Commonly, states mandate that home school be a rough equivalent of public school curricula. However, in practice, this allows a wide variety of experiences to be deemed educational and therefore part of a home school curriculum.
Individual districts decree curriculum elements, such as requiring four years of high school English. Such rules for home schooling are rare, outside of the equivalency requirements.
Some home schoolers use curriculum sets from a variety of sources, including mainstream textbook publishers and home school-specific resources.
Home schoolers are generally exempt from state-required assessment tests, such as the MCAS in Massachusetts. Home schoolers are allowed to register for optional assessments, such as the SAT or ACT for college entrance.
Public school students proceed through the state-mandated curriculum all at roughly the same speed. Home-schooled students proceed as quickly or as slowly as they desire.