Homeschool Law Map
General information only — not legal advice. Laws change; confirm with your state or territory education agency or an attorney.

Arkansas homeschool laws

Minimal regulation State Rank 9 of 56 (1 = easiest)

Confidence: High · Last verified:

95
Freedom score / 100
This is general information, not legal advice. Requirements shown are for the scored pathway: Homeschool statute. Other pathways may have different rules.

Current regulations

Notification & registration Requirement exists

Annual written notice of intent to the resident district superintendent by August 15 (or five school days before withdrawing a student mid-year; the superintendent or board may waive the wait; moving in: within 30 days) - Ark. Code 6-15-503. Notice lists each child's name, sex, DOB, grade and last school, the home school's mailing address and phone, the parent's name, plans to join public-school interscholastic activities and to seek a high school equivalency diploma, and the parent's signature; it may be sent electronically, by mail or in person. DESE accepts forms from June 1 and runs an online NOI system. The state and district may not add criteria (6-15-503(e)); the information is confidential.

Parent / instructor qualifications None in scored pathway

None stated.

Required subjects None in scored pathway

None stated in the home-school statute or DESE page read.

Testing & assessment None in scored pathway

No standardized tests required.

Records, days & reporting None in scored pathway

None stated.

Oversight None in scored pathway

Local superintendent; information is confidential and used for statistical/record-keeping.

Immunization & other requirements None in scored pathway

No homeschool-specific requirement stated. Notarized notice no longer needed for driver permit (HB 1867, 2019, per HSLDA).

Legal pathways

Scored pathway: Homeschool statute. The score uses the least-burdensome parent-led pathway defined in law (see methodology).

Who to notify & where to start

Annual written notice of intent to the resident district superintendent by August 15 (or five school days before withdrawing a student mid-year; the superintendent or board may waive the wait; moving in: within 30 days) - Ark. Code 6-15-503. Notice lists each child's name, sex, DOB, grade and last school, the home school's mailing address and phone, the parent's name, plans to join public-school interscholastic activities and to seek a high school equivalency diploma, and the parent's signature; it may be sent electronically, by mail or in person. DESE accepts forms from June 1 and runs an online NOI system. The state and district may not add criteria (6-15-503(e)); the information is confidential.

Official agency / statute links:

Recent changes

HSLDA notes: 2021 HB 1429 shortened pre-withdrawal wait from 14 to 5 days. Secondary aggregator reports universal LEARNS Education Freedom Account in 2025-26 (not verified).

Also see Law watch.

How the score breaks down

Notification, registration & approval 5 / 20
Parent/instructor qualifications 0 / 10
Required subjects & curriculum mandates 0 / 10
Testing, assessment & evaluation 0 / 25
Records, reporting & official oversight 0 / 15
Mandated instruction time 0 / 10
Other burdens (immunization paperwork, ID docs, background checks, local discretion) 0 / 10

Regulation burden 5 / 100 → freedom score 95. Bars show burden points per criterion (longer = more burdensome). HSLDA's own map tier for comparison: Low (summary dated 2025-03-27).

Sources

Primary / official

Secondary

Last verified . Spot an error or an update? See how to report a correction or email support@homeschoollawmap.com.

Helpful resources for Arkansas families

Types of services families in this jurisdiction commonly look for, based on the requirements above. These are categories, not endorsements.

Curriculum and course providers

Complete curricula, single-subject courses, and online programs, including options organized around required subjects.

Why shown: Arkansas has few or no mandated subjects, so curriculum is your choice.

Partner links coming soon.

Record-keeping and planning tools

Attendance logs, lesson planners, transcript and portfolio organizers for keeping the records your jurisdiction may ask for.

Why shown: Arkansas asks for notices, records, attendance, or instruction time in the scored pathway.

Partner links coming soon.

Affiliate disclosure: some resource links on this site may become affiliate links, meaning we could earn a commission if you buy through them, at no extra cost to you. Affiliate relationships never affect our scores, rankings, or legal summaries. Read the full affiliate and sponsor disclosure.

Compare Arkansas with another state →