Nevada

History

Nevada, located in the western United States, legalized homeschooling in 1947. While most states legalized homeschooling in the 1980s, Nevada was one of the first states to do so.

Regulation

Nevada requires parents who elect to homeschool their children, ages 7 to 18, to notify the local superintendent by filing a “notice of intent, ” including the student’s name, age, and gender. The law explicitly states that the purpose of this notice is to inform the district that the child is exempt from compulsory attendance. Superintendents must accept notice if it meets the requirements and cannot request additional information from parents.

There are no minimum parental education requirements in Nevada. They must present an education plan. The plan must include core subjects. There are no specific attendance or record requirements. Students are not required to take state or other assessments but can take all college entrance exams, like the ACT and SAT, at their local schools. Schools are encouraged to provide information on these tests to homeschool families.

Nevada offers homeschool students broad, though unfunded, access to their local public schools’ educational, sports, and extracurricular opportunities. According to Nevada policy, homeschooled students with special needs are eligible for special services in public schools. NRS 392.072

State Data

Nevada collects but does not publicly report homeschool participation information. However, survey estimates provide some information about homeschool trends in the state.

U.S. Census estimates indicate that around 2.5% of Nevada families homeschooled in the spring of 2020 and grew to 13.1% by the fall of 2020. Note that these percentages reflect family participation. Student participation would be higher since many families have more than one child. Considering the 2022 and 2023 school years, the U.S. Census estimated an average of 4.1% of all K-12 students in Nevada were homeschooled.

Cross-Sector Comparison

We cannot calculate a cross-sector comparison due to missing homeschool participation data.

School Choice Context

In addition to homeschooling, parents in Nevada have several educational choices available. These options include enrollment in traditional public schools with inter-district choice, magnet, and some charter schools. There is also a tax credit scholarship, although homeschooled students are not eligible.

Commentary

Nevada should publicly report the homeschool participation information it collects from families. This would improve transparency and inform policy in the state and the nation.