The state of Kentucky assesses home-based schools with the same criteria that it assesses non-public schools. This means that parents who home school satisfy KRS 159.030, the Kentucky state law that requires each child between the ages of 6 and 16 to attend a school. Parents who wish to home school must formally notify the superintendent of the school district in which they reside of their decision, in writing, each year. This letter must include the names and ages of each home schooled child, as well as their residential address.
KRS 158.080 and KRS 156.160 are the two Kentucky laws that mandate the subjects that students in Kentucky schools must be taught. These laws require that English, including grammar, spelling and writing, is offered as part of any school curriculum; all instruction must also be administered in English. This law also requires that each school offer instruction in mathematics, civics and history. The Kentucky Department of Education suggests that instructors maintain a portfolio, organized by year, of each child's work; this will help track the child's academic progress.
Kentucky state laws KRS 158.080 and KRS 158.070 mandate that each child between the ages of 6 and 16 receive a minimum of 177 days, or 1062 hours, of academic instruction. Kentucky state law KRS 159.040 requires that the instructor maintain attendance records for each home-schooled child. The Kentucky Board of Education requires that the instructor make these records available in case of inquiry.
Kentucky state law KRS 159.040 authorizes each district's director of pupil personnel to investigate potential noncompliance with the state's mandatory attendance laws. It also specifies that though the director of pupil personnel may conduct a home school visit to determine that mandatory attendance is in compliance, he may not assess the quality of academic instruction. This law also notes that attendance records can be inspected at a neutral location, and not necessarily in the home environment.