Do I need a teaching credential to homeschool?

Short answer: no. There is no state in the US that requires a parent to hold a teaching license or a degree in education in order to homeschool. The question that should worry you instead is the one almost everyone skips.

The question that actually matters

Every state sets its own homeschool law, and the differences are in the paperwork, not your résumé. The things that vary are:

• Whether you must notify the district or the state, and when.
• Which subjects you're required to teach, if any.
• How many hours or days you must document.
• Whether you need to submit a curriculum, a portfolio, samples of work, or an assessment.
• Whether a qualified person has to evaluate your child, and how often.

A handful of states also ask that the parent hold a high school diploma or equivalent, or that a home-study program be approved. That's rare, and it's about a diploma, not a teaching certificate — but it's exactly the kind of detail that catches people out.

How to get a straight answer

1. 1Look up your own state's statute, not another mom's blog — the rules change and the internet is three years behind.
2. 2Check what your state requires for the age you're starting at; some rules begin at a certain grade and not before.
3. 3Write down the deadlines before the school year starts. Most trouble I've heard of is a missed notice date, not a bad year of teaching.
4. 4If anything is unclear, get it in writing from your district or state homeschool office.

This site's state-by-state map collects the general requirements so you can find your own state's rules quickly, then confirm them with an official source before you file anything.

You are allowed to teach your own child. Get the paperwork right once at the start of the year and you can stop thinking about it.