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

16 V.S.A. § 1121 requires a child of compulsory age to attend a public school, an approved or recognized independent school, an approved education program, or a home study program. 16 V.S.A. § 166b sets the home study requirements, and 16 V.S.A. § 11(a)(21) defines a home study program as one that provides a minimum course of study to children residing in the home and to no more than two other children, or children from one other family.

16 V.S.A. § 1121; 16 V.S.A. § 166b; 16 V.S.A. § 11(a)(21)

The law as of September 29, 2026.

Vermont at a glance

As of September 29, 2026

Notice to the state: Notice every year
At least 10 business days before starting, the parent sends the Secretary an enrollment notice on the Agency of Education form with the child's name, age and date of birth, the contact details of all custodial parents, attestations about the end-of-year assessment and 175 days of instruction, independent professional evidence about any disability for a child not previously in a Vermont public school or home study program, and the signatures of all custodial parents (or an attestation of sole educational decision-making authority). The Secretary acknowledges a complete notice in writing within 10 business days, and that acknowledgment is enrollment verification. Each following year the parent files an annual notice of intent to continue at least 10 business days before the intended start date, and must notify the Secretary in writing within 10 business days after withdrawing a student.16 V.S.A. § 166b(a), (b), (c), (k)
Records the law asks for: Required
The enrollment notice includes an attestation that each child's academic progress will be assessed at the end of each school year and that the parent or guardian will maintain the record of those assessments. Since July 1, 2023 the assessment is not submitted to the Agency of Education, and the statute sets no retention period.16 V.S.A. § 166b(a)(3); Vermont Agency of Education, End of the Year Assessment (EOYA)
Testing or evaluation: Required
Each enrolled child's progress must be assessed at the end of each school year. The permitted means listed in the statute include a standardized assessment, a review of progress by a person holding a current Vermont teacher's certificate, a parent report and portfolio with a summary of what the student learned and at least four work samples, grades from an online academy or school, or evidence of passing the GED.16 V.S.A. § 166b(a)(3)
Graduation requirements: None set by the state
Vermont sets no graduation requirements for home study students. The program must provide the minimum course of study, which for a child 13 or older covers basic communication skills (reading, writing and the use of numbers), citizenship, history and government in Vermont and the United States, English, American and other literature, and the natural sciences; this is a course-of-study rule, not a graduation requirement.16 V.S.A. § 166b(a)(5); 16 V.S.A. § 906(b)
Diploma: Issued by: parent
The Agency of Education states that students enrolled in home study do not receive grades or diplomas from the State. No Vermont statute provides for a home study diploma; in practice the parent issues one.Vermont Agency of Education, Home Study
Compulsory school ages: 6 to 16: the parent or guardian of a child between six and 16 years of age must cause the child to attend school or a home study program, unless an exception applies, including that the child has completed the 10th grade or is attending an approved or accredited postsecondary school.16 V.S.A. § 1121 (as amended by Act 122 of 2026, effective July 1, 2026)

How homeschooling is authorized in Vermont

Home study program under 16 V.S.A. § 166bA parent or guardian may enroll a child in a home study program by sending the Secretary of Education an enrollment notice at least 10 business days before home study begins and an annual notice each following year; the parent attests to at least 175 days of instruction a year in the minimum course of study and to an end-of-year assessment. Basis: statute16 V.S.A. § 166b(a), (k); 16 V.S.A. § 1121

What Vermont law means for your transcript

For a child 13 or older, a transcript can show coverage of the minimum course of study in 16 V.S.A. § 906(b)(1), (2), (4) and (5); the law sets subjects and days, not credits, so credit values are the parent's choice (the 120-hour Carnegie unit is a convention, not a requirement).
The end-of-year assessment records the parent must keep under § 166b(a)(3), such as a teacher review or a portfolio report, can support the grades shown on the transcript.
Dual Enrollment Program courses taken after grade 10 are recorded by the college, which must maintain the student's postsecondary academic record and provide transcripts on request (16 V.S.A. § 944(c)(2)).
Keeping the Secretary's written acknowledgment for each year of home study with the transcript is practice, not a legal requirement; the statute treats that acknowledgment as enrollment verification (§ 166b(b)).

College admission and state aid for Vermont homeschoolers

A Vermont resident home study student who has completed grade 10 but has not received a high school diploma is eligible for the statewide Dual Enrollment Program if dual enrollment is included in the student's personalized learning plan and the student is found sufficiently prepared under § 944(b)(1)(C). An eligible student may enroll in up to two dual enrollment courses before completing secondary school without paying tuition.16 V.S.A. § 944(b)(1)(A)(iii), (b)(2)

Recent changes to Vermont homeschool law

Act 66 of 2023 (H.461), effective July 1, 2023, amended § 166b; according to the Agency of Education, since that date the end-of-year assessment is still required each year but is no longer submitted to the Agency, and the current text requires the parent to attest to the assessment and keep the record. Act 122 of 2026 (H.930), effective July 1, 2026, amended the compulsory attendance law in 16 V.S.A. § 1121 but did not amend § 166b; its Sec. 7 requires the Agency of Education to report to the House and Senate Committees on Education by December 1, 2026 with recommendations for updates to the home study law. That report is not a change in 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:

The legislature's online text of § 1121 did not yet show the Act 122 (2026) amendments; the compulsory-age wording was checked against the enacted Act 122 text.
What Act 66 (2023) removed, beyond ending submission of the assessment, is described from HSLDA's July 5, 2023 article (which says families no longer submit a minimum course of study) and the Agency of Education's EOYA page; the pre-2023 statute text was not opened.
HSLDA reports that a Senate floor amendment to H.930 that would have added a school district and DCF notice step before enrollment acknowledgment failed on May 8, 2026; this is confirmed only by HSLDA, although the enacted Act 122 text contains no § 166b amendment.
No Vermont statute or agency page on home study graduates applying to public colleges or state grants was found beyond the Dual Enrollment Program.

Sources

General information about Vermont 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].