Vermont is one of the more regulated states: an annual enrollment notice to the Agency of Education, a minimum course of study across specific subject areas, and a year-end assessment for each child.
Homeschooling is legal in Vermont and runs through the state's home study program. Each year you send an enrollment notice to the Vermont Agency of Education, describe how you'll cover the required subject areas, and finish the year with an assessment of each child's progress. It's more structure than most states, but the process is well-worn and the Agency processes thousands of enrollments smoothly.
The good news: you choose your own curriculum, there's no home visit, and the year-end assessment offers several formats — you're not locked into standardized testing.
File a home study enrollment notice with the Agency of Education for each child, each school year, before you begin — check the Agency's current process and timing. The notice includes basic information and, for newer enrollments, an outline of how you'll address the minimum course of study.
Vermont's minimum course of study spans basic communication skills (reading and writing), mathematics, citizenship/history/government (in Vermont and the US), physical education, health, English/American/other literature, natural sciences, and fine arts — adapted to your child's age and ability.
Each year ends with an assessment, and you pick the format: a report from a Vermont-certified teacher who reviewed the work, a portfolio review with a teacher report, results from an acceptable standardized test, or a report from a commercial curriculum publisher with your work samples. The assessment is submitted with continuing enrollments.
Read the Agency of Education's current home study enrollment materials before your school year begins.
File the enrollment notice for each child, including the course-of-study information requested.
Wait for the Agency's acknowledgment before treating enrollment as complete, and keep every letter.
Decide your year-end assessment format now — lining up a certified teacher in September beats hunting for one in June.
Choose a curriculum that visibly covers Vermont's subject areas and produces a clean record of work — it makes both the notice and the year-end assessment straightforward.
Whatever Vermont 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.
You file the enrollment notice and the Agency acknowledges it; enrollment can proceed unless the Agency raises a specific issue through its defined process. Keep documentation of everything you send.
No — testing is just one of several year-end assessment options. Many families use a portfolio review with a certified teacher instead.
No. You choose materials freely; you just need to show the minimum course of study areas are being addressed at your child's level.
The system looks at progress relative to the child's own ability, not grade-level perfection. Documented adjustment plans and steady progress are what matter.
Yes — home study enrollment is annual, with the prior year's assessment accompanying continuing enrollments.
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.