Kansas homeschool law for high school: graduation, diploma and records

K.S.A. 72-3120(a) requires a child of compulsory age to attend a public school, a private, denominational or parochial school 'taught by a competent instructor for a period of time which is substantially equivalent to the period of time public school is maintained' in the district, or a combination of the two. K.S.A. 72-4345 to 72-4347 define a nonaccredited private school as one that satisfies the compulsory attendance laws but is not accredited by the State Board of Education and require it to register its name and address; KSDE treats every homeschool as such a school.

K.S.A. 72-3120(a); K.S.A. 72-4345(a); K.S.A. 72-4347; KSDE, Fact Sheet: Homeschooling in Kansas (rev. Feb. 12, 2024)

The law as of September 29, 2026.

Kansas at a glance

As of September 29, 2026

Notice to the state: One-time notice
The official custodian of the school must register the school's name and address with the State Board of Education (K.S.A. 72-4346(a)); the statute sets no deadline and no renewal, and its stated purpose is only to let a school the pupil later transfers to request the pupil's records (K.S.A. 72-4347). KSDE says to register once, sends no confirmation, and says the parent must notify the school a child is leaving or that school must report the child as truant.K.S.A. 72-4346(a); K.S.A. 72-4347; KSDE, Homeschooling in Kansas (Nonaccredited Private Schools)
Records the law asks for: None required by law
No Kansas statute lists records a nonaccredited private school must keep or submit; the registration law names an 'official custodian' responsible for pupil records so that a receiving school can request them (K.S.A. 72-4345(b)-(c), 72-4347). KSDE recommends keeping accurate and complete records of progress because they will be needed for a transfer or a college application.K.S.A. 72-4345(b)-(c); K.S.A. 72-4347; KSDE, Fact Sheet: Homeschooling in Kansas (rev. Feb. 12, 2024)
Testing or evaluation: None required by law
No Kansas statute or regulation requires testing of nonaccredited private school students. A home school student may show academic eligibility for KSHSAA activities through a parent's affidavit or a transcript rather than a test (K.S.A. 72-7121(c)).K.S.A. 72-7121(c)
Graduation requirements: None set by the state
Kansas sets no graduation or credit requirements for nonaccredited private schools. KSDE's fact sheet lists the minimum units for accredited schools (4 English language arts, 3 history and government, 3 science, 3 mathematics, 1 physical education, 1 fine arts, 6 electives) as recommended, not required, for nonaccredited schools.KSDE, Fact Sheet: Homeschooling in Kansas (rev. Feb. 12, 2024)
Diploma: Issued by: parent (as the nonaccredited private school)
KSDE states that nonaccredited private schools issue their own high school diplomas, that these diplomas are not recognized by the State of Kansas as meeting any requirements, and that the State does not issue diplomas. For state university admission, K.S.A. 76-717(a)(2) treats a graduate of a nonaccredited private secondary school as its own admission category.KSDE, Homeschooling in Kansas (Nonaccredited Private Schools); KSDE, Fact Sheet: Homeschooling in Kansas (rev. Feb. 12, 2024); K.S.A. 76-717(a)(2)
Compulsory school ages: 7 to under 18: a child who has reached 7 and is under 18 and has no high school diploma or equivalency credential must attend. A child under 7 who is enrolled in school is subject to attendance until withdrawn by a parent, and a 16- or 17-year-old may be exempted with written parental consent after a final counseling session and signed disclaimer.K.S.A. 72-3120(a)-(c)

How homeschooling is authorized in Kansas

Home school operated as a nonaccredited private schoolA parent may operate a home school as a nonaccredited private elementary or secondary school: the child must attend a private school taught by a competent instructor for a period substantially equivalent to the local public school term, and the school's official custodian registers the school's name and address with the State Board of Education. KSDE states that Kansas statute does not specifically authorize home instruction and classifies all homeschools as nonaccredited private schools. Basis: statute (agency interpretation)K.S.A. 72-3120(a)(2); K.S.A. 72-4345; K.S.A. 72-4346; KSDE, Homeschooling in Kansas (Nonaccredited Private Schools)

What Kansas law means for your transcript

No Kansas law defines a credit or requires particular courses for a nonaccredited private school; KSDE's list of accredited-school units is a recommendation, and the 120-hour Carnegie unit is a common convention, not a requirement.
The University of Kansas requires a nonaccredited private school graduate to have a 2.0 cumulative high school GPA as well as an ACT of 21 for guaranteed admission (K.A.R. 88-29d-5(c)), so a transcript that shows a cumulative GPA on a 4.0 scale is useful there.
For KSHSAA activities, the parent, teacher or instructing organization may submit an affidavit or a transcript showing the student is making satisfactory progress toward the next grade level (K.S.A. 72-7121(c)).
KSDE states that an accredited school receiving a transfer student from a nonaccredited private school is not required to accept the credits and may test the student, so keeping course descriptions and work samples is useful practice.

College admission and state aid for Kansas homeschoolers

A Kansas resident who graduated from a nonaccredited private secondary school must be admitted to a state university with an ACT composite of at least 21 (K.S.A. 76-717(a)(2)); Board of Regents regulations define that category to include a home school, allow an ACT superscore, add a 2.0 GPA on any transferable college credit and, for the University of Kansas only, a 2.0 cumulative high school GPA (K.A.R. 88-29c-1(m), 88-29c-5(c), 88-29d-5(c)). An applicant who does not meet these standards may still be admitted through a university's exception window (K.A.R. 88-29c-5(a), 88-29d-5(a)).K.S.A. 76-717(a)(2); K.A.R. 88-29c-1(m); K.A.R. 88-29c-5; K.A.R. 88-29d-5

Recent changes to Kansas homeschool law

House Substitute for SB 113 (L. 2023, ch. 98, § 5), effective July 1, 2023, enacted K.S.A. 72-7121, which lets resident nonpublic school students, including home school students, take part in KSHSAA-regulated activities in their school district, with home school academic eligibility shown by an affidavit or transcript; SB 114 (L. 2025, ch. 69), effective May 1, 2025, extended participation to events and ceremonies directly related to the activity. SB 382 (L. 2026, ch. 117, § 1), approved April 9, 2026 and effective on publication in the statute book, lets an accredited nonpublic school permit nonaccredited private school students to take part in its KSHSAA-regulated activities. HB 2717 (2026), which would have lowered the starting compulsory attendance age from 7 to 6, was reported by the House Education Committee but did not pass and is not law.

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What we could not confirm

These points could not be checked against the statute or regulation text, so treat them with care:

HSLDA says Kansas law requires instruction to be 'planned and scheduled' and students to be tested periodically; we found no statute or regulation that says either, and KSDE's page and fact sheet do not mention them.
The case annotations to K.S.A. 72-3120 list State v. Garber (1966) and In re Sawyer (1983) as holding that the home instruction in those cases did not satisfy the attendance law; we did not open those opinions or find a later appellate decision on a registered nonaccredited private school operated at home, so this route rests on the statute as KSDE applies it.
'Competent instructor' is not defined in K.S.A. 72-3120, and we found no regulation that defines it.
KSDE describes the public school term as 186 days 'of not less than 6 hours per day' or 1,116 hours for grades 1 to 11; K.S.A. 72-3115 sets 186 school days (181 for grade 12) or 1,116 school hours (1,086 for grade 12), and we did not locate the six-hour day in that section.
The SAT 1060 equivalent to an ACT of 21 appears in a Board of Regents flyer (December 2022), not in the regulations we read.
We did not review the content of the 2024 amendment to K.S.A. 72-7121 (L. 2024, ch. 111, § 20) or confirm the K.S.A. number assigned to section 1 of 2026 SB 382; Kansas acts effective on statute book publication normally take effect July 1.

Sources

General information about Kansas law as of September 29, 2026, not legal advice. Laws change, so check the statute before you rely on it. Found an error? Email [email protected].