Homeschool testing requirements by state.
Updated .
Search this question and you’ll find test vendors selling their own exams and listicles that can’t agree — “nine states,” “twenty-four states,” “about half.” They’re counting different things. This table defines the term, cites every statute, and separates the states where a standardized test is required in specified grades, subject to exemptions from the many more that take a portfolio or evaluation instead.
Verified against state statutes and agency guidance, June 2026; the multi-route and hour-counting states re-checked September 2026. General information, not legal advice.
| State | Requirement | Grades | Who administers | Score floor / consequence | Results | Statute |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | No testing | None required | — | No state testing on any route (church school, private school, or certified tutor) | — | — |
| Alaska | No testing | None required | — | Fully exempt — no testing | — | — |
| Arizona | No testing | None required | — | Statute bars requiring testing of homeschooled children | — | — |
| Arkansas | No testing | None required | — | Testing repealed by Act 832 of 2015 | — | — |
| California | No testing | None required | — | No state testing — Private School Affidavit or credentialed-tutor route | — | — |
| Colorado | Assessment (non-test option) | Grades 3, 5, 7, 9, 11 | Parent-selected test, or a “qualified person” evaluation (licensed teacher, independent/parochial-school teacher, licensed psychologist, or education-graduate-degree holder) | ≤13th percentile composite → placement in a public/independent/parochial school until the next testing period — after a retest right | Filed | C.R.S. §22-33-104.5(3)(f),(5) |
| Connecticut | No testing | None required | — | No testing — the C-14 review guidance is non-binding | — | — |
| Delaware | No testing | None required | — | No testing — enrollment/attendance reports only | — | — |
| Florida | Assessment (non-test option) | Annually, every grade | FL-certified teacher (test or portfolio-evaluation option), district site (state assessment), or licensed psychologist | No numeric floor; progress not “commensurate with ability” → one-year probation + remediation | Filed | Fla. Stat. §1002.41(1)(f) |
| Georgia | Testing required in specified grades, subject to exemptions | At least every 3 years from the end of grade 3 | Nationally standardized test, administered “in consultation with a person trained” in norm-referenced testing | No score floor; no statutory consequence | Kept | O.C.G.A. §20-2-690(c) |
| Hawaii | Testing required in specified grades, subject to exemptions | Annual report every year; test score required at grades 3, 5, 8, 10 | Statewide test at the local public school, or private testing at parent expense | Report shows grade-level score, one-grade-per-year progress, or a written evaluation; inadequate two consecutive semesters → intervention | Filed | HAR §8-12-18 |
| Idaho | No testing | None required | — | No testing in “otherwise comparably instructed” law | — | — |
| Illinois | No testing | None required | — | No testing (HB 2827 not enacted as of June 2026) | — | — |
| Indiana | No testing | None required | — | Attendance records only — no testing | — | — |
| Iowa | No testing | None required | — | CPI evaluation is opt-in only; IPI has none | — | — |
| Kansas | No testing | None required | — | No statutory testing duty | — | — |
| Kentucky | No testing | None required | — | No testing — private-school regime | — | — |
| Louisiana | Assessment (non-test option) | Annually at renewal (BESE home-study route; none on the registered-nonpublic route) | Reviewed by BESE/LDOE on the renewal application | “Satisfactory evidence” of quality equal to public schools; if short, DOE requests more before any adverse action | Filed | La. R.S. 17:236.1 |
| Maine | Assessment (non-test option) | Annually, every year | Five options: standardized test, locally-developed test, Maine-certified-teacher review, support-group portfolio presentation, or a superintendent advisory board | No numeric floor — “review and acceptance” standard | Filed | 20-A M.R.S. §5001-A(3)(A)(4) |
| Maryland | Assessment (non-test option) | Portfolio review up to 3×/year (NO standardized testing — COMAR .02 is titled “Voluntary Participation”) | Local school-system reviewer, or a supervising umbrella (then the county reviews nothing) | Deficiency → 30 days from written notice to show correction | Kept | COMAR 13A.10.01.01–.05 |
| Massachusetts | Assessment (non-test option) | Per the approved education plan — town by town | Per plan: periodic testing OR “periodic progress reports or dated work samples,” method mutually agreed | No statutory floor; the lever is the district’s plan-approval power | Filed | G.L. c.76 §1 (Charles, 399 Mass. 324) |
| Michigan | No testing | None required | — | No testing under the (3)(f) exemption | — | — |
| Minnesota | Testing required in specified grades, subject to exemptions | Annually, every year | Nationally norm-referenced test — exam, administration, and location agreed with the resident-district superintendent | ≤30th percentile or one grade below age → parent obtains a learning-problems evaluation (no forced enrollment) | Kept | Minn. Stat. §120A.22 subd. 11 |
| Mississippi | No testing | None required | — | No testing — the certificate form is capped by statute | — | — |
| Missouri | No testing | None required | — | Keep an evaluation record in the defense file — no external test | — | — |
| Montana | No testing | None required | — | No testing (post-HB 778) | — | — |
| Nebraska | No testing | None required | — | No testing (LB 1027 removed the last filings) | — | — |
| Nevada | No testing | None required | — | No testing — one-time notice only | — | — |
| New Hampshire | No testing | None required | — | No evaluation since July 1, 2026 — 2026 ch. 297 repealed RSA 193-A:6 | — | — |
| New Jersey | No testing | None required | — | No testing — “equivalent instruction elsewhere” | — | — |
| New Mexico | No testing | None required | — | No testing — immunization records only | — | — |
| New York | Testing required in specified grades, subject to exemptions | Annual assessment; grades 4–8 test at least alternate years, 9–12 every year | Test at a public school by its staff, or at home/another site by a NYS-certified teacher or qualified person with superintendent consent; approved-list test | Composite above the 33rd percentile OR one year of growth; inadequate → probation + remediation | Filed | 8 NYCRR §100.10(h) |
| North Carolina | Testing required in specified grades, subject to exemptions | Annually — once each 12-month period, every student | The parent (chief administrator) may administer any nationally standardized test covering English grammar, reading, spelling, and math | No floor; no statutory consequence | Kept | N.C.G.S. §115C-564 |
| North Dakota | Testing required in specified grades, subject to exemptions | Grades 4, 6, 8 and 10, unless a statutory exemption is properly claimed | A (ND-)licensed teacher, in the child’s learning environment or at the public school | Monitoring applies to parents who do not meet the diploma or GED qualification; a score below the 50th percentile may extend that monitoring. Below the 30th percentile triggers a multidisciplinary assessment. A remediation plan depends on that determination and continued home education. | Filed | N.D.C.C. §15.1-23-09 |
| Ohio | No testing | None required | — | Assessments gone since Oct 3, 2023 (HB 33) | — | — |
| Oklahoma | No testing | None required | — | No testing under the constitutional “other means” guarantee | — | — |
| Oregon | Testing required in specified grades, subject to exemptions | Grades 3, 5, 8, 10 | A “neutral person” (no relation by blood or marriage) administers an approved-list test | Below 15th percentile → retest next year; repeated low scores → licensed-teacher supervision, then possible enrollment order up to 12 months | Kept | ORS 339.035; OAR 581-021-0026 |
| Pennsylvania | Testing required in specified grades, subject to exemptions | Evaluator certification yearly; standardized tests in grades 3, 5, 8 only (inside the portfolio) | Tests: anyone EXCEPT the parent/guardian, from PDE’s list; evaluator: licensed psychologist or qualified PA-certified/nonpublic teacher | No passing score on the 3/5/8 tests; evaluator certifies “appropriate education is occurring” | Filed | 24 P.S. §13-1327.1(e),(h.1) |
| Rhode Island | Assessment (non-test option) | Town by town under school-committee approval | Per committee — some require standardized testing, others accept portfolio or progress documentation | Per committee | Per committee | R.I.G.L. §16-19-1 |
| South Carolina | Option-dependent | Option 1 (district-approved) only: annual statewide testing program | State program | Within the program | Filed | S.C. Code §§59-65-40,-45,-47 |
| South Dakota | No testing | None required | — | Testing removed by SB 177 (2021) | — | — |
| Tennessee | Testing required in specified grades, subject to exemptions | Grades 5, 7, 9 (independent home school) | Since May 1, 2026, either a parent-selected nationally normed ELA and math test, proctored by someone not related to the child, at parent expense; or the state tests given by the commissioner or designee, or an LEA-approved testing service | No score floor or consequence — 2026 Pub. Ch. 912 deleted §49-6-3050(b)(6) | Filed (to the parent, the director of schools and the State Board) | T.C.A. §49-6-3050(b)(5); 2026 Pub. Ch. 912 |
| Texas | No testing | None required | — | No testing — homeschools are private schools (Leeper) | — | — |
| Utah | No testing | None required | — | Districts are barred from requiring testing | — | — |
| Vermont | Assessment (non-test option) | Annually (End of Year Assessment) | Option A: a standardized assessment; B: a VT-certified-teacher review; C: parent report + portfolio with ≥4 work samples | No floor | Kept | 16 V.S.A. §166b; Act 66 (2023) |
| Virginia | Assessment (non-test option) | Annually — evidence to the superintendent by August 1 | Any nationally normed test (no named administrator), or ACT/SAT/PSAT; or an evaluator (licensed-to-teach or master’s-degree holder) | Composite in/above the 4th stanine (23rd percentile); short → one-year probation + remediation plan | Filed | Va. Code §22.1-254.1(C) |
| Washington | Assessment (non-test option) | Annually, every year | SBE-approved test by a “qualified individual,” or a written assessment by “a certificated person currently working in the field of education” | No floor; not making reasonable progress → parent “shall make a good-faith effort to remedy” | Kept | RCW 28A.200.010(1)(c) |
| West Virginia | Assessment (non-test option) | Annually; results submitted only at grades 3, 5, 8, 11 | Test by a publisher-qualified administrator (parent may qualify), normed within 10 years; or a certified-teacher portfolio review | Mean within/above the 4th stanine (23rd percentile) OR improvement; short → remediation/improvement process | Filed | W. Va. Code §18-8-1(c)(2) |
| Wisconsin | No testing | None required | — | No testing — DPI cannot monitor the program | — | — |
| Wyoming | No testing | None required | — | No testing — and since HB 46 (2025) no curriculum filing either | — | — |
“Results: Filed” = submitted to an official; “Kept” = retained by the family, not filed. South Carolina is option-dependent — testing applies only under the district-approval Option 1, not the majority accountability-association path. General information, not legal advice.
Your state, in plain English.
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How we counted (because the listicles don’t say)
A state counts as an assessment state if its primary homeschool statute — the default path, not an umbrella or private-school alternative — requires a periodic academic assessment of the student in at least one grade, whether by test, professional evaluation, official portfolio review, or filed progress evidence, and regardless of whether results are submitted. That yields 20 states.
The widely repeated “nine states” figure comes from one advocacy page and is stale: it still lists South Dakota (testing repealed in 2021) and predates Vermont’s 2023 change, while leaving out North Carolina, Minnesota, and Washington — all of which mandate annual assessment but let families keep the results. Its unstated criterion was really “assessed and seen by an official.” The “twenty-four states” figure can’t be reconstructed at all. We don’t repeat either; we show our rule and the list.
Most “testing” states don’t require a test
Eleven of the 20 assessment states accept a non-test option — a portfolio review, a certified-teacher evaluation, or a parent report. What each reviewer may examine and the limits on what they can demand are in the portfolio guide and checklist generator. Where a test is required, use that state’s own threshold in the table. Several of those states list no floor, and the thresholds that exist are not the same — there is no single national floor such as the 4th stanine or a year of growth.
North Dakota normally tests in grades 4, 6, 8 and 10, unless a statutory exemption is properly claimed. Monitoring applies to parents who do not meet the diploma or GED qualification; a score below the 50th percentile may extend that monitoring. A score below the 30th percentile triggers a multidisciplinary assessment. A remediation plan depends on that determination and continued home education.
Three corrections worth knowing, because the internet gets them wrong: since July 1, 2026 New Hampshire requires no evaluation at all (2026 ch. 297 repealed RSA 193-A:6); since May 1, 2026 a low score in Tennessee carries no consequence, and a family may choose a nationally normed test instead of the state test (Pub. Ch. 912); Maryland requires no standardized test at all — its assessment is the portfolio review, and the testing regulation is explicitly titled “Voluntary Participation.”
Questions families actually ask
Which states require a standardized test?
Nine require a standardized test in specified grades, subject to exemptions, on the default path: Georgia, Hawaii, Minnesota, North Carolina, North Dakota, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee. Eleven more require an assessment but accept a portfolio or evaluation instead, 29 require nothing, and South Carolina is option-dependent (20 + 29 + 1 = 50).
Do the scores get sent to the state?
In some states yes (Colorado, Florida, New York, Pennsylvania’s certification, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia’s grades 3/5/8/11); in others the family keeps them, unfiled (Georgia, Minnesota, North Carolina, Vermont, Washington, Maryland). Oregon files only on request.
What happens if my child scores low?
There is no single national floor. Read your state’s row: Virginia and West Virginia use the 23rd percentile, New York the 33rd or a year of growth, Colorado the 13th, Oregon the 15th, and several test-required states name no floor at all. Tennessee has had no floor or consequence since May 1, 2026.
Can I avoid testing by using an umbrella school?
In some states, yes — Tennessee families who enroll in a Category IV church-related school are private-school students and skip the 5/7/9 testing; Maryland and Florida umbrella supervision replaces the county/portfolio process. The laws-by-state hub shows each state’s pathways.
Want the updates as the laws change?
This table is re-verified against statutes and agency guidance — New Hampshire repealed its evaluation requirement in 2026, Tennessee dropped its low-score consequence the same year, Vermont stopped collecting results in 2023, and we track exactly that kind of change. Leave an email and we’ll let you know when something shifts.
Whatever your state asks, the records make it easy.
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