Homeschool Requirements in Nebraska

Nebraska asks for a few specific things. A handful of real requirements. None of them hard on their own. The dates are the part that catches people, so put them in a calendar the week you start. Here is the whole list.

What you file, and by when

Annual filing with the Nebraska Department of Education to operate an “exempt school”, which is what Nebraska calls a homeschool. Two documents: the Statement of Election and Assurances, signed by a parent, legal guardian or educational decisionmaker (Rule 13 Form A), and the Authorized Parent Representative Form naming the one person who deals with NDE (Rule 13 Form B). Due by July 15 for the coming school year; NDE does accept submissions after that date. On the Statement you elect one of two grounds under Neb. Rev. Stat. § 79-1601(3)(a): that the approval and accreditation requirements violate sincerely held religious beliefs, or that they interfere with your decisions in directing the student’s education. Choose carefully, because § 79-1601(4)(d) requires a family electing on the non-religious ground to comply with the immunization requirements in § 79-217, and NDE treats a blank box as the non-religious election. The religious ground does not carry that condition. If you move into Nebraska after July 15 or withdraw a child from an accredited school mid-year, Rule 13 asks the parent representative to file promptly; there is no 30-day advance notice rule, and NDE’s guidance is that instruction may begin once NDE has received the submission. First year also requires a certified copy of the child’s birth certificate, or other reliable proof of identity and age with an affidavit. Filed online at exemptschool.education.ne.gov or on paper. Rule 13 was being rewritten as of 2026 to catch up with LB 1027 (2024), so verify current forms each July.

Days or hours

1,032 instructional hours per year for elementary grades (K-8) and 1,080 hours per year for high school grades (9-12). The figures come from Rule 13 § 004.01 (92 NAC 13), not from statute; § 79-201 contains no hours count. This is an hours standard, not a days standard, and the school year runs July 1 to June 30. Hours may be prorated against the remaining balance of the year for a mid-year start, counting hours already completed at a public school or in another state.

Meeting those hours and turning them into credits are two different jobs. How to count a high school credit when you never used a textbook.

A free one-page worksheet for turning hours into credits, with the rules quoted and cited on the sheet itself: Counting a Credit.

Subjects you must cover

A sequential program of instruction designed to lead to basic skills in language arts, mathematics, science, social studies, and health (Neb. Rev. Stat. § 79-1601(4)(c); 92 NAC 13). No teacher certification and no parent credential are required, and § 79-1601(5)(a) exempts exempt-school instructors from the certification rules. What the statute asks instead is a parental attestation of being “satisfied that individuals monitoring instruction at such school are qualified to monitor instruction in the basic skills.” Anyone convicted of the felony offenses listed in § 79-1601(5)(b), which cover sexual assault, child abuse and related crimes, may not monitor or provide instruction.

Records you keep

No recordkeeping mandate. Rule 13 does not address records or retention, NDE does not collect grades and does not require progress reports, and since LB 1027 (2024) curriculum information is no longer reported to the state. What goes to NDE is the election, the parent representative form, the birth certificate, and the school year start and end dates. NDE advises keeping attendance data and a transcript of classes taken with grades received for each child, which is sensible for high school records and for re-entry into a district school, but it is advice and not a requirement.

Nothing goes to a district, so the only account of the four years is the one you write. Writing the counselor letter when the counselor is you.

Testing or evaluation

None. Nebraska requires no standardized testing, portfolio review, or academic assessment of exempt-school students.

Diplomas and transcripts

No state rules on homeschool credits or diplomas; Nebraska does not issue or validate homeschool diplomas. Note the higher hour floor for high school grades (1,080 against 1,032), so track hours by grade level. Two filings at the end that families miss. When a student under 18 completes the program of instruction or graduates, the parents sign a Report of Completion of Program of Instruction (Rule 13 Form D) and file it with the Commissioner of Education promptly. A 16 or 17 year old who stops before graduating requires a withdrawal filing with the Commissioner under § 79-202(6) and Rule 13 § 010 (Form C). Nebraska has no ESA or voucher program (the 2023-24 voucher law was repealed and the replacement was rejected by voters in November 2024), so no state funding strings apply.

Where this comes from

Statute: Neb. Rev. Stat. §§ 79-1601 (exempt schools), 79-201 (compulsory attendance), 79-202(6) (withdrawal at 16), 43-2007(3) (birth certificate); Nebraska Dept. of Education Rule 13, 92 NAC 13, esp. §§ 003, 004 and 009. Rule 13 covers both the religious and the non-religious grounds for election. Section 79-1601 was amended by LB 1027 (2024) and again by LB 937 (2026, eff. July 18, 2026), and Rule 13 is being rewritten to match; where the two conflict, the statute controls.

Source: https://www.education.ne.gov/fos/exempt-schools/

Last reviewed: July 2026, on the 26th.

Homeschool law changes, and a page like this goes stale without saying so. Before a filing deadline, read the statute above for yourself. If we are behind, we would rather hear it from you than have you find out at the district office.

All fifty states and DC, each with its statute cited.

Filing is one half of it. Keeping the records is the other, and that is what our Records System is for: 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.