Alabama asks for very little. Alabama is a light-touch state. There is something to file, and it is short. Below is exactly what, by when, and where it comes from in the code.

What you file, and by when

Depends on which of three options you use. (1) Church school (by far the most common homeschool route): enroll the child in a church school and file the church-school enrollment form ('Church School Enrollment Notification', provided by the local school district) with the local superintendent, signed by the parent and the church school administrator, filed once at initial enrollment, not annually. (2) Private school: report the names and addresses of enrolled students to the local superintendent within five days after the public schools open. (3) Private tutor: the Alabama-certified tutor files a statement with the local superintendent listing the children instructed, the subjects taught, and the period of instruction. There is no filing directly with the Alabama State Department of Education under any option.

Days or hours

Church school and private school options: no minimum days or hours in statute. Private tutor option only: at least three hours per day for 140 calendar days per year, between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.

Subjects you must cover

Church school: none specified in state law; the church school sets its own curriculum and teacher standards. Private school: state code contemplates the branches of study taught in public schools and specifically references physical education. Private tutor: must teach 'the several branches of study required to be taught in the public schools' and must instruct in English.

Records you keep

An attendance register must be kept. Ala. Code § 16-28-7 requires the principal teacher of a private or church school to keep an attendance register showing enrollment and every half-day-or-more absence of each enrolled child, and § 16-28-8 requires reports of enrollment/attendance to the local superintendent as prescribed. The private tutor must keep a register of the child's work showing daily hours of instruction and attendance. Church schools set their own additional record policies; most cover-school umbrellas collect attendance and grades.

Testing or evaluation

None required by the state under any option. No standardized testing, evaluation, or progress reporting. Individual church/cover schools may impose their own testing or reporting requirements as a condition of enrollment, those are contractual, not statutory.

Diplomas and transcripts

The high school diploma comes from the church/cover school (or the parent, if the family self-operates as a church school with the church's authorization), Alabama does not issue or validate homeschool diplomas. Practical point: choose a cover school that will issue a real transcript and diploma if your student needs one for employment, military enlistment, or in-state college admission; requirements vary widely by cover school. Alabama no longer requires nonpublic school graduates to take the GED for admission to state colleges. Recent change: the CHOOSE Act (Act 2024-21) ESA began with the 2025-26 academic year, $2,000 per home-education student (capped at $4,000 per family) versus $7,000 for participating schools; income eligibility caps expire January 1, 2027, opening it up. Participation adds Department of Revenue expense documentation.

Where this comes from

Statute: Ala. Code §§ 16-28-1 (definitions, incl. church school and private tutor), 16-28-3 (compulsory ages 6-17; church school exemption), 16-28-5 (private tutor), 16-28-7 (attendance register), 16-28-8 (reports); CHOOSE Act, Ala. Code § 16-6H-1 et seq. (Act 2024-21).

Source: https://www.homeschoolalabama.org/alabama-law

Last reviewed: July 2026 · our confidence in this entry: medium

Homeschool law changes, and a page like this goes stale without announcing it. Check the statute above against your own reading before a filing deadline. If we are out of date, we would rather hear it from you than have you find out at the district office.

Keeping the records is the other half of this. Our Records System has the editable transcript with the GPA already wired, 131 course descriptions, and this same statute-cited summary for all fifty states and DC. Thirty-nine dollars, one household, however many children you have.