New York at a glance
| What | The rule |
|---|---|
| Hours | 900 hours a year in grades 1 to 6 and 990 hours a year in grades 7 to 12, and the substantial equivalent of 180 days of instruction. |
| Letter of intent | To the district superintendent by July 1 each year, or within 14 days of starting home instruction during the year. |
| IHIP | The Individualized Home Instruction Plan, due within four weeks of receiving the district’s form or by August 15, whichever is later: the child’s name, age and grade, the curriculum or plan for each subject, the four quarterly report dates and the instructors’ names. |
| Quarterly reports | Four a year, on the dates in your IHIP: the hours of instruction that quarter, the material covered in each subject, and a grade or a narrative evaluation. Explain any subject where less than 80% of the planned material was covered. |
| Attendance | You keep attendance records; the district can ask to see them. |
| Annual assessment | Filed with the fourth quarterly report. Grades 1 to 3: a written narrative or a test. Grades 4 to 8: a standardized test at least every other year, a narrative in between. Grades 9 to 12: a standardized test every year. Adequate means a composite score above the 33rd percentile, or one year of growth. |
This summarizes New York's homeschool law as of November 9, 2026. Laws change and districts read them differently: check the current text and your district's instructions, and ask a homeschool association in New York when something is unclear.
The year, in order
- By July 1 (or within 14 days of starting mid-year): send the superintendent a letter of intent to home school.
- Within four weeks of the district's IHIP form, or by August 15: file the IHIP with the child's name, age and grade, the curriculum, textbooks or plan of instruction for each required subject, the dates of your four quarterly reports (spaced in even and logical periods) and the names of the instructors.
- On each quarterly date: send the report: hours of instruction that quarter, material covered in each subject, and a grade or narrative for each subject.
- With the fourth report: the annual assessment, a standardized test or a written narrative depending on the grade.
900 or 990 hours, and the 180 days
Section 100.10(f) requires the substantial equivalent of 180 days of instruction each school year, with cumulative hours of 900 a year in grades 1 to 6 and 990 a year in grades 7 to 12. Records of attendance are maintained by the parent. Hours are the minutes of instruction added up, so a daily log with a subject and the minutes for each lesson gives you the quarterly number without arithmetic at the end.
The quarterly report
Each report covers the quarter you set in the IHIP and includes (1) the number of hours of instruction during the quarter, (2) a description of the material covered in each subject listed in the IHIP, (3) either a grade for each subject or a written narrative evaluating the child's progress, and (4) a written explanation if less than 80 percent of the planned material in a subject was covered. Parents choose the format.
The annual assessment
- Grades 1 to 3: a written narrative evaluation by a certified teacher, a home instruction peer review panel or another person the superintendent agrees to, or a standardized test.
- Grades 4 to 8: a standardized test at least every other year; a written narrative is allowed in the other years.
- Grades 9 to 12: a standardized test every year.
- An adequate result is a composite score above the 33rd percentile on national norms, or a score showing one academic year of growth from the last test. A lower score puts the program on probation for up to two school years, with a remediation plan.
The subjects
Grades 1 to 6: arithmetic, reading, spelling, writing, the English language, geography, United States history, science, health education, music, visual arts and physical education. Grades 7 and 8: English, history and geography, science and mathematics (two units each over the two years), art and music (a half unit each), plus physical education, health, practical arts and library skills. Grades 9 to 12: four units of English, four of social studies (including American history, participation in government and economics), two of mathematics, two of science, one of art or music, a half unit of health, two of physical education and three electives. A unit is 6,480 minutes, 108 hours, of instruction. Every year, all grades also cover patriotism and citizenship, health education on alcohol, drugs and tobacco, highway and bicycle safety, and fire and arson prevention; United States and New York history and constitutions are taught at least once before grade 9.
How My Award Tracker counts the New York year
A New York child's dashboard shows hours of instruction against 900 or 990 (the graduation year picks the grade band) and days of instruction against 180. Each lesson carries a subject, so at report time the year record gives the hours by subject and the material covered, quarter by quarter from the daily log. The hours are kept in minutes: three 20-minute lessons are exactly one hour.
Mark a child as homeschooled, pick New York and the month your school year starts, and the targets fill in. Log each lesson by subject in minutes; the dashboard shows the days and hours so far, and the year record PDF prints the daily log, hours by subject, reading by title and signature lines. Every feature is free for your first 30 days; then Plus is $9.99 a year for one child and the Family plan $29.99 for up to 6. Start your New York record, or read about homeschool records first.
Keep the record on paper, free
Homeschool attendance and hours log (PDF): one line per lesson with the date, subject, what you covered, the reading by title and the minutes, a page total and signature lines. The same log in Excel counts the school days, the hours and the core-subject hours as you type. Already keep a paper planner? Take a photo of each page in My Award Tracker and the lessons are read into your record; you check every row first.
Other states
- Homeschool record keeping by state: What to keep in every state, how to count days and hours, and a free printable log.
- Pennsylvania: 180 days or 900/990 hours, the portfolio and the June 30 evaluation.
- Missouri: 1,000 hours, 600 in the core subjects, 400 at home.
- Georgia: 180 days of 4.5 hours, the Declaration of Intent and the progress report.
Frequently asked questions
How many hours is a quarter in New York?
The regulation sets yearly totals: 900 hours for grades 1 to 6 and 990 for grades 7 to 12. Split evenly, that is 225 or 247.5 hours a quarter, about 5 or 5.5 hours a school day over 180 days. Your quarters do not have to be equal; each report simply states the hours that quarter.
What goes in a quarterly report?
Three things for the quarter: the number of hours of instruction, a description of the material covered in each subject on the IHIP, and either a grade for each subject or a written narrative of progress. If less than 80 percent of the material you planned for the quarter was covered, add a short explanation. Any format is fine.
Do I have to submit attendance records?
You keep them; you submit them only if the district asks. The regulation requires the substantial equivalent of 180 days of instruction, so a record of the days you taught, with the minutes, is what shows it.
Which tests count for the annual assessment?
A norm-referenced standardized achievement test, given by the district on request or at a nonpublic school, or at home by a certified teacher or another qualified person with the district’s consent. HSLDA notes that college admissions tests like the SAT and ACT do not meet this requirement.
We started homeschooling in October. When is the letter of intent due?
Within 14 days of starting home instruction. The district then sends the IHIP form, and the completed IHIP is due within four weeks of receiving it.
We live in New York City. Is anything different?
The rules are the same statewide; in New York City the Department of Education’s central home schooling office handles the letters, IHIPs and reports instead of a local district. Check its current address and whether it accepts email.