My Learning Source Nebraska › Homeschooling in Nebraska › Laws & requirements

⚖️ Nebraska Homeschool Laws & Requirements

What Nebraska law asks of homeschool families — notice or registration, school days and subjects, testing, records and diplomas — summarized from our Nebraska guide with links to the official sources.

Homeschooling in Nebraska: the basics

The law: under Neb. Rev. Stat. § 79-1601, a private, denominational or parochial school either meets the State Board of Education's accreditation or approval requirements or elects not to and follows the rules in subsections (2) through (6). NDE says that in Nebraska "home schools" are referred to as exempt schools and are considered non-approved and non-accredited private schools. An exempt school can also be outside the child's home and have students from more than one family.
Who must attend: a child is of mandatory attendance age if the child will reach 6 before January 1 of the current school year and hasn't reached 18 (§ 79-201(1)). The child must attend a public, private, denominational or parochial school that meets Chapter 79's requirements, or a school that elects under § 79-1601 not to meet accreditation or approval requirements (§ 79-201(2)). A violation is a Class III misdemeanor.
Ages 6 and 7: for a child who is 6 but not yet 7, a parent can instead sign an affidavit, filed with the resident school district, saying the child will attend an exempt school and the parent will file with the Commissioner of Education on or before the child's seventh birthday (§ 79-201(3)(e)). NDE doesn't provide or collect this affidavit — ask your district. For 2026–27, NDE says filing is required for a child age 7 up to age 18.
Exceptions: the attendance law doesn't apply to a child who has earned a high school diploma under § 79-729, has completed the program of instruction offered by an exempt school, or has reached 16 and been withdrawn under § 79-202 (§ 79-201(3)).
Ages 16 and 17: a parent may withdraw a 16- or 17-year-old from an exempt school before graduation, and be exempt from the attendance law, by filing a signed release on a form the Commissioner of Education prescribes (§ 79-202(6)). NDE calls it the Withdrawal of a Child(ren) From the Exempt School form; ask the Exempt School Program Office for it. A child under 18 who has completed the exempt school's program is reported on a Report of Completion of Program of Instruction.
The two statements: the parent's signed statement must say either that the approval and accreditation requirements violate the parent's sincerely held religious beliefs, or that they interfere with the parent's decisions in directing the child's education (§ 79-1601(3)(a)). It also says the school offers the required courses and that the parent is satisfied the people monitoring instruction are qualified to monitor instruction in the basic skills (§ 79-1601(3)(c)–(d)).
Who can teach: people teaching at an exempt school don't need teacher certification (§ 79-1601(5)(a)), and NDE says there are no formal educational qualifications. You may teach children other than your own. Since July 18, 2026 (LB 937, 2026), people monitoring or providing instruction at an exempt school must not have been convicted of the felonies listed in § 79-1601(5)(b), which include first-degree sexual assault and child abuse.
What LB 1027 (2024) changed: approved April 15, 2024, it amended § 79-1601. NDE says that since LB 1027 only one parent, legal guardian or educational decisionmaker has to complete the filing, and curriculum information and instructional monitors no longer have to be reported to NDE.
If you don't file: NDE says failing to file means no exemption from the attendance law has taken effect, and the parent could be prosecuted under the mandatory attendance laws — the student is considered truant. A school that elects exemption but doesn't meet § 79-1601's requirements isn't deemed a school (§ 79-1601(6)).
Online programs: an out-of-state or private online program doesn't replace the filing. NDE says families using programs such as Time for Learning, Acellus, Abeka or Penn Foster must still file as an exempt school if the child is of mandatory attendance age. NDE's only two exceptions are full-time enrollment in the University of Nebraska High School or the Omaha Virtual School through Omaha Public Schools, which are Nebraska accredited schools.
Public school is not homeschooling: under the Enrollment Option Program a student attending another public district must be enrolled full time there; NDE says that if the student will be homeschooled instead, the parent should cancel the option.
How many: NDE counted 16,419 exempt school students at the end of the 2024–25 school year, living in all 93 counties, and estimates 18,015 for 2025–26 (subject to audit).

Read the full section in our Nebraska guide

Instruction, testing and records

Subjects: an exempt school must maintain a sequential program of instruction designed to lead to basic skills in language arts, mathematics, science, social studies and health (§ 79-1601(4)(c)). NDE says the program must lead to — but is not limited to — those skills. NDE doesn't provide curriculum or tell families what to teach, and doesn't endorse or recommend curriculum.

Hours: NDE requires at least 1,032 hours of instruction for elementary grades (K–8) and 1,080 hours for secondary grades (9–12) each school year — the same hours § 79-211 sets for public and private schools — and all of the year's hours must fall between July 1 and June 30. NDE says there are no other rules on the start date, times of the school day or days in session; how you schedule the hours is up to you.

Partial years: if you file mid-year, the hours may be prorated for the rest of the school year. NDE says the total, counting hours at a public school or in another state, must still meet 1,032 (elementary) or 1,080 (secondary).

Testing: NDE says testing isn't required of exempt school students. The state's assessment laws apply only to school districts, and NDE says the state is prohibited by law from using achievement testing of exempt school students to measure, compare or evaluate their competency. NDE suggests asking your resident district or private homeschool resources about testing materials.

Records: Rule 13 doesn't address recordkeeping, but NDE advises keeping records including attendance and a transcript of classes taken with grades for each child. NDE doesn't collect grades or require progress reports.

Health and safety: an exempt school must meet the health, fire and safety standards in state law and the State Fire Marshal's rules, and report attendance under § 79-201 (§ 79-1601(4)). Families who file under the nonreligious statement follow the immunization law (§ 79-217); NDE says you don't send the records to NDE but should keep them.

Costs and materials: the family assumes all curriculum and operating costs. Approved or accredited schools have no obligation to help exempt schools, and exempt schools can't take part in NDE's Rule 4 textbook loan program. NDE points families to Nebraska's open educational resources hub at oercommons.org/hubs/nebraska and to the private support organizations on its Resources page.

Read the full section in our Nebraska guide

Diplomas, transcripts, the GED and college

Diplomas: the State of Nebraska does not issue high school diplomas to exempt school students. Some exempt schools create a diploma; NDE doesn't collect or certify it, and it is up to the receiving entity whether to accept it. NDE recommends keeping a transcript of classes taken with grades received.

Going back to school: if a high-school-age student later enrolls in an approved or accredited school, the local school board's or private school's policies decide whether credit from an exempt school counts toward graduation. Grade placement on re-entry is set by local policy (NDE cites § 79-215 and Rule 19).

Online school diplomas: NDE says a diploma or certificate from an online program isn't a diploma from an approved or accredited Nebraska school, and for a child of mandatory attendance age it doesn't by itself end the duty to attend — follow Rule 13's completion or withdrawal steps.

University of Nebraska–Lincoln: UNL guarantees admission to applicants who meet its core course requirements (16 units: 4 English, 4 math, 3 natural science, 3 social science, 2 world language) and at least one performance requirement; other applicants are reviewed by committee. Home school applicants may be asked for the letter confirming the family filed with NDE, a typed semester transcript with grades, a curriculum synopsis that parallels the 16 core courses, textbook titles and authors, and a description of how the lab science requirement was met.

University of Nebraska Omaha: UNO reviews every home school applicant, who is expected to meet the 16 core courses and the performance requirement. UNO asks for NDE's letter of verification and a typed semester transcript showing the unit of credit, grades and term and cumulative GPA, signed by the homeschool administrator. UNO says applicants who haven't met its requirements, or haven't complied with state regulations, may be required to submit GED scores.

Read the full section in our Nebraska guide

Official sources

Summarized from our Nebraska guide (as of November 2026) and articles. Rules change — confirm on the official pages before you act.

More for Nebraska homeschool families

Loading the full Nebraska site… If it does not appear, everything on this page is readable above.