Each state in the U.S. has different laws and requirements you need to follow in order to legally homeschool.
If you are from the state of Wyoming and you want to homeschool your kids, then you have come to the right place.
Below, you will find a complete guide to homeschooling in Wyoming.
So read on to find out everything you need to know about the process before you get started.
Requirements For Homeschooling In Wyoming
Like every other state in the U.S., Wyoming has its own requirements and regulations you need to follow before you can start homeschooling.
If you don’t follow these requirements, you will be homeschooling your kids illegally, so make sure you have your affairs sorted out before you begin.
The following list is everything that you are required to do in order to homeschool in Wyoming:
Children between the ages of 7 and 16 must be in education, so if your children fall in this age bracket and they are not in public school, you must start homeschooling.
For this age bracket, you must submit a Notice of Intent to your local school district every year. You can do this by email or by online registration.
You must teach your children the required subjects needed in Wyoming. We will go into more detail about this later.
You must submit a summary of your curriculum for the academic year (including all materials you plan on using) to your local school board. For every year you plan on homeschooling, you must do this.
These are the main and non-negotiable requirements you need to follow within the state of Wyoming.
As long as you follow these rules and requirements, you should have no issues in homeschooling your children.
Notice Of Intent
As we mentioned above, submitting a Notice of Intent is required by law in the state of Wyoming.
Regardless of the time of year you start homeschooling, you must submit your Notice of Intent to your local school district.
You can simply submit this Notice of Intent to your local superintendent’s office, or you can complete a form that will be sent to you by the school district.
You will need to talk to your school district about your intent to homeschool in order to get this form.
In your Notice of Intent, you must include the following:
A list of your curriculum choices within the required subjects needed in the state of Wyoming.
Your intent to homeschool your children.
Information about the children you plan on homeschooling. This information should include their full name, age/date of birth, where you plan on homeschooling them, and other related things. Do this for each child you plan on homeschooling.
It is important to note that if you do not include a list of your curriculum choices within the required subjects, your application to homeschool will be non-compliant.
If this happens, you will have to repeat the process and try again, so make sure to include this information.
You have to submit this Notice of Intent every academic year you plan on homeschooling your children as well, so it’s helpful to have a template you can use to speed up the process when it comes around to submitting again.
Record Keeping In Wyoming
Record keeping is not required by law in the state of Wyoming; however, parents are advised to keep essential records or homeschool portfolios.
This will help your children if they plan on going to college or reenrolling in public school or if you need to look up specific information at any time.
As it is required by law to teach mandatory subjects and include them in your Letter of Intent, it is also in your best interest to keep records of these subjects.
This will help in the event you need proof that they are being taught in your chosen homeschool curriculum.
Qualifications For Homeschooling In Wyoming
In the state of Wyoming, there are no requirements in regard to qualifications for homeschooling.
As long as you are the parent or legal guardian of your children, you will be able to homeschool your kids without breaking any laws.
It helps to have your high school diploma or an equivalent qualification, but it is not required by law, so if you don’t have it, that won’t be a problem.
Even with no qualifications, you will be able to legally homeschool your children in the state of Wyoming.
Required Subjects For Homeschooling In Wyoming
As we touched on before, there are a few required subjects you will need to teach in order to homeschool your kids in Wyoming.
You are free to create your own curriculum, but you need to make sure that you include these subjects and carve out a fair amount of time for teaching them.
The required subjects for homeschooling in Wyoming include:
Reading
Writing
Literature
Mathematics
Science
Civics
History
It is important to make sure that you plan how you are going to teach these subjects in your curriculum because you will need to submit this outline with your Letter of Intent.
Days Required For Homeschooling In Wyoming
While there is no specific number of days for homeschooling in Wyoming, it is advised that you stick to a number similar to public schooling.
Public schools in Wyoming typically teach over 175 days per academic year. If you are new to homeschooling or need a bit of guidance, use the public schooling days and hours to build your children’s academic schedule.
You can, of course, create a schedule that works better for your children and you. The freedom in the number of days in this state makes it a lot easier.
Standardized Testing In Wyoming
Wyoming does not require homeschooled children to take part in standardized testing. This will not affect their graduation or their ability to get into college.
You can choose to put your children in for testing if you wish, but it is not required. If you want to involve your kids in standardized testing, contact your school district or the Wyoming Department of Education (WDE) for more information.
Graduation Requirements For Homeschooling in Wyoming
Wyoming is one of the states in the U.S. where the graduation requirements are determined by the parents rather than the official education board.
So, if your children are in the later years of homeschooling, graduating is a simple and straightforward process that you get to determine.
As your children’s legal tutor and guardian, you get to outline what they need to do in order to graduate successfully.
This is helpful, especially if your children learn in a more non-traditional way, and it allows you to be more flexible.
You do not need to evaluate or test your children in order for them to graduate, but you can if you wish.
You can look at public school requirements for graduation to help you get a better idea of what would usually happen in this situation.
As your children are being homeschooled, you will also need to provide a high school diploma for them rather than getting one from the education board or the school district.
So keep that in mind before you officially determine they are ready to graduate.
Returning To Public School
Homeschooling is not always a permanent decision, and some children and their parents actually return to public schooling after a certain amount of time homeschooling.
If you and your children feel like returning to public school would be the right thing to do, you can.
In the state of Wyoming, you will need to contact your local school district’s administration office when you decide to reenroll your children.
The school district’s administration office will guide you through the whole process of re-enrollment into public school. They can also answer any questions you may have.
Once they have pointed you in the right direction, your children will then be able to return to public school after a period of homeschooling.
This is another reason why it is helpful to have some of your homeschooling records, as it will speed up the re-enrollment process a bit.
As long as you use the information we have provided in this guide and follow the advice of your school district, you should have no issues in homeschooling your own kids.
And remember, if homeschooling doesn’t feel like the right fit for your family, you can reenroll back into public school. Keep communication open with your kids to do what is right.
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