law for public schools;
Have a high school diploma or GED to conduct classes in kindergarten through grade
8 or have a baccalaureate degree or exemption if conducting classes in grades 9 through
12;
Comply with administration of approved standardized tests to students in grades five,
seven, and nine;
Consult with the director of schools if the student falls three to six months behind
the home school student's appropriate grade level, based on the results of the standardized
tests;
Consult with a teacher licensed by the state board of education if the student falls
six to nine months behind the appropriate grade level and, with the teacher, design
a remedial course for the child;
Enroll the student in a public, private, or church-related school, if required by
the local director of schools, if the student falls more than a year behind the appropriate
grade level;
Notify the local director of schools in writing whether he/she is conducting a college
preparatory or general course of study to a student in grades nine through twelve.
If the course is general, it must include courses required by the state for graduation
from public high schools. If the course is college preparatory, it must include areas
of study required for admission into public four-year colleges operated by the state;
and
Submit proof of vaccination and other required health services or examinations to
the local director of schools.
Church-Related Private School
A church-related private school must:
Be accredited by or a member of one of the organizations listed in Tenn. Stat. § 49-6-3050(b):
the Tennessee Association of Christian Schools; the Association of Christian Schools
International; the Tennessee Association of Independent Schools; the Southern Association
of Colleges and Schools; the Tennessee Association of Non-Public Academic Schools;
the Tennessee Association of Church Related Schools; or a school associated with Accelerated
Christian Education, Inc.;
Supervise the home school; and
Administer standardized achievement tests at the same time the tests are given in
regular day school.
Home Schools Affiliated with Church-Related Schools
In addition to the requirements for a church-related private school, a home school
affiliated with a church-related private school must also meet the following requirements:
The parent or teacher of grade 9-12 must have at least a high school diploma or generalized
educational development (GED) certificate;
The student must be administered an annual standardized achievement test or the Sanders
Model of value-added assessment, whichever the local education association (LEA) uses
and the state board of education approves;
The student must be registered with the LEA the student would attend if not in the
home school; and
A student who fails for two consecutive years to meet or surpass the average achievement
level in the Sanders Model or other standardized achievement test in use in the LEA
must be enrolled in the appropriate grade level of the LEA or church-related school.The
parent or teacher must submit evidence of compliance with one of these options.