U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EduCATION State Regulation of Private Schools State Regulation of Private Schools U.S. Department of Education Office of Innovation and Improvement Office of Non-Public Education 2009 The content of this report does not necessarily reflect the view or policies of the U.S. Department of Education, nor does the mention of trade names, commercial products, curricula, and curricular materials and approaches, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. government. This publication also contains Internet Uniform Resource Locators (URLs) for information created and maintained by private organizations. This information is provided for the reader‘s convenience. The U.S. Department of Education is not responsible for controlling or guaranteeing the accuracy, relevance, timeliness, or completeness of outside information mentioned in this report. Further, the inclusion of information or a URL does not reflect the importance of the organization, nor is it intended to endorse any views expressed, or products or services offered. U.S. Department of Education Arne Duncan Secretary Office of Innovation and Improvement James H. Shelton Assistant Deputy Secretary for Innovation and Improvement Office of Non-Public Education Jack Klenk Director July 2009 This report is in the public domain. Authorization to reproduce it in whole or in part is granted. While permission to reprint this publication is not necessary, the citation should be: U.S. Department of Education, Office of Innovation and Improvement, State Regulation of Private Schools, Washington, D.C., 2009. This report is available on the Department‘s Web site at: <www.ed.gov/admins/comm/choice/regprivschl/index.html>. ii Contents Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................. v Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 1 ALABAMA ........................................................................................................................ 3 ALASKA ............................................................................................................................ 8 ARIZONA......................................................................................................................... 13 ARKANSAS ..................................................................................................................... 18 CALIFORNIA .................................................................................................................. 23 COLORADO .................................................................................................................... 31 CONNECTICUT .............................................................................................................. 36 DELAWARE .................................................................................................................... 42 DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA ............................................................................................ 46 FLORIDA ......................................................................................................................... 51 GEORGIA......................................................................................................................... 57 HAWAII ........................................................................................................................... 63 IDAHO .............................................................................................................................. 70 ILLINOIS .......................................................................................................................... 75 INDIANA ......................................................................................................................... 82 IOWA ................................................................................................................................ 89 KANSAS........................................................................................................................... 96 KENTUCKY................................................................................................................... 103 LOUISIANA ................................................................................................................... 108 MAINE ........................................................................................................................... 116 MARYLAND ................................................................................................................. 124 MASSACHUSETTS....................................................................................................... 131 MICHIGAN .................................................................................................................... 136 MINNESOTA ................................................................................................................. 143 MISSISSIPPI .................................................................................................................. 150 MISSOURI ..................................................................................................................... 154 MONTANA .................................................................................................................... 158 NEBRASKA ................................................................................................................... 163 NEVADA ........................................................................................................................ 169 NEW HAMPSHIRE ....................................................................................................... 176 NEW JERSEY ................................................................................................................ 182 NEW MEXICO ............................................................................................................... 188 NEW YORK ................................................................................................................... 192 NORTH CAROLINA ..................................................................................................... 200 NORTH DAKOTA ......................................................................................................... 207 OHIO............................................................................................................................... 212 OKLAHOMA ................................................................................................................. 219 OREGON ........................................................................................................................ 225 PENNSYLVANIA .......................................................................................................... 229 PUERTO RICO .............................................................................................................. 238 RHODE ISLAND ........................................................................................................... 242 SOUTH CAROLINA...................................................................................................... 247 iii SOUTH DAKOTA ......................................................................................................... 252 TENNESSEE .................................................................................................................. 260 TEXAS ............................................................................................................................ 267 UTAH ............................................................................................................................. 272 VERMONT ..................................................................................................................... 277 VIRGIN ISLANDS ......................................................................................................... 285 VIRGINIA ...................................................................................................................... 288 WASHINGTON ............................................................................................................. 294 WEST VIRGINIA .......................................................................................................... 301 WISCONSIN .................................................................................................................. 306 WYOMING .................................................................................................................... 313 APPENDIX A: TABLES ON STATE REQUIREMENTS FOR PRIVATE SCHOOLS ......................................................................................................................................... 317 APPENDIX B: TABLE ON STATE REQUIREMENTS FOR HOMESCHOOLS ..... 333 APPENDIX C: LEGAL HISTORY OF THE REGULATION OF PRIVATE SCHOOLS (2000) .............................................................................................................................. 335 iv Acknowledgments Special thanks are extended to the many individuals who assisted in the work of this report. State liaisons from all 50 state departments of education, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands (see below), worked to ensure the information provided here is as accurate