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

Utah Code § 53G-6-202 requires a parent to enroll a school-age child in a public or regularly established private school except as provided in § 53G-6-204 (home school) or § 53G-6-702 (dual enrollment). Section 53G-6-204, as amended by H.B. 209 (2025), sets the home school rules. The Utah State Board of Education states that under Utah law a home school is not a private school.

Utah Code § 53G-6-202(2); Utah Code § 53G-6-204; Utah State Board of Education, Home School

The law as of September 29, 2026.

Utah at a glance

As of September 29, 2026

Notice to the state: One-time notice
When a parent withdraws an enrolled child from school to home school, or chooses not to enroll the child, the parent shall give a one-time initial notification, which may include a letter of intent, to the local school board of the child's district of residence; the statute sets no deadline and no required contents. The board must keep a record of the notification and acknowledge receipt to the parent within 30 days. A board may not require a new notification from a parent who notified it on or before May 7, 2025, including through a home school affidavit.Utah Code § 53G-6-204(3), (4), (5)
Records the law asks for: None required by law
Utah law does not require a home school parent to keep or submit records, and a local school board may not require the parent to maintain records of instruction or attendance.Utah Code § 53G-6-204(2)(b)(i)
Testing or evaluation: None required by law
A local school board may not require standardized or other testing of home school students, and the parent is solely responsible for evaluating the home school instruction. The statute allows voluntary testing opportunities arranged between a school or district and the parent.Utah Code § 53G-6-204(2)(a)(iii), (2)(b)(iv), (6)(a)
Graduation requirements: None set by the state
Utah sets no graduation, course or credit requirements for home school students. On a parent's request, the local school board must identify the knowledge, skills and competencies a student is recommended to attain by grade level and subject area, to assist with college and career readiness.Utah Code § 53G-6-204(2)(a), (2)(c)
Diploma: Issued by: parent
No Utah statute provides for a home school diploma or for a state or district credential for home school graduates; in practice the parent issues the diploma.Utah Code § 53G-6-204
Compulsory school ages: 6 to 17: the compulsory education law applies to a 'school-age child', defined as a minor who is at least six years old but younger than 18 and is not emancipated.Utah Code § 53G-6-201(15); Utah Code § 53G-6-202(2)

How homeschooling is authorized in Utah

Home school under Utah Code § 53G-6-204A parent may home school a school-age child after giving a one-time initial notification to the local school board of the child's district of residence; the parent is solely responsible for choosing instructional materials, for the time, place and method of instruction, and for evaluating the instruction. Basis: statuteUtah Code § 53G-6-204(2)(a), (3); Utah Code § 53G-6-202(2), (5)

What Utah law means for your transcript

No Utah law defines a high school credit or requires a transcript, so the transcript is the parent's own record; the 120-hour Carnegie unit is a common convention, not a requirement.
Because a local school board may not require records of instruction or attendance (Utah Code § 53G-6-204(2)(b)), any course records behind the transcript are kept by choice, as practice.
If the student later enrolls in a Utah public school, the LEA decides how to award credit for non-accredited home school work (for example by demonstrated competency, a proctored assessment or review of student work) and may first ask for documentation of compliance with § 53G-6-204 (Utah Admin. Code R277-705-3(3) to (6)).
On request, the local school board must identify recommended knowledge, skills and competencies by grade level and subject (§ 53G-6-204(2)(c)), which a parent may use when naming and sequencing high school courses.

Recent changes to Utah homeschool law

H.B. 209 (2025 General Session, 'Homeschool Amendments'), effective May 7, 2025, replaced the home school affidavit with a one-time initial notification that may include a letter of intent, required the local school board to acknowledge receipt within 30 days, removed the annual excuse certificate, and removed the provisions barring a parent convicted of listed child-abuse offenses (or subject to a substantiated court finding) from filing the affidavit. Those child-abuse provisions had been added by H.B. 305 (2023 General Session), effective May 3, 2023, when the affidavit also had to be notarized; the version effective May 1, 2024 dropped the notarization requirement. A parent who notified the board on or before May 7, 2025, including by affidavit, may not be required to notify again. No 2026 amendment to § 53G-6-204 was found (the legislature lists the May 7, 2025 text as the current version).

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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:

The bill numbers for the 2024 amendments that removed notarization (Laws of Utah 2024, chapters 113 and 386) were not identified; the change is confirmed only by comparing the 2023 and 2024 versions of § 53G-6-204 on the legislature's site.
No Utah statute, rule or agency page on home school applicants to public colleges, state scholarships or state financial aid was found, so college_access is null.
HSLDA's compliance page says the board sends an 'excuse certificate' after the notice; the current statute requires only that the board maintain a record and acknowledge receipt within 30 days.
The Utah Fits All Scholarship (Utah Code Title 53F, Chapter 6, Part 4), which includes home-based scholarship students, was not researched for this page.

Sources

General information about Utah 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].