Regulation<\/h2>\n
Rhode Island<\/span><\/a> offers one option for homeschooling. The state requires parents who elect to <\/span>homeschool<\/span><\/a> their children, <\/span>ages 6 to 18<\/span><\/a>, to contact their local public school district superintendent for more information. While the Rhode Island Department of Education provides some general information on homeschool policy, the local district level makes all final decisions.<\/span><\/p>\n The state does not <\/span>have<\/span> a minimum parental education requirement to homeschool. Generally, parents must present their homeschool plan to the local school committee for approval. The plan should include information about instruction methods, the subjects and curriculum, and agreement on assessments and progress evaluation. Instruction in certain subjects<\/a> is required, and attendance records must be kept. Rhode Island requires an annual evaluation but offers flexibility in its format. Assessments or other agreed-upon methods are acceptable. <\/span><\/p>\n The general attendance requirement is five and a half hours daily for at least 180 days a year. Rhode Island is one of only a few states that requires all instruction in English. <\/span><\/p>\n The public school must loan textbooks to homeschool parents in at least science, math, and foreign languages. Otherwise, homeschooled students’ access to public school resources is limited to extracurricular activities. Homeschooled students may ask for permission to participate in other activities and courses, and the State Commissioner of Education encourages districts to allow homeschooled student participation when space is available, but there are no official policies <\/span>outlining<\/span> access for nonpublic students. Similarly, students with special needs are advised to check with their local district for service eligibility.<\/span><\/p>\n The information on homeschool participation provides insight into homeschool participation in the state. For example, around 1,200 students reported homeschooling in 2010, which increased to almost 1,700 prior to the pandemic.<\/p>\n U.S. Census estimates<\/a><\/span> indicate that around 4.4% of Rhode Island families homeschooled in the spring of 2020, increasing to 7.3% by the fall of 2020. These percentages are lower than the national averages of 5.4% and 11.1% during the same time. Based on U.S. Census data<\/a>, our calculations indicate that about 2.86<\/span>% of K-12 students in Rhode Island <\/span>were homeschooled during the 2022-23 school year, and 5.32<\/span>% during the 2023-24 school year. Due to<\/span> <\/span>survey<\/span> changes<\/span>, the<\/span> data from 2020<\/span> reflects<\/span> the percentage of households, while <\/span>the data from <\/span>following years<\/span> reflect<\/span>s the percentage of<\/span> students<\/span>.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\nDownload Homeschool Hub State Data<\/span><\/a>\n During the 2019-20 academic year, 0.8% of Rhode Island\u2019s K-12 students were homeschooled. Homeschool participation in the state was much less than the 10.0% of private school students. Homeschool participation was also much lower than the 6.3% of Rhode Island students attending charter schools. In 2021-22, 1.3% of Rhode Island\u2019s K-12 students were homeschooled, 10.8% went to private schools, and 7.2% attended charter schools.<\/p>\nState Data<\/h2>\n
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<\/p>\nCross-Sector Comparison<\/h2>\n
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<\/p>\nSchool Choice Context<\/h2>\n