Local Home School Information
The Georgia Department of Education does not supply the curriculum, materials or resources for home school. The law requires the following five content areas:
- Mathematics
- English Language Arts
- Science
- Social Studies
- Reading
The home study program shall provide a basic academic educational program which includes, but is not limited to, reading, language arts, mathematics, social studies, and science, however, you may teach other content areas. For curriculum, testing and resource materials, please contact a home school association in your area or use your browser to search for the term Georgia Home School Curriculum or Home School Curriculum. Select a vendor/program that fits your child's educational needs. If there is any cost for the curriculum, the parent will be responsible. It is advisable to secure your curriculum prior to registering your child/children by submitting the Declaration of Intent online. You must submit a declaration of intent by September 1st or within 30 days after a program is established. You may employ a tutor. Parents must have a high school diploma or GED.
If your child/children are enrolled in Georgia Cyber Academy, Georgia Connections Academy, or Provost Academy – your child/children are NOT considered home school students. These are state board-approved online charter schools. You must communicate with these schools for any documents you may need.
The Georgia Department of Education has a very limited role related to home school. The Georgia Department of Education is only responsible for maintaining the Declaration of Intent records.
CLICK HERE to Submit an Online Declaration of Intent Form
- Fields with an asterisk (*) are required fields.
- The "Signature" and "Date Submitted" fields are not required on the online form.
- For the field "The school year for this home school study program", the law requires 180 instructional days. Put the actual date you begin teaching your child/children at home as the beginning date and counting forward to the 180 instructional days limit. However if your child/children began the school year in a public/private school that time can be included as part of this 180 instructional days requirement. You can teach more days if you desire.
- Once you're finished, press the "Submit Your Declaration of Intent" button located at the bottom of form. After you click the submit button, you will receive a screen that shows a 36-unique-character parent signature line as well as the date of submittal.
- Print a copy of this form for your records. This is the only document you are required to submit to the Department of Education. This form represents confirmation that your child/children are officially registered in home school. The Department of Driver Services and the Department of Labor will need this form if your child wants a driving license/permit or a work permit.
Once the child/children are officially registered as a home school student, you as the parent have similar rights and responsibilities of the Local Education Authority (District office). The parent is considered the superintendent, principal, teacher, and you can create and sign any document that relates to the educational needs of your child/children.
If you wish to return your child to public school, you may do so at any time. You can create a withdrawal form and give it to the local school. The local school must validate each content area your child/children took while being home schooled. This validation process is unique to each district. If you have questions related to this process, please contact your local school district. You must test your child/children at the end of third grade and every three years afterwards (example: grades 3, 6, 9, 12). The test must be a nationally standardized test (CRCT and EOCT are not nationally standardized test). Please contact a home school association in your area to obtain information on these tests, time, and the location.
Effective July 1, 2013, Georgia law indicates you are no longer required to submit an attendance form to the Georgia Department of Education (GaDOE). Declarations of Intent (DOI) must still be submitted to the GaDOE each year. These forms should be submitted electronically using the GaDOE website. Electronic submissions automatically provide the parent with a 36-unique-character parental signature. Georgia law dictates that the DOI must be submitted by the parent or guardian only – the GaDOE will not accept third party submissions.
If possible, submission of the DOI should be done electronically, however, mailing, emailing or faxing is acceptable. Please note that, when mailing, emailing or faxing, it may take several weeks to input your DOI into our files.
The GaDOE no longer issues Certificate of Attendance. Your DOI with the 36-unique-characters on the parental signature line is the official document of the Georgia Home Study Program. This document should be used to obtain driver's license/permits, work permits, post-secondary admission, military enlistment, and for all other entities that require proof of educational enrollment.
For more information on Home Schooling in Georgia, please visit the following websites:
Home Schooling with installations who have DoWEA schools, please review the following:
Home School Advocacy
Local Support Groups
Augusta-Area Home Education Network (AHEN)
Focus/Type: Inclusive / Secular-Friendly
Location/Coverage: Richmond & Columbia Counties, GA
Details: Offers weekly park playdays, parent support meetings, organized field trips, holiday parties, and a teen social group. No membership fees to join.
Contact: +1 (706)868-5666
Augusta Homeschool Co-op
Focus/Type: General Academic & Enrichment
Location/Coverage: Augusta, GA / CSRA
Details: Community Facebook group for Augusta-area homeschooling families. Members share educational resources, events, co-op opportunities, field trips, and support for homeschool families in the CSRA.
Website: facebook.com/groups/augustahomeschoolgroup
Classical Conversations (CSRA)
Focus/Type: Classical Christian Academic
Location/Coverage: Multiple (Augusta, Evans, Grovetown, Aiken)
Details: A highly structured program where students meet once a week with a trained parent tutor. Follows a classical model (trivium) focusing on memorization, logic, and rhetoric.
Website: classicalconversations.com
CSRA Home Education Association (CSRA HEA)
Focus/Type: Christian Support & Activities
Location/Coverage: GA & SC Counties (Augusta area)
Details: Serves 300-400 families. Provides annual standardized testing, high school graduation ceremonies, clubs (Spelling Bee, MathCounts), and monthly skating parties.
Website: csrahea.org
Fiat Homeschooling Co-op
Focus/Type: Catholic Liturgical & Social Co-Op
Location/Coverage: Aiken, SC
Details: Hosted at St. Mary Help of Christians. Meets bi-monthly for liturgical lessons, feast day celebrations, field trips, and craft days.
Website: stmarys-aiken.org/homeschool-coop
Koinonia Co-op
Focus/Type: Christian Academic & Elective Co-Op
Location/Coverage: Aiken, SC
Details: A parent-run cooperative where parents share teaching responsibilities to offer academic writing, middle/high school science labs, and creative electives.
Website: koinoniaco-op.com
Palmetto Independent Educators (PIE)
Focus/Type: SC Option 3 Accountability
Location/Coverage: South Carolina (Aiken County)
Details: An official Option 3 Accountability Association helping SC residents fulfill their legal state reporting and documentation requirements.
Website: thehomeschoolmom.com
The Village Homeschool Cooperative
Focus/Type: Academic & Social Co-Op
Location/Coverage: Multi-county CSRA (GA & SC)
Details: Created to support homeschooling families of color. Offers parent-taught academic courses, professional art/music/PE classes, and community service.
Website: facebook.com/thevillagehomeschool
