Homeschooling in Georgia has just a few specific requirements, and it may be a good option for you if…
- Your child has experienced bullying or difficulties with friendships in school.
- Your child’s educational needs aren’t being met at his or her current school.
- You want permission to play a greater role in how your child learns best and in what he or she learns.
- You have seen your child go from enjoying learning to dreading it.
- You want your child to have time to go deeper into subjects that interest them.
- You want more free time with your child to spend as you wish.
- You aren’t happy about the school options in your area.
- You aren’t sure about private schools in your area and/or if they are financially sustainable as your child gets older.
If you are in the state of Georgia and have even once considered homeschooling, we have a practical primer for you about how it works.
But before we get to that, have you hoped or wished you could homeschool but you have questions about…
- How your child will be socialized and find his or her community?
- What your time availability is and/or what you might be giving up if you homeschool?
- Your ability to choose the right curriculum, teach the appropriate concepts, and understand what mastery looks like for your child’s grade level?
- Your ability to grow with your child in the homeschooling process?
- Whether or not you can homeschool and work?
Learnwell North Georia is a hybrid school that has helped many parents answer these questions to make a confident decision about their child’s education. Whether you choose homeschooling in Georgia or a different model, we would love to walk you through the process of choosing the just-right option for your child and your family.
So, how does homeschooling in Georgia work?
Homeschooling in Georgia
The Homeschool Legal Defense Association has a terrific description of how homeschooling in Georgia works. On the site, you can find everything from laws related to Georgia homeschooling to how Georgia homeschool records are kept.
Other topics you can learn about that are specific to homeschooling in Georgia are:
- Special education
- Homeschoolers’ access to public school activities
- Step-by-step withdrawal instructions to switch your child from public school to homeschool or hybrid school
Homeschooling can be a wonderful way to deepen your relationship with your child. In fact, many Learnwell families have expressed that they spend more time together with less stress than their non-homeschool counterparts. It’s also a great option for families whose children need more time for activities such as sports, robotics, outdoor time, or they simply want to dig deeper into areas of interest.
Homeschooling in Georgia: Time Spent
You can ask any family who homeschools and get a different answer to this question: How much time do you spend each day homeschooling? The answers will vary widely depending on a few factors:
- How old their child(ren) are
- If they are homeschooling just one or multiple children
- If they are solo homeschooling without the support of a teacher
- Whether or not they participate in extracurricular classes such as piano, Spanish, or science labs
- What that family believes is important to teach (and not teach)
- How the family lifestyle gets incorporated into a homeschool day
One of the answers we like to provide families is that homeschooling with Learnwell is like homeschooling with a guide. Yes, you are the one at the table with your child three days a week. However, you also receive:
- Two days to yourself while your child learns among his or her peers at school
- Expert lesson plans (way beyond just a curriculum guide) designed by Learnwell’s certified, experienced teachers
- Opportunities to ask questions of your child’s teacher when you hit a road bump, don’t understand something in the curriculum, or want to individualize an assignment for your child
- Support from a community of other homeschooling parents who are in your child’s grade level
- Opportunities to connect with other children and families who are in your child’s grade through Learnwell-planned events and field trips
Homeschooling Laws in GA
There are a few non-negotiables in the state of Georgia when it comes to homeschooling. However, as the contiguous United States goes, Georgia is one of the easier states in which to meet the requirements for homeschooling.
- In order to file a Declaration of Intent to Homeschool document (DOI), which is required by the state, you have to be a parent or a legal guardian of the child. You can, however, have a tutor or someone employed to do the homeschooling in the case that both parents work.
- You (or whoever is homeschooling your child) must have a General Equivalency Diploma (GED) or a high school diploma.
- You must file a DOI with the state.
- You must homeschool for the equivalent of 180 days per calendar year, with the total hours (averaged per day) equaling 4.5 hours. Some parents or would-be homeschoolers find this confusing, but it’s up to the parent who homeschools to determine what “homeschooling” looks like for your family. It could be that you go to the grocery store and allow your child to practice reading skills, numeration, and working with money while you are there. That would count as part of the 4.5 hours required for homeschooling. It’s also an average, so if you learn on vacation by visiting a museum or taking a tour, that also counts.
- Teach the following subjects: math, reading, language arts, social studies and science. However, these can or cannot be aligned with the Georgia state standards for those subjects. Parents are given the flexibility to teach those subjects the way they want to teach them using the methods and/or curriculum that they choose. Parents can also teach much more than these minimum requirements.
- Write a progress report at the end of each school year. This report is something you should keep track of for three years, and it simply acknowledges the progress your child has made in each subject. Some parents keep lists of topics their children learn, examples of work in each subject area, or write down the titles of books they’ve read and museums they’ve visited to show how their child has benefited from homeschooling. This report does not have to be in any specific format, nor does it need to be turned in to the public school system.
- Test your child every three years, starting after third grade.
While these are less stringent than in some states, many parents don’t want the responsibility of tracking what progress their child is making, or they aren’t quite sure what to teach under the subject areas that are required. Other parents find it overwhelming to calculate hours of learning and/or know which tests to provide.
How Learnwell Helps with Homeschooling in Georgia
When parents face obstacles to providing a solid education for their children that is going to prepare them for later in life and meet the state requirements, it’s overwhelming. But Learnwell North Georgia is here to help.
We partner with families at our two-day-a-week campus in Alpharetta to give students the structure they thrive on and save parents’ sanity at the same time. Some of the benefits of a Learnwell education are…
- Parents still get to teach their children and are more than just homework monitors.
- Parents are given tremendous flexibility in how they teach their children on at-home days.
- Teachers provide the “what” needs to be taught, so parents are not left wondering what is important and what isn’t for each subject.
- Teachers coach and guide parents each step of the way to make school at home engaging and fun.
- Students benefit from learning among peers two days a week and they get to spend additional time with family and/or pursuing hobbies on the other three days each week.
For the 2023-2024 school year, Learnwell North Georgia will be serving students in kindergarten through ninth grade. After that, our school adds a grade per year until we’re operating as a full K-12 school in 2026.
Learnwell North Georgia is also accredited, so students will obtain transcripts in high school that are accepted by colleges and universities. (Parents don’t need to worry about tracking all of that for their students.) This is just one of many benefits of choosing an accredited hybrid homeschool.
Would you like to learn more about our hybrid school? Join us for a summer meet & greet.
If you live outside of the North Georgia area, we can help you with lesson planning, teacher guidance, and support for students in grades K-7. Check out our Learnwell Navigator Program.