CURRENT GRADE: D
Vermont has no opportunities for tax dollars to follow the student.
Homeschooling is very parent friendly and the only reason the state didn’t receive a grade of F.
Compulsory education is between the ages of 6-16 or upon completion of 10th grade.
Education Options
- Town Tuition
- Towns that do not have their own public schools must provide tuition for students to use in other public schools or approved independent schools.
- Public High School Choice
- Allows students to apply to other high schools outside their zoned district.
- Capacity limits apply.
- Charter Schools are NOT permitted.
Homeschooling Laws
Here are state requirements on the topic of homeschooling:
- Must provide annual notice of home schooling to the Agency of Education.
- Must attest to developing a minimum course of study but no forms to submit.
- Parents must attest on Intent forms they are tracking their student’s progress and must maintain documentation of that progress using some form of assessment.
- Must attest to 175 days of equivalent instruction.
- If a student has a disability, must note that the student will be given adaptations.
- Homeschooled students must be permitted to participate in one or more co-curricular or extracurricular activities at public schools.
Religious Exemptions:
The state has no formal laws related to religious exemptions but homeschooling only requires notification of beginning and ending.
The First Amendment states “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” Many argue that a religious conviction to provide a home-based education is constitutionally protected and a state religious exemption law is not a requirement to be able to homeschool on religious grounds.
It should be noted that the U.S. Supreme Court in Wisconsin v. Yoder (1972) established that “Under the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment, a state law requiring that children attend school past eighth grade violates the parents’ constitutional right to direct the religious upbringing of their children.” (The case involved a challenge of a 16-year-old student to be exempt, so the scope was limited)
