Vermont recognizes home schooling. Children who attend a home study program are excused from attending public school. A home study program is an educational program offered through home study that provides a minimum course of study and that is offered to not more than (1) the children living in that home or (2) children not living in that home who are either two or fewer in number or who are from one family. The legal minimum course of study for home schooling includes reading, writing, math, citizenship, history, Vermont and United States government, physical education, health education, English, American and other literature, the natural sciences, and the fine arts. Study of health education, physical education, and fine arts is not required for home school students over age 12.

A written enrollment notice must be submitted to the commissioner of education for each child in a home study program. The notice must include:

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  The name and the age of the child, including the month and year of birth;

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  The names, mailing addresses, town of legal residence, and telephone numbers of the child's parents or guardians;

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  An assessment of progress for each child enrolled during the preceding year;

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  Independent professional evidence about whether the child has a disability for each child not previously enrolled in a Vermont public school or Vermont home study program;

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  A detailed outline or narrative describing the content to be provided in each subject area of the minimum course of study, including any special services or adaptations to be made to accommodate any disability, for each child being enrolled for the current year (NOTE: The outline or narrative is not required from a home study program that has successfully completed three consecutive school years of home study for an enrolled child; for the 2008-2009 school year and thereafter, the outline or narrative is not required from a home study program that has successfully completed only two consecutive years of successful home study.);

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  The names, addresses, telephone numbers, and signatures of the individuals who will provide instruction in any required subject area; and

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  The signatures of all custodial parents or guardians legally authorized to make educational decisions for the child.

Each home study program must also assess the student's progress annually using one of the following methods:

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  A report, in a form designated by the commissioner of education, by a Vermont certified teacher;

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  A report by the parents or instructor, or a teacher advisory service report for a publisher of a commercial curriculum along with a portfolio of the student's work that includes work samples that show progress in each subject area in the minimum course of study; or

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  The results of a standardized achievement test on a list approved by the commissioner of education, administered in a manner approved by the testing company.

Ask the parent to submit compliance with Vermont law. The student must also meet federal standards for full-time attendance and all other requirements for the payment of benefits.

In response to your request for a survey of state laws regarding the requirements for home schooling in the states in the Boston Region, we provide below a summary of the applicable laws for each New England state. If you have any questions about how these laws would apply to the facts of any specific claim for child's benefits, please let us know.

Attendance at school is required for children between ages 6 and 16, unless the child has completed 10th grade. Attendance in public school is excused for a child attending a home study program. A “home study program” means an educational program offered through home study which provides a minimum course of study and which is offered to not more than: a) children residing in that home; and b) children not residing in that home who either are two or fewer in number or who are from one family. By statute, the minimum course of study for home schooling includes reading, writing, math, citizenship, history, Vermont and United States government, physical education and health education, English, American and other literature, the natural sciences, and the fine arts. Homeschool students over age 12 are not required to study physical education, health education, or fine arts.

A home study program must send a written enrollment notice to the commissioner for each child in the program. The notice must include:

1. a) 

   the name and age of the child, by year and month;

2. b) 

   the names, mailing addresses, town of legal residence, and telephone numbers of the parents or guardians of the child;

3. c) 

   for each child enrolled during the preceding year, an assessment of progress;

4. d) 

   for each child not previously enrolled in a Vermont public school or Vermont home study program, independent professional evidence on whether the child has a disability;

5. e) 

   for each child being enrolled for the current year, a detailed outline or narrative which describes the content to be provided in each subject area of the minimum course of study, including any special services or adaptations to be made to accommodate any disability (Note: As a result of a 2006 statutory amendment, this detailed outline or narrative is not required from a home study program that has successfully completed three consecutive school years of home study for an enrolled child. For the 2008-2009 school year forward, only two consecutive years of successful home study will be required to qualify for this exemption.);

6. f) 

   the names, addresses, telephone numbers, and signatures of the persons who will provide instruction in any required subject area; and

7. g) 

   the signatures of all custodial parents or guardians who are legally authorized to make educational decisions for the child.

Each home study program must also annually assess the student's progress by one of the following methods:

1. a) 

   a report, in a form designated by the Commissioner, by a Vermont certified teacher;

2. b) 

   a report prepared by the parents or the student's instructor, or a teacher advisory service report from a publisher of a commercial curriculum together with a portfolio of the student's work that includes work samples to demonstrate progress in each subject area in the minimum course of study; or

3. c) 

   the results of a standardized achievement test on a list approved by the Commissioner, administered in a manner approved by the testing company.

See Vt. Stat. Ann. tit. 16, §§ 11, 166b, 906, 1071, 1121; Vermont Department of Education website at http://education.vermont.gov/new/html/pgm_homestudy.html