Nebraska Homeschool Laws

In Nebraska, a homeschool is considered a private school that elects not to meet accreditation or approval requirements for religious or nonreligious reasons. You first need to set up a private school in your home, and then enroll your children in it. Just follow the steps below.

1. Annually file a parent or guardian form signed by both parents and notarized. This form requires you to state under oath that requirements for state approval and accreditation of your school either “interfere with my decisions in directing my child(ren)’s education” or “violate my sincerely held religious beliefs.” This form must be filed when beginning homeschooling in Nebraska and by July 15 each year thereafter. The first year that you homeschool, you must send a certified copy of your child’s birth certificate to the Nebraska Department of Education.
2. Annually file a Parent Representative Form to affirm your acceptance of certain responsibilities, including the duty to submit information on student enrollment and attendance, monitors, and the sequential program of instruction. This form must be filed upon beginning homeschooling in Nebraska and by July 15 each year thereafter.
3. Annually file an Information Summary within 30 days of the first time you file the first two forms, and by July 15 each year thereafter. This summary must include:
   • A calendar for the school year (July 1–June 30) indicating a minimum instruction of 1,080 hours in secondary schools and 1,032 hours in elementary schools. (For a homeschool, this can be a general statement of when the school term begins and ends.)
   • A list of all “instructional monitors” in the homeschool (typically the parents), including names, ages, and highest levels of education completed.
   • A scope and sequence for each grade level being taught.

4. Teach the required subjects, which include language arts, math, science, social studies, and health. Nebraska does not require any specific qualifications to teach these subjects other than the parents’ satisfaction.

5. Comply with vaccination requirements. If you indicate a nonreligious reason for homeschooling, you must also affirm that you understand that your school must comply with vaccination requirements (unless you have an exemption from vaccinating).

Here you’ll find websites for any questions you may have about education in the state of Nebraska.

• Nebraska Department of Education: https://www.education.ne.gov/
• Nebraska State Board of Education: https://www.education.ne.gov/stateboard/
• Nebraska State Government – Education: https://www.nebraska.gov/education/school-info/#gsc.tab=0
• Nebraska State Education Association: https://www.nsea.org/
• List of Nebraska school districts: https://ballotpedia.org/List_of_school_districts_in_Nebraska

Whether you already homeschool in Nebraska or are looking to do so, these resources are quite useful if you’re searching for support, co-ops, or answers to questions about homeschooling in your state.

• Bellevue Area Christian Homeschool Group (BACH): https://www.homeschool-life.com/1795/
• Catholic Homeschool Association of Omaha (CHAO): https://www.homeschool-life.com/2001/custom/34962
• Heartland Homeschoolers: https://www.homeschool-life.com/ne/heartland/
• Nebraska Homeschool: https://www.nebraskahomeschool.org/
• Valley Homeschool Association: https://valleyhomeschool.org/
• Nebraska Local Homeschool Groups: https://localhs.com/map/
• Homeschooling in Nebraska: https://www.homeschoolinginnebraska.com/support/support-groups/local-groups
• Homeschooling in the Omaha Area for Everyone (HOME): https://www.facebook.com/groups/HOMEHomeschoolGroup/
• Nebraska Christian Home Educators Association: https://nchea.org/
• North Platte Area Home Educators: https://npahe.wordpress.com/
• Valley Homeschool Association: https://valleyhomeschool.org/

One of the many benefits of homeschooling is the flexibility to explore! Here are some ideas for amazing–and educational–field trips around the great state of Nebraska!

• Ashfall Fossil Beds State Historical Park: Royal, NE
• Children’s Museum of Central Nebraska: Hastings, NE
• Durham Science Center: Omaha, NE
• Edgerton Explorit Center: Aurora, NE
• El Museo Latino: Omaha, NE
• Fontenelle Forest Nature Center: Bellevue, NE
• Hastings Museum of Natural and Cultural History: Hastings, NE
• Kearney Area Children’s Museum, KidZone: Kearney, NE
• Lewis & Clark Missouri River Visitor’s Center: Nebraska City, NE
• Lincoln Children’s Museum: Lincoln, NE
• Lincoln Children’s Zoo: Lincoln, NE
• Neale Woods Nature Center: Omaha, NE
• Nebraska State Historical Society’s Gerald R. Ford Conservation Center: Omaha, NE
• Nebraska State Historical Society’s Museum of Nebraska History: Lincoln, NE
• North Platte Area Children’s Museum: North Platte, NE
• Omaha Children’s Museum: Omaha, NE
• Omaha Community Playhouse: Omaha, NE
• Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo: Omaha, NE
• Riverside Zoo: Scottsbluff, NE
• Simmons Wildlife Safari: Ashland, NE
• Strategic Air and Space Museum: Ashland, NE
• Schramm Education Center: Gretna, NE
• Wildlife Encounters: Gretna, NE
• World War II Library and Museum: Greenwood, NE