PencilGoWhat each state we have checked asks homeschool families to keep: attendance, hours, a portfolio or a yearly evaluation. Every state shows its source and the date we checked.
Updated for 2026-27 · Last checked October 30, 2026
| State | Days or hours | Records or portfolio | Evaluation or testing | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pennsylvania | 180 days or 900 hours a year (elementary) | Portfolio: reading log, work samples, test results | Evaluator's certification by June 30; tests in grades 3, 5 and 8 | October 30, 2026 |
| New York | 180 days; 900 hours for grades 1 to 6 | Plan (IHIP), four quarterly reports, attendance records | Yearly assessment: a test or, in some grades, a narrative | October 30, 2026 |
| Florida | No number named in the section we read | Portfolio: activity log and work samples, kept two years | Yearly evaluation, with five ways to do it | October 30, 2026 |
| South Carolina | 180 days; 4.5-hour day on the board route | Plan book, portfolio, evaluations, semiannual progress report | State tests on the board route | October 30, 2026 |
| Maryland | No number named in the regulation we read | Portfolio of instructional materials and work samples | Portfolio reviews, up to three a year | October 30, 2026 |
| Colorado | 172 days, about 4 hours a day | Attendance, test and evaluation results, immunizations | Evaluation in grades 3, 5, 7, 9 and 11 | October 30, 2026 |
Rules change. Each state page lists what the law names, what to keep, and where PencilGo helps and where it stops.
Coming as we finish reading the law: Missouri, Utah, New Hampshire, Alabama, California, Delaware, Indiana, Kentucky, Montana, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Wisconsin. We list them here without a link until they are ready. Using an ESA to fund your child’s education? See the ESA funding guide; Florida and South Carolina also have ESA pages: Florida, South Carolina.
We publish a state only after we have read its statute, regulation or state education department page, and we show the source and the date for every row. We add states as we finish reading them, and the rest are listed as coming.
Every state page shows the sources we read and the date we checked, which is October 30, 2026 for the states below. Rules change, so read the linked source before you rely on a number, and ask your district or evaluator.
A good default is a record of the days or hours you taught, the subjects you covered, a reading list and a few dated work samples from the start, middle and end of the year. The free attendance tracker, weekly log sheet and hours log cover the first three. See all the free records.
No. These pages are templates and plain summaries of public sources. For your own situation, ask your district, an evaluator or a homeschool group in your state.
Print a sheet, your child works in pencil, and you scan it when it’s done. PencilGo marks it, picks the next sheet and keeps the record. Free, about five minutes a day, and your child never touches a screen.
Templates, not legal advice. Check what your state asks for. Last checked October 30, 2026. Spotted a change? Write to [email protected].