Rhode Island homeschool requirements
In Rhode Island, home instruction is approved by the school committee of the town where your child lives. There is no statewide form and the state education department does not supervise homeschooling — here is what your committee looks at.
Your year, step by step
Ask your school committee for approval before you begin
Send a written request to the superintendent or school committee of the district where you live, stating that you intend to provide home instruction. Ask for approval before you withdraw or begin, and keep a copy with the date you sent it.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 16-19-1
Describe a plan that meets the approval points
Your plan shows the committee that the required subjects will be taught in English substantially to the same extent as in public school, that attendance will be substantially equal to public school, and that teaching will be thorough and efficient. A short subject-by-subject outline with materials is a common format.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 16-19-2
Keep an attendance register
The statute requires attendance registers kept the same way public schools keep them and returned to the school committee or superintendent. A dated record of each school day works; ask your committee how and when it wants the register returned.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 16-19-2
Agree on how progress will be shown
Rhode Island law does not set a statewide test or evaluation. Many committees ask for some year-end showing of progress — for example a portfolio, a progress report, or a standardized test. Settle the method when your request is approved so there are no surprises later.
Local practice — not set by statute
Re-confirm each year, and re-file if you move
Many committees ask families to renew approval each school year. Approval is granted by the committee where you live, so a move to another town means a new request to the new district.
Local practice; approval is by the local school committee
Required subjects
Taught in English, substantially to the same extent as in public school. You may also teach in another language alongside English.
Many committees also ask about health and physical education. These are public-school requirements rather than items listed in § 16-19-2, but including them often makes approval smoother.
Attendance: about 180 days. The statute asks for attendance substantially equal to public school. Public schools run 180 days, so most committees use that as the benchmark. Some also mention a daily-hours figure; that is local practice, not a number in § 16-19-2.
Compulsory attendance covers children who turn 6 by September 1 and have not yet turned 18 (R.I. Gen. Laws § 16-19-1).
What Rhode Island does not require
- No teaching certificate or college degree for parents
- No statewide standardized test
- No statewide form — a written request is enough
- No requirement to follow the public school's curriculum or textbooks
- No hours figure written into the statute
If something goes sideways
- • The approval points in § 16-19-2 are what the committee is weighing; requests that go well beyond them are worth asking about in writing.
- • If the committee refuses approval, you may appeal to the Rhode Island Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, which holds a hearing and decides the appeal without cost to the parties (R.I. Gen. Laws § 16-19-2).
- • Requests such as home visits or detailed daily lesson plans are not listed in the statute; ask the committee to identify its authority before agreeing.
For experienced Rhode Island families
Keep the paperwork proportionate.
Start with the statutory approval points, distinguish them from local procedures, and keep a clear written record. Minimal paperwork is not a loophole around approval.
A signed request, not an affidavit shortcut
Neither § 16-19-1 nor § 16-19-2 requires a notarized homeschool affidavit or names an unsworn declaration as the filing mechanism. A declaration does not replace committee approval. If notarization is requested, ask for its legal basis.
Your approach can be flexible
A parent-designed, interest-led plan can explain how each of the seven statutory subjects will be taught in English, with substantially equal attendance, a returned attendance register and thorough and efficient instruction. These provisions do not prescribe a commercial curriculum or daily lesson-plan format. A short proposal still needs enough detail for review.
Local requests are not automatically statewide rules
These provisions do not prescribe a statewide test, outside evaluator, portfolio, renewal deadline or home visit. Ask whether a request is voluntary or a condition of approval, which law or written policy supports it, and how it relates to your plan. Do not ignore existing approval conditions without advice. Health and PE are not listed in § 16-19-2; check separate requirements and local expectations before omitting them.
Keep the approval sequence clear
Some advocacy guides advise withdrawing while approval is pending. Pennsole takes the more cautious approach: obtain committee approval and confirm its effective date before withdrawing or starting home instruction. A sent request, acknowledgment or silence is not approval. Seek individualized advice if an urgent withdrawal is necessary.
Ask calmly, keep the answer
Could you identify the statutory or adopted policy basis for this request, explain whether it is required for approval, and tell us how it relates to § 16-19-2? Keep the reply with your plan and decision. Offer a less burdensome alternative where appropriate. The statute provides an appeal to RIDE for an aggrieved resident; verify procedure and seek qualified advice if approval or conditions are disputed.
Reviewed October 25, 2026. General information, not legal advice. Read § 16-19-2 . Local procedures and individual circumstances need separate review.
Find your school committee
Type your city or town. Call the superintendent's office to confirm where to send your request — addresses and procedures vary by district.
Barrington Public Schools
Serves: Barrington
Bristol Warren Regional School District
Serves: Bristol, Warren
Burrillville School Department
Serves: Burrillville
Central Falls School District
Serves: Central Falls
Chariho Regional School District
Serves: Charlestown, Hopkinton, Richmond
Coventry Public Schools
Serves: Coventry
Cranston Public Schools
Serves: Cranston
Cumberland School Department
Serves: Cumberland
East Greenwich Public Schools
Serves: East Greenwich
East Providence School Department
Serves: East Providence
Exeter-West Greenwich Regional School District
Serves: Exeter, West Greenwich
Foster School District (grades K–5)
Serves: Foster
Grades 6–12 in Foster are served by Foster-Glocester Regional.
Foster-Glocester Regional School District (grades 6–12)
Serves: Foster, Glocester
Serves grades 6–12; younger children go through the Foster or Glocester elementary district.
Glocester School District (grades K–5)
Serves: Glocester
Grades 6–12 in Glocester are served by Foster-Glocester Regional.
Jamestown School Department
Serves: Jamestown
Johnston Public Schools
Serves: Johnston
Lincoln Public Schools
Serves: Lincoln
Little Compton School Department
Serves: Little Compton
Middletown Public Schools
Serves: Middletown
Narragansett School System
Serves: Narragansett
New Shoreham School District (Block Island)
Serves: New Shoreham
Newport Public Schools
Serves: Newport
North Kingstown School Department
Serves: North Kingstown
North Providence School Department
Serves: North Providence
North Smithfield School Department
Serves: North Smithfield
Pawtucket School Department
Serves: Pawtucket
Portsmouth School Department
Serves: Portsmouth
Providence Public Schools
Serves: Providence
Scituate School Department
Serves: Scituate
Smithfield Public Schools
Serves: Smithfield
South Kingstown School Department
Serves: South Kingstown
Tiverton School Department
Serves: Tiverton
Warwick Public Schools
Serves: Warwick
West Warwick Public Schools
Serves: West Warwick
Westerly Public Schools
Serves: Westerly
Woonsocket Education Department
Serves: Woonsocket
Official sources
- R.I. Gen. Laws § 16-19-1 (compulsory attendance)
Who must attend and the home instruction exception.
- R.I. Gen. Laws § 16-19-2 (approval of home instruction)
The points a school committee considers when approving.
- Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE)
RIDE's homeschooling overview. RIDE does not supervise home instruction; approval is local.
General information, not legal advice. Each school committee sets its own process within § 16-19-2.