Arkansas law requires that children who are ages 5 to 17 on or before August 15 of each year must be enrolled in a school. Beginning in the 2011-2012 school year, that date becomes August 1. There is a kindergarten waiver available if the child will not yet be 6 on September 15. This requires parents to fill out a state-provided form. Arkansas requires no set amount of school days or required subjects to be taught.
Parents who will begin homeschooling in the fall semester must notify the local public school superintendent in writing of their intent to homeschool no later than August 15; spring semester homeschoolers' due date is December 15. If parents decide during an ongoing semester to begin homeschooling, they must provide a notice of intent to the school district at least 14 days prior to withdrawing the child from public school. This time restriction can be waived by the school district. Homeschooling families who move into a school district during the school year have 30 days from the time of establishing residency to provide a letter of intent to homeschool.
The Notice of Intent to Home School must include all of the information requested by the form. Parents can obtain the document on the Arkansas Board of Education website. Local school district administrative offices should also be able to provide parents with copies of the form. Parents should pay close attention to the filing dates.
Each student who is considered to be at grade level, or no more than two years beyond the normal age for her appropriate grade level, must complete the testing that is required for public school students. A nationally recognized achievement test selected by the state Board of Education must be completed. No minimum score is required, but students who refuse to participate may be charged with truancy.
Homeschooling is prohibited by the state of Arkansas if a registered sex offender lives in the home.