Hawaii is moderately regulated: notify your local public school before starting, keep records of your program, and submit an annual progress report, with standardized test scores expected at certain grade checkpoints.
Homeschooling is legal in Hawaii and administered through your neighborhood public school. Before you begin, you notify the principal of the school your child would attend — most families use the state's homeschool notification form (commonly known as Form 4140) or an equivalent letter.
After that, Hawaii's ongoing expectations are recordkeeping and an annual progress report submitted to the school. The report can take several forms, and at certain grade checkpoints the state expects standardized test results as part of demonstrating progress — check the current Department of Education guidance for exactly which grades apply to your child.
Submit the homeschool notification (Form 4140 or an equivalent letter) to the principal of your child's neighborhood public school before starting. Notify the school again if you move or end your program.
Hawaii expects a structured, curriculum-based program appropriate to your child's age and keeps the design in your hands. Maintain a record of the planned curriculum and your child's work — the parent is responsible for keeping it, not submitting it.
Submit a progress report to the principal at the end of each school year. Acceptable evidence includes standardized test scores or a written evaluation demonstrating grade-appropriate progress; at designated grade checkpoints the state expects standardized test results, so confirm the current checkpoint grades with the DOE.
Send the homeschool notification (Form 4140 or an equivalent letter) to your neighborhood public school's principal before you begin.
Withdraw your child from school in writing if currently enrolled.
Outline your curriculum plan for the year and file it in your own records — Hawaii expects a structured program on paper even though you do not submit it.
Calendar the annual progress report and confirm whether this year is a testing checkpoint for your child's grade.
Choose a curriculum that documents a structured scope and sequence and tracks progress continuously, so your annual report is a printout, not a project.
Whatever Hawaii asks for — attendance, subject coverage, progress evidence, transcripts — Cullinan Academy tracks it automatically as your kids learn: verified mastery records, time-on-task, printable transcripts with GPA, and state report templates. No spreadsheet required.
At certain grade-level checkpoints, yes — test results are expected as part of demonstrating progress. In other years a written progress report generally suffices. Confirm the current checkpoint grades with the Hawaii DOE.
The principal of the public school your child would otherwise attend — both the initial notification and the annual progress report.
No. You design the program; the state expects it to be structured and recorded, but there is no approval process.
Yes. The school will typically assess your child for grade placement on re-entry, which is another reason to keep solid records.
Parents issue the homeschool diploma and transcript. Hawaii homeschool graduates attend UH campuses and mainland colleges — keep detailed high school records.
This page is general information, not legal advice. Homeschool law changes, and districts sometimes apply it differently. Verify current requirements with your state's department of education or a local homeschool association before filing anything. Content last reviewed 2026-07.