Hawaii Homeschooling Laws
Hawaii has one of the fewest requirements regarding homeschooling. Parents have a lot of freedom in choosing the method, the time to homeschool and what subjects the student will be taught. This page provides information on the requirements and the legal aspect of homeschooling in Hawaii.
· Requirements to homeschool in Hawaii
· Recordkeeping for homeschoolers in Hawaii
· Requirements to graduate in Hawaii
· Switching from homeschool to public school
* This information is by no means intended as legal advice; its purpose is merely informational. It is each parent’s responsibility to get informed and understand the applicable homeschooling laws which regulate homeschooling in his or her state.
Requirements and Laws on Homeschooling in Hawaii
Parents who choose to homeschool in Hawaii should:
1. Fill form 4140 or write a letter to the principal of the local school indicating the intention to homeschool their child.
Ensure the curriculum they choose for their child is aligned with the child’s needs, abilities and interests, should be well structured, sequential, cumulative, and updated on the day to day knowledge necessary for the child.
The statute provides that:
· The curriculum used in elementary school may have math, science, health, social studies, physical education, language arts, music and art as part of the subjects.
· A curriculum in high school shall have English, science, health, math, guidance, social studies and physical education as part of the subjects.
2. Have a record of the curriculum the parent is planning to use during homeschooling, which shall have:
· The details of the homeschool program including the starting and ending date.
· The subjects intended to be covered.
· The amount of time the child gets instruction in a week.
· A record of the instructional materials used and the textbooks used in a standard format, indicate the title of the book/material, the author, date of publication and the publisher.
· The method of giving instruction in the homeschool program.
3. Make and submit progress reports every year.
Homeschoolers in 3rd grade, 5th grade, 8th grade and 10th grade must take what is known as a norm-referenced standardized achievement test and have the results submitted as well.
Transferring from Public School to Homeschool in Hawaii
Notice of Intent
Parents are required to file a notice of intent as the first step to homeschool. This notice is filed with the public school system by completing Form 4140 or writing a letter to the principal of the local school indicating the intention to homeschool their child with details of the children, including their identity, date of birth and the address of the children to the school's principal.
Recordkeeping for Homeschoolers in Hawaii
The law in Hawaii does not require homeschooling parents to submit the curriculum used in the program but should keep a record of the following:
· The starting date of the program as well as the ending date.
· The subjects intended to be covered.
· A record of the instructional materials used and the textbooks used in a standard format, indicate the title of the book/material, the author, date of publication and the publisher.
· The amount of time the child gets instruction in a week
· The method of giving instruction in the homeschool program.
Students in grades 3, 5, 8 and 10 must take a norm-referenced standardized test. The test scores show the child’s achievements in appropriation to the child’s age and grade level. Students in the other grades may give an annual report on:
· A Hawaii-certified teacher’s assessment on the progress of the student,
· A parent’s written assessment of their child’s development which shall include the child’s work, the assignments given, tests taken, the grades achieved and a defined progress in each subject area.
· For the students who took part in the Hawaii statewide testing program, the results of the test shall be submitted.
· Test results showing the appropriate grade level achievement for the child on the SATs.
· Progress on eachgrade level on a nationally normed standardized test.
It is advisable to have a homeschool portfolio which proves to be useful while making transcripts and applying to colleges, universities and future workplaces.
Requirements for Graduation in Hawaii
Parents homeschooling in Hawaii are not given specific subjects to teach their children during homeschool. It is therefore up to the parent to reach out to the local school for recommendations on what their children should learn in different grades. Highschool homeschoolers in Hawaii are not awarded a diploma, they choose to either:
· Sit for a GED test or the HiSEt test to earn an equivalent credit to a high school diploma, or
· Attend one semester at the public or private school and pass the GED or the HiSET to earn a Hawaii adult community school diploma.
The chart below shows the comparison between graduation requirements in public school and homeschool in Hawaii.
| Public/Private School | Homeschool | |
|---|---|---|
|
Diploma requirements in Hawaii |
To receive a diploma in Hawaii, 24 completed credits are required. |
Parents in Hawaii have the liberty to determine if and when their student will graduate. They then proceed to award the high school diploma under their own terms. Institutions also give diplomas to students in private/online schools. |
| Testing requirements in Hawaii | In addition to meeting the requirements for the Hawaii High School Diploma, students must attain a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or above to qualify for a honors recognition certificate. |
There is no law in Hawaii that compels or forces homeschoolers to undertake a test as a requirement in order to graduate high school. |
|
Hawaii high school transcripts |
The transcripts include the name of the student, the standardized test scores, a credit history of courses with course titles, the totals of the credits, the grade per semester and the average grade for each semester. |
Parents in Hawaii can create the homeschoolers’ transcripts which may include information they considered relevant to institutions the homeschoolers may intend to apply to. This may include schools, colleges, workplace organizations, or the military. |
|
High school course credits in Hawaii |
Each student must attain 4 credits in English, 1 credit in physical education, 4 social studies credits, 3 credits in science, 3 credits in math, 6 elective credits, 1 credit in world language or fine arts or career and technical education, 0.5 credits in health, and 0.5 credits in personal transition plan. |
Some parents assign credits to individual courses. Parents decide when it is time for their student to graduate and proceed to create transcripts. |
|
Eligibility for GED in Hawaii |
To apply for the GED test, a student must be 18 years old to test in Hawaii. In Hawaii, you can be 16 or 17 and take the GED test if the students gets approval and adheres to using the Exceptions to Compulsory Education, Form 4140 |
Homeschoolers in Hawaii are eligible if the meet the same criteria as public school students. |
Homeschool High School Transcript Template
Track your homeschooler’s credits, courses, and accomplishments with this free homeschool high school transcript template.
Download the transcript template
Switching from Homeschooling to Public School in Hawaii
Parents in Hawaii who wish to return to public school must submit to the district superintendent a letter of termination. For better determination of which grade the child is working at, parents are advised to submit records of the student but the decision lies with the school principal. The eligibility of the assessments and standardized tests the child took is determined by individual schools. Upon registration, the child may be required to take additional placement tests.
Each school in Hawaii applies different guidelines for grade placement and enrollment of students. You will find that some schools in Hawaii let you register your child for the grade you wish him/her to attend while others require information on the student’s progress and the curriculum used during homeschooling. Other schools in Hawaii will have your child take an assessment test to determine the appropriate grade level your child belongs in. Lernsys Homeschooling provides transcripts and curriculum records which include course average grade/final grade, quizzes/tests grades, lessons and topics covered, among other things.
Additional Resources Related to Homeschooling in Hawaii
Have other questions about homeschooling in Hawaii? You may find the following pages helpful.
