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

Kentucky has no homeschool statute: KRS 159.030(1)(b) exempts a child enrolled in a private, parochial or church regular day school, and KDE's May 2026 packet states that a homeschool is a private school under that section, citing Section 5 of the Kentucky Constitution and Kentucky State Board v. Rudasill (Ky. 1979) for the rule that KDE may not prescribe curriculum, teacher certification or accreditation standards. Since SB 81 (2023), KRS 158.080's requirements to teach in English, offer the public school branches of study and follow the KRS 158.070 calendar minimums apply only to private schools certified under KRS 156.160; KDE states there is no minimum school term for non-certified homeschools and recommends 1,062 hours over at least 170 days.

KRS 159.030(1)(b); KRS 158.080; KRS 158.070(1)(f); Kentucky State Bd. for Elementary & Secondary Educ. v. Rudasill, 589 S.W.2d 877 (Ky. 1979) (text not confirmed); KDE, Homeschool Information Packet (May 2026)

The law as of September 29, 2026.

Kentucky at a glance

As of September 29, 2026

Notice to the state: Notice every year
The principal or teacher of any private school must report the names, ages and places of residence of all pupils to the local superintendent within two weeks of the beginning of each school year (KRS 159.160), and KRS 159.030(1)(b) puts the duty to notify the local board on the school (or on the parent if the school declines). KDE says the notice must be resubmitted annually, is due within two weeks of the start of the school year or of withdrawal from public school, and must be accepted by the district.KRS 159.160; KRS 159.030(1)(b); KDE, Homeschool Information Packet (May 2026)
Records the law asks for: Required
A private school must keep attendance in a register provided by the Kentucky Board of Education, make attendance and scholarship reports in the same manner required of public school officials, and be open to inspection by directors of pupil personnel and Department of Education officials (KRS 159.040). KDE says it does not enforce the paper register, that scholarship reports should show the courses completed and grades awarded, and that work samples are recommended but not required; no retention period is set.KRS 159.040; KDE, Homeschool Information Packet (May 2026)
Testing or evaluation: None required by law
No Kentucky statute or regulation requires testing of homeschool students. KDE's packet lists independent assessment results only as one optional kind of scholarship record.KDE, Homeschool Information Packet (May 2026)
Graduation requirements: None set by the state
Kentucky sets no graduation or credit requirements for non-certified private schools, including homeschools. The course-of-study rule in KRS 158.080 applies only to private schools certified under KRS 156.160.KRS 158.080; KDE, Homeschool Information Packet (May 2026)
Diploma: Issued by: parent (as the homeschool)
KDE states that Kentucky does not recognize a statewide diploma, that diplomas are issued by the school a student attends, and that homeschools issue their own. KDE says it cannot verify homeschool diplomas for colleges or employers and recommends the GED or an equivalent exam; that is a recommendation, not a legal requirement.KDE, Homeschool Information Packet (May 2026)
Compulsory school ages: 6 to 18: KRS 159.010(1)(a) covers a child who has entered the primary school program or is between 6 and 16, and KRS 159.010(1)(b)-(c) require every district to raise the upper limit to 18, effective four years after 55 percent of districts had adopted age-18 policies. KDE says the notice obligation applies to a child who is 6 by August 1.KRS 159.010(1); KDE, Homeschool Information Packet (May 2026)

How homeschooling is authorized in Kentucky

Home school operated as a private schoolA child enrolled and in regular attendance in a private, parochial or church regular day school is exempt from public school attendance (KRS 159.030(1)(b)), and KDE treats a homeschool as a private school under that section. A private school may also apply for voluntary state certification (KRS 156.160(2)); only a certified school must teach in English, offer the branches of study taught in public schools and meet the public school calendar minimums (KRS 158.080). Basis: statute (agency interpretation)KRS 159.030(1)(b); KRS 156.160(2); KRS 158.080; KDE, Homeschool Information Packet (May 2026)

What Kentucky law means for your transcript

KRS 159.040 requires scholarship reports, which KDE describes as the courses completed and grades awarded, so a transcript built from those reports reflects a record the law already requires.
No Kentucky law defines a high school credit for homeschools; the 120-hour Carnegie unit is a common convention, not a requirement.
Because homeschool graduates earn only the ACT or SAT based KEES supplemental award (KRS 164.7879(3)(e)) and public universities must require admissions exams of them (13 KAR 2:020, Section 3(4)), listing the highest ACT or SAT score on the transcript is useful practice.
If a homeschooled student enrolls in a public high school, the district awards prior credit only by examination or by a grade of at least C in the next course in sequence by the 12th week (704 KAR 3:307, Section 2), so detailed course descriptions help with placement.

College admission and state aid for Kentucky homeschoolers

Council on Postsecondary Education rules require graduates of a Kentucky non-certified nonpublic high school, including a home school, to meet the admission criteria each public university sets, which must include taking the appropriate admissions exams (13 KAR 2:020, Section 3(4)). Homeschool graduates cannot earn the GPA-based KEES base amount because only public and certified private high schools count (KRS 164.7874(11)), but a Kentucky resident who graduates from a non-certified nonpublic high school may earn the KEES supplemental award based on the highest ACT (or converted SAT) score, starting at an ACT of 15, if the student enrolls at a participating institution within five years of graduation (KRS 164.7879(3)(b), (e); 11 KAR 15:090, Section 8(1)).13 KAR 2:020, Section 3(4); KRS 164.7874(11); KRS 164.7879(3)(b), (e); 11 KAR 15:090, Section 8(1)

Recent changes to Kentucky homeschool law

SB 81 (2023 Ky. Acts ch. 154), signed March 31, 2023 and effective June 29, 2023, replaced the rule that a private school's term be no shorter than the local public school term with the KRS 158.070 calendar minimums and, through a Senate floor amendment, limited all of KRS 158.080 to private schools certified under KRS 156.160; SB 207 (2025 Ky. Acts ch. 113), effective June 27, 2025, made a further technical change to that section. HB 621 (2025) had its homeschool provisions removed by committee substitute and did not pass, and HB 275 and HB 298 (2026), which would have opened the KEES base award to homeschool students with dual credit or AP grades, died when the session ended on April 15, 2026; none of these bills is 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:

We did not open the Rudasill opinion (589 S.W.2d 877); its holding is described from KDE's May 2026 homeschool packet.
HSLDA's compliance page (dated June 2020) still lists 1,062 hours over 170 days and required subjects (reading, writing, spelling, grammar, history, mathematics, science and civics); it predates SB 81 (2023), and we found no current statute that imposes those subjects or that term on a non-certified private school. The statement that non-certified homeschools have no minimum term is KDE's reading of the amended KRS 158.080.
The 'within two weeks of withdrawal from public school' timing for the notice comes from KDE only; KRS 159.160 refers only to the beginning of each school year.
The date the statewide age-18 requirement took effect is not confirmed from a primary source: the Kentucky School Boards Association reports that the 55 percent threshold was reached in 2013 and that the requirement applied statewide from 2016-17. The 'age 6 by August 1' cutoff comes from KDE and HSLDA, not from the text of KRS 159.010.

Sources

General information about Kentucky 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].