Homeschooling in Nebraska
What the law requires, what you file and when, and what to keep — with the statute behind each rule.
What Nebraska requires
- Notify
- Nebraska Commissioner of Education (Nebraska Department of Education exempt school program), online or by paper — July 15 each year; if starting mid-year, file promptly before withdrawing from the current school (annual)
- Testing or evaluation
- Not required.
- Subjects set by the state
- Yes — 5 required subjects, listed below
- Teaching time
- 1,032 hours, 1,080 hours, , days — in detail
- Compulsory school age
- 6 to 18 — in detail
- Records
- None required to be kept or submitted beyond the annual forms; NDE advises keeping attendance records.
Taking your child out of school in Nebraska
First move: File the exempt school election with NDE first (NDE advises withdrawing only after it has received your submission), then notify the school in writing.
Hours can be prorated for the rest of the year. New since July 18, 2026 (LB 937, Neb.
Rev. Stat. 28-711.01): if a parent is the subject of an active child abuse/neglect investigation and the district has been notified, the child may not be transferred or disenrolled for 14 days or until the department gives further notice, whichever comes first, and any new exempt school election filed during that time is invalid.
The legal routes
2 routes exist in Nebraska. They carry different duties, and families often do not know the alternatives to the obvious one.
- Exempt school (private school electing not to meet accreditation/approval)
- Nebraska's homeschool route: the parent files a yearly Statement of Election and Assurances with the Commissioner of Education, for religious reasons or because state requirements interfere with the parent's decisions.
- Approved or accredited private, denominational or parochial school
- Enroll in a state-approved or accredited private or religious school.
The notice, and who receives it
- Goes to
- Nebraska Commissioner of Education (Nebraska Department of Education exempt school program), online or by paper
- Deadline
- July 15 each year; if starting mid-year, file promptly before withdrawing from the current school
- Renews
- annual
- Form
- Statement of Election and Assurances and Authorized Parent Representative Form (NDE 2026/27 packet, or online at exemptschool.education.ne.gov); certified birth certificate copy required on first enrollment — official form
Subjects Nebraska requires
- Language arts
- Mathematics
- Science
- Social studies
- Health
Compulsory school age
6 to 18 (child who turns 6 before January 1 of the school year). A 6-year-old who will not turn 7 before Jan 1 can be exempted by affidavit filed with the local district; a child 16+ may be withdrawn under 79-202; a child who completes the exempt school's program is no longer covered.
Teaching time
1,032 hours (elementary) / 1,080 hours (high school) per July 1-June 30 year; no required start date, days or daily schedule
Who may teach
None (no certification). The parent states they are satisfied that the instructors are qualified to monitor basic-skills instruction.
Since July 18, 2026, people who teach or monitor instruction must not have convictions for certain listed sexual or child-abuse offenses.
Testing and evaluation
No testing required. A 2024 law (LB 1027) removed the state's power to demand achievement tests, parent competency tests or home visits.
Records to keep
None required to be kept or submitted beyond the annual forms; NDE advises keeping attendance records. Immunization rules (79-217) apply to exempt school students unless the parent cites religious reasons on the Statement of Election or has another exemption.
High school, diplomas and transcripts
The state does not issue diplomas to exempt school students; the parent issues the diploma and transcript. A student who completes the exempt school program is released from compulsory attendance (NDE Form D).
Public school classes, sports and activities
Districts must allow part-time enrollment of resident exempt school students in any courses. Exempt students may join extracurricular activities: for activities run by an athletics/activities association (e.g., NSAA) they must take 5 credit hours per semester at the district; the parent's school sets and assures academic eligibility; no preference for full-time students.
Funding: education savings accounts, vouchers and tax credits
None known for exempt (home) schools. Nebraska's private-school Opportunity Scholarship tax credit (2023) was repealed by LB 1402 (2024).
What changed recently
LB 1027 (2024, eff. July 2024): removed state powers to require testing, parent competency tests, home inspections and curriculum review; reduced annual paperwork (curriculum, monitor and instructor info no longer reported).
LB 937 (signed April 16, 2026; eff. July 18, 2026): 14-day freeze on transferring/disenrolling a child (including to homeschool) when a parent is under active child abuse/neglect investigation; bars people with certain convictions from teaching in an exempt school. Rule 13 revised effective June 28, 2026. 2025 (LB 306) and 2026 (LB 937) amended the part-time/extracurricular statute.
What we could not confirm
The July 15 deadline and the hour requirement come from NDE's FAQ (and 79-211 for private schools), not from 79-1601 itself; the revised Rule 13 text was not read. Exactly what LB 306 (2025) changed in the extracurricular statute was not confirmed.
The outcome of the November 2024 referendum on LB 1402's state-funded scholarships was not confirmed from a primary source (exempt schools would not qualify anyway).
- Rule 13 (effective 06/28/2026 per NDE page) text not read; the 2026/27 FAQ still says Rule 13 is under revision. July 15 deadline and hour figures come from the NDE FAQ, not 79-1601.
Listed because a legal summary that hides its gaps is harder to trust than one that names them. How these pages are checked.
Statutes and sources
Statute and regulation
- Neb. Rev. Stat. § 79-1601
- Neb. Rev. Stat. § 79-201
- Neb. Rev. Stat. § 79-211
- Neb. Rev. Stat. § 79-2,136
- Neb. Rev. Stat. § 28-711.01
- Neb. Rev. Stat. § 79-1605
- 92 NAC 13 (NDE Rule 13)
Statute text
- Neb. Rev. Stat. 79-1601 (Nebraska Legislature)
- Neb. Rev. Stat. 79-201 Compulsory education (Nebraska Legislature)
- Neb. Rev. Stat. 79-211 Minimum school term (Nebraska Legislature)
- Neb. Rev. Stat. 79-2,136 Part-time enrollment; extracurricular activities (Nebraska Legislature)
- Neb. Rev. Stat. 28-711.01 (LB 937, 2026) transfer limits during abuse investigation
- Neb. Rev. Stat. 77-7101 (repealed by LB 1402, 2024)
State agency
Secondary sources
- HSLDA: How to Comply with Nebraska's Homeschool Law
- HSLDA: Nebraska Sees Biggest Change to Homeschool Law Since 1984 (LB 1027, 2024)
- HSLDA: Nebraska Legislative Bill 1224 / LB 937 status
- HSLDA: Homeschool Freedom Takes a Hit after Wave of Bad Legislation (May 2026)
- HSLDA: Public School Access for Homeschoolers in Nebraska
- HSLDA: Compulsory School Age in Nebraska
- HSLDA: How to Withdraw Your Child from School in Nebraska