3 Options for Homeschooling in Tennessee and a Look at Various Curriculum

In the state of Tennessee, parents have the option to educate their children in grades K–12 at home, a practice known as homeschooling.

The Tennessee Home School law (Tennessee Code Annotated 49-6-3050) states: “A home school is a school conducted or directed by a parent or parents or a legal guardian or guardians for their own children.”

A parent may withdraw their child from the public school system and register for home-schooling at any point in the school year.

Parents desiring to home-school their own children may do so by choosing one of the following three options:

1. INDEPENDENT HOMESCHOOL

Begin by registering with the local school board by submitting an intent to home-school letter. Do this before the new school year begins so the state does not consider students truant. Check with your local school board to find out if they have a specific deadline. This can also be done at any time during the school year if you wish to withdraw mid-year.

Requirements:

Physical evidence of parents’ high school diploma or GED.

Reporting of attendance to the school board yearly. The attendance requirement is four hours per day for 180 days. The school year runs from July 1 to June 30.

Students in fifth, seventh and ninth grades are required to take standardized state tests. If the student tests below grade level for two years in a row, the superintendent may require them to attend physical school if they have no learning disability.

Students returning to public school must be tested to determine their grade level.

Parents of high schoolers create their own transcripts, diplomas, etc.

2. CHURCH-RELATED UMBRELLA SCHOOL

With this option, a child is viewed legally as a private school student learning at a satellite location (your home), and the parent is considered the school’s faculty/teacher.

This schooling option operates under the Jeter Memo: thefarmschool.community/satellite-campus/enrollment/crs-law-jeter-memo/

Because umbrella schools are, by definition, church-related schools, some (not all) umbrella schools may require a statement of faith at the time of registration. The Farm School in Summertown, Tennessee, is the only umbrella school in the state that is not related to a specific religion.

Each umbrella school has its own registration deadline, determines its own testing, curriculum requirements, and attendance-reporting requirements. Some do not require standardized testing and give parents the freedom to choose their own courses and curriculum, while others have more specific requirements.

Requirements:

Most umbrella schools require that at least one parent must have a high school diploma or GED, but not all umbrella schools require physical proof.

Students are legally required to complete four hours of learning per day for 180 days per year. The school year runs from July 1 to June 30.

Many umbrella schools offer easy online registration and reporting. Most require parents to submit an education plan before each semester. This usually entails a list of planned courses and curriculum for the semester.

Most umbrella schools offer counseling and advising services, official transcripts and an official diploma for high school students (this may incur an additional cost).

Students returning to public school must be tested to determine their grade level.

3. ACCREDITED ONLINE SCHOOL

This is basically online private school. It is a less common option for the average homeschool family due to higher cost and lack of freedom to choose your own curriculum. Accreditation is not an important factor to most homeschool families and colleges. However, for quality education, it could be a good choice.

Some well-known accredited online schools include:
aoacademy.com
calverteducation.com/academy
is.byu.edu/home

Other Considerations:

• Compulsory attendance is age 6–17. If you have a 5-year-old who has never attended school, you are not required to register them until age 6; they cannot register until the age of 5. Students under age 17 are allowed to graduate early if they have earned their GED or have completed all graduation requirements.

• Dual-enrollment classes are a great option for high school juniors and seniors to earn both high school and college credits simultaneously. There are grants offering free and greatly reduced DE classes at various colleges around the state.

• The required four hours of learning time each day does not have to exclusively involve book work. Learning can include a variety of activities such as field trips, going on a nature walk, watching a documentary, listening to an audiobook, reading aloud, life skills (chores, cooking, changing a tire, balancing a checkbook, gardening), arts and crafts, PE (exercise, swimming, yoga, karate class, group sports), etc.

Learn More About Tennessee’s Homeschooling Laws:
tnhea.org/homeschool-law
mthea.org/is-it-legal.html
hslda.org/legal/tennessee

WHAT ABOUT K12, TOPS and CONNECTIONS ACADEMY?

These are online public schools and are not actually considered as homeschools by the state of Tennessee. Children will be required to use the school’s curriculum and attend typical school hours (usually 6.5 hours each day) with attendance being checked throughout the day. Children follow a set curriculum to stay on par with the rest of their public school peers.

For more information on homeschooling in Tennessee:
tn.gov/education/school-options/home-schooling-in-tn.html

___

GUIDE TO HOMESCHOOL CURRICULUMS

When choosing a homeschool curriculum that’s a good fit for your family it is important to consider your children, yourself and your situation. Different homeschool styles go with different homeschool curricula, and learning about the different approaches will help you to choose.

For more in-depth tips on how to begin, visit
thehomeschoolmom.com/homeschooling101

Curriculums to Consider:

Free:
Allinonehomeschool.com
An Old Fashioned Education
Discovery K12*
Freedom Homeschooling
Guesthollow.com (science)
Khanacademy.com*
Little House Kindergarten
Readworks.org*
Storyline Online
The Good and The Beautiful – jennyphillips.com (language arts 1–5)

Charlotte Mason Style
(“Education is an atmosphere, a discipline, a life”):
A Gentle Feast
Ambleside Online
Beautiful Feet Books
Blossom & Root*
Five in a Row
Heart of Dakota
Magic Forest Academy
Queen Homeschool
Sonlight
The Good and The Beautiful
Trail Guide to Learning
Winter Promise

Classical Education
(emphasizing history, literature and language):
Classical Conversations
Classical Academic Press
The Good and The Beautiful – jennyphillips.com
Learning Adventures
Memoria Press
My Father’s World
Rod and Staff Publishers
Tapestry of Grace
Veritas Press

Distance/Online Learning:
Abeka Distance Learning
Acellus Power School*
Alpha Omega’s Switched on Schoolhouse
Bob Jones University Distance Learning
Bravewriter*
Calvert Homeschool*
Essentials in Writing/Literature*
K-12*
Liberty Online Academy
Memoria Press
Next Level Homeschool*
Oak Meadow*
Storyline Online*
Study.com*
Supercharged Science*
Time4Learning*
Veritas Press

Traditional
(taking the traditional schooling approach and applying it at home):
Abeka
Alpha Omega’s Switched on Schoolhouse
Alpha Omega’s Life Pacs
Bob Jones University
Bookshark*
Calvert School*
Christian Light
Christian Liberty Press
Critical Thinking Co.*
Masterbooks
Rod & Staff Publishers

Unit Studies:
Five in a Row
Gather Round Homeschool
Konos
Magic Forest Academy*
Moving Beyond the Page*
My Father’s World
Our Star-Spangled Banner Story
Tapestry of Grace
Trail Guide to Learning
Unit Studies by Amanda Bennett
Winter Promise

Others:
A Journey Through Learning (educational lapbooks)
All About Reading*
Answers in Genesis
Apologia Science
Clear Water Press Writing Curricula*
Easy Grammar Systems*
Geography Matters
Guesthollow.com
Human Body Detectives*
Institute for Excellence in Writing
Jump-In Writing with Sharon Watson
Little Passports*
MEL Science*
Mystery of History
Notgrass History
Pandia Press* (science, history)
Real Science 4 Kids*
Singapore Science*
Story of the World
Timberdoodle
Zeezok Publishing