Hawaii Homeschool Requirements

Hawaii Administrative Rules §8-12-13 requires: 'The parent shall provide the local public school principal with a notice of intent to home educate the child before initiating home schooling.' The notice may be on DOE Form 4140 or a written letter with the child's name, address, telephone number, birthdate, grade level, and parent signature. The principal and district superintendent must acknowledge receipt. Once annual progress reports are being filed (HAR §8-12-18(b)), the notice of intent need not be resubmitted annually unless the child changes local public schools (e.g., elementary to intermediate). The statutory basis is HRS §302A-1132(a)(5).

Hawaii Administrative Rules §8-12-15 requires parents to maintain a 'record of the planned curriculum' that is structured, cumulative, sequential, and tailored to the child's needs. For elementary, the suggested areas include language arts, mathematics, social studies, science, art, music, health, and physical education; for secondary, the areas include social studies, English, mathematics, science, health, physical education, and guidance. These are described as what 'should include' or 'may include,' giving parents flexibility, but annual progress reports must demonstrate mastery in whatever subjects are in the curriculum.

Unlike Georgia, Hawaii's HAR Chapter 12 does not prescribe a minimum number of school days or daily hours for home-schooled children. The curriculum record kept under HAR §8-12-15 must include 'a record of the number of hours per week the child spends in instruction,' but no minimum threshold is established. Instructional time is left to parental discretion so long as adequate annual progress (assessed under HAR §8-12-18) is demonstrated.

HAR §8-12-18(a) requires test scores for 'grades identified in the Statewide Testing Program, grades three, five, eight, and ten.' Parents may have the child tested at the local public school or arrange private testing at their own expense using comparable norm-referenced tests. HAR §8-12-18(b) requires an annual progress report using one of: (1) grade-level score on a nationally-normed standardized test; (2) one-grade-level growth on such a test; (3) written evaluation by a Hawaii-certified teacher; or (4) a parent-written portfolio evaluation including work samples, tests, and subject-area progress descriptions. The principal reviews adequacy; if progress is inadequate for two consecutive semesters, the principal may recommend return to public school.

HAR §8-12-15 requires parents to keep a curriculum record documenting the planned program, hours of instruction, subject areas, mastery methods, and instructional materials. HAR §8-12-18(b) requires submission of the annual progress report to the principal. If the principal finds progress inadequate, the parent must share the curriculum record (§8-12-18(d)). There is no requirement to submit the curriculum record proactively; only the annual progress report is submitted to the school. Termination of home schooling must be reported to the principal under §8-12-16.

HAR §8-12-19 explicitly provides: 'A parent teaching the parent's child at home shall be deemed a qualified instructor.' This contrasts sharply with the requirements for alternative educational programs (other than home schooling) under §8-12-10, which require tutors to hold at least a bachelor's degree. For home schooling proper, any parent—regardless of educational background—is presumed qualified by rule.

HRS §302A-1156 requires immunization for children attending public or private schools. Because home-schooled children are excepted from compulsory attendance via HRS §302A-1132(a)(5) and HAR §8-12-4(5) rather than being enrolled in a school, the school-entry immunization certificate requirement does not apply. Parents remain subject to Hawaii's general public health vaccination recommendations but face no school-based enforcement mechanism for their home-schooled child.

HAR §8-12-14 provides: 'All educational and related services statutorily mandated shall be made available at the home public school site to home-schooled children who have been evaluated and certified as needing educational and related services and who request the services.' This means Hawaii home-schooled children retain the right to request IDEA-mandated evaluations and related services from their local public school. Parents must request these services; the school does not automatically provide them to home-schooled students.

HAR §8-12-13 requires notice before initiating home schooling. HAR §8-12-16 requires the parent to 'notify the principal if home schooling is terminated. A child shall be re-enrolled in the local public school or licensed private school unless a new alternative educational program is presented within five school days after the termination of home schooling.' When a child transfers between schools (e.g., elementary to intermediate), the parents must notify the new school's principal of the intent to continue home schooling.

HRS §302A-1132(a) requires attendance for children who 'will have arrived at the age of at least five years on or before July 31 of the school year, and who will not have arrived at the age of eighteen years, by January 1 of any school year.' However, the HAR §8-12-2 definition of 'school age child' (for whom home schooling rules apply) is 'a child who will have arrived at the age of at least six years, and who will not have arrived at the age of eighteen years on or before December 31 of any school year.' Kindergarten (age 5) is separately handled under HRS §302A-1132(c). Compulsory attendance is effectively ages 6–17.

HAR §8-12-21(a) states: 'A home-schooled child who wants to earn a high school diploma from the local public high school shall attend high school for a minimum of three full years and meet the credit requirements for graduation.' Under §8-12-21(b), a student may earn a diploma from the community school for adults by being at least 16 (or emancipated), having been home-schooled for at least one semester, and passing the GED. HAR §8-12-20 provides that 'no course credits (Carnegie units) are granted for time spent being home-schooled,' meaning prior home schooling does not itself satisfy credit requirements.

HAR §8-12-13(d) states: 'The parent(s) submitting a notice to home school a child shall be responsible for the child's total educational program including athletics and other co-curricular activities.' Hawaii does not have a statute analogous to Georgia's Dexter Mosely Act granting home-schooled students the right to participate in public school interscholastic activities. Families seeking athletic participation must work with individual schools and the Hawaii High School Athletic Association (HHSAA). HAR §8-12-22 does allow home-schooled students to participate in college entrance examinations offered by public schools.