Homeschool Requirements in Arkansas
Arkansas asks for very little. Arkansas 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
Written Notice of Intent (NOI) to the superintendent of the local school district, filed at the beginning of each school year but no later than August 15; or five school days before withdrawing a child from a public school mid-year; or within 30 days of establishing residency after a move. DESE's NOI form opens June 15. Submission by online form, email, mail, or in person. Contents (A.C.A. § 6-15-503): each child's name, sex, date of birth, and grade level; name and address of the last school attended (if any); the homeschool mailing address and telephone number; a statement of the parent's assumption of responsibility; whether the family is interested in public-school interscholastic activities; whether the student plans to seek a high school equivalency diploma; and the parent's signature. Note: NOIs submitted on/after August 15 may trigger a five-school-day waiting period during which the child must still attend the district school (waivable by the superintendent or board).
Days or hours
None. Arkansas sets no minimum instructional days or hours for homeschools.
Subjects you must cover
None. Arkansas law specifies no required subjects or curriculum for homeschools, and no parent qualifications.
Records you keep
No records must be submitted to or retained for the state. Keep a copy of each year's filed NOI (and the district's acknowledgment) as proof of legal status. Families in the Educational Freedom Account program have separate expense-documentation obligations to DESE.
Testing or evaluation
None. Arkansas repealed its homeschool standardized-testing mandate in 2015; no state test, portfolio, or evaluation is required. Important exception: students funded through the LEARNS Act Educational Freedom Account (EFA) must take a nationally recognized norm-referenced test annually as a condition of the funding, so an EFA-participating homeschooler is effectively subject to annual testing.
Diplomas and transcripts
No state regulation of homeschool credits, transcripts, or diplomas; parents issue their own. The NOI asks whether the student intends to pursue a high school equivalency diploma (GED). Arkansas law entitles homeschool graduates to be considered for state scholarships (including Arkansas Academic Challenge) on a nondiscriminatory basis, generally on test scores. Recent change: the LEARNS Act (Act 237 of 2023) EFA program became universally eligible in 2025-26 (about $6,800-$7,200 per student for 2026-27); enrolling in EFA adds testing and expense-reporting duties that plain homeschooling does not have.
Where this comes from
Statute: Ark. Code Ann. §§ 6-15-501 through 6-15-509 (esp. § 6-15-503, prerequisites/notice); Ark. Code Ann. § 6-18-201 (compulsory attendance); Act 237 of 2023 (LEARNS Act), Ark. Code Ann. § 6-18-2501 et seq. (Educational Freedom Accounts).
Last reviewed: July 2026 · our confidence in this entry: high
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.