How easy is it to homeschool where you live?
Search any U.S. state, DC or territory to see what you actually have to file, teach, test and keep — plus a transparent 0–100 freedom score so you can compare places.
Use ↑ ↓ and Enter to pick a result.
Map: freedom tier by state and territory
Each tile is a state (positions approximate geography). Higher score = easier. Select a tile to open that page.
Minimal regulation (16)Low regulation (21)Moderate regulation (13)High regulation (6)
AK100 NH100 NJ100 ID97.5 IA97.5 TX97.5 AR95 CT95 IL95 MI95 MS95 OK95 UT95 WY95 SD92.5 AZ90 IN90 NE90 OH90 DE87.5 NV87.5 MO86.3 NM85 WI85 KS83.8 LA82.5 CA81.3 KY78.8 AL77.5 MT77.5 OR76.3 FL75 SC75 GA72.5 MD71.3 DC68.8 NC67.5 HI63.8 VA62.5 WV62.5 VT61.3 TN60 RI55 ME53.8 ND53.8 WA53.8 CO52.5 MN51.3 MA38.8 NY27.5 PA21.3
District & territories
DC appears in the grid; territories are shown below it.
Rankings: easiest to most restrictive
Tiers matter more than exact rank — close scores are effectively tied. How scores work. Data last compiled October 26, 2026.
| Requirements | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alaska (AK) | 100 | Minimal regulation | No scored requirements | Confidence: Medium |
| 1 | New Hampshire (NH) | 100 | Minimal regulation | No scored requirements | Confidence: High |
| 1 | New Jersey (NJ) | 100 | Minimal regulation | No scored requirements | Confidence: High |
| 4 | Idaho (ID) | 97.5 | Minimal regulation | Subjects | Confidence: High |
| 4 | Iowa (IA) | 97.5 | Minimal regulation | Subjects | Confidence: High |
| 4 | Puerto Rico (PR) | 97.5 | Minimal regulation | Instruction time | Confidence: Low ⚠ Needs verification |
| 4 | Texas (TX) | 97.5 | Minimal regulation | Subjects | Confidence: Medium |
| 8 | Arkansas (AR) | 95 | Minimal regulation | Notice/filing | Confidence: Medium |
| 8 | Connecticut (CT) | 95 | Minimal regulation | Subjects | Confidence: High |
| 8 | Illinois (IL) | 95 | Minimal regulation | Subjects | Confidence: Medium |
| 8 | Michigan (MI) | 95 | Minimal regulation | Subjects | Confidence: Medium |
| 8 | Mississippi (MS) | 95 | Minimal regulation | Notice/filing | Confidence: Medium |
| 8 | Oklahoma (OK) | 95 | Minimal regulation | Instruction time | Confidence: Low ⚠ Needs verification |
| 8 | Utah (UT) | 95 | Minimal regulation | Notice/filing | Confidence: Medium |
| 8 | Wyoming (WY) | 95 | Minimal regulation | Subjects | Confidence: Medium |
| 16 | South Dakota (SD) | 92.5 | Minimal regulation | Notice/filingSubjects | Confidence: Medium |
| 17 | Arizona (AZ) | 90 | Low regulation | Notice/filingSubjects | Confidence: High |
| 17 | Guam (GU) | 90 | Low regulation | SubjectsInstruction time | Confidence: High |
| 17 | Indiana (IN) | 90 | Low regulation | Records/reportsInstruction time | Confidence: Medium |
| 17 | Nebraska (NE) | 90 | Low regulation | Notice/filingSubjects | Confidence: High |
| 17 | Ohio (OH) | 90 | Low regulation | Notice/filingSubjects | Confidence: Medium |
| 22 | Delaware (DE) | 87.5 | Low regulation | Notice/filingRecords/reports | Confidence: Medium |
| 22 | Nevada (NV) | 87.5 | Low regulation | Notice/filingSubjects | Confidence: Medium |
| 24 | Missouri (MO) | 86.3 | Low regulation | SubjectsRecords/reportsInstruction time | Confidence: Medium |
| 25 | New Mexico (NM) | 85 | Low regulation | Notice/filingQualificationsSubjectsInstruction time | Confidence: High |
| 25 | Wisconsin (WI) | 85 | Low regulation | Notice/filingSubjectsInstruction time | Confidence: High |
| 27 | Kansas (KS) | 83.8 | Low regulation | Notice/filingQualificationsTesting/evalInstruction time | Confidence: Medium |
| 28 | Louisiana (LA) | 82.5 | Low regulation | Notice/filingRecords/reportsInstruction time | Confidence: Medium |
| 29 | California (CA) | 81.3 | Low regulation | Notice/filingQualificationsSubjectsRecords/reports | Confidence: Medium |
| 30 | Kentucky (KY) | 78.8 | Low regulation | Notice/filingSubjectsRecords/reportsInstruction time | Confidence: High |
| 31 | Alabama (AL) | 77.5 | Low regulation | Notice/filingSubjectsRecords/reports | Confidence: Medium |
| 31 | Montana (MT) | 77.5 | Low regulation | Notice/filingSubjectsRecords/reportsInstruction time | Confidence: Medium |
| 33 | Oregon (OR) | 76.3 | Low regulation | Notice/filingTesting/eval | Confidence: High |
| 34 | Florida (FL) | 75 | Low regulation | Notice/filingTesting/evalRecords/reports | Confidence: High |
| 34 | South Carolina (SC) | 75 | Low regulation | Notice/filingQualificationsSubjectsRecords/reportsInstruction time | Confidence: High |
| 36 | Georgia (GA) | 72.5 | Low regulation | Notice/filingQualificationsSubjectsTesting/evalRecords/reportsInstruction time | Confidence: Medium |
| 37 | Maryland (MD) | 71.3 | Low regulation | Notice/filingSubjectsRecords/reportsInstruction time | Confidence: Medium |
| 38 | District of Columbia (DC) | 68.8 | Moderate regulation | Notice/filingQualificationsSubjectsRecords/reportsInstruction time | Confidence: High |
| 39 | North Carolina (NC) | 67.5 | Moderate regulation | Notice/filingQualificationsTesting/evalRecords/reportsInstruction time | Confidence: High |
| 40 | Hawaii (HI) | 63.8 | Moderate regulation | Notice/filingSubjectsTesting/evalRecords/reportsInstruction time | Confidence: Medium |
| 41 | Virginia (VA) | 62.5 | Moderate regulation | Notice/filingQualificationsTesting/eval | Confidence: High |
| 41 | West Virginia (WV) | 62.5 | Moderate regulation | Notice/filingQualificationsSubjectsTesting/evalRecords/reports | Confidence: High |
| 43 | Vermont (VT) | 61.3 | Moderate regulation | Notice/filingSubjectsTesting/evalRecords/reportsInstruction time | Confidence: High |
| 44 | Tennessee (TN) | 60 | Moderate regulation | Notice/filingQualificationsTesting/evalRecords/reportsInstruction time | Confidence: High |
| 45 | Rhode Island (RI) | 55 | Moderate regulation | Notice/filingSubjectsRecords/reportsInstruction time | Confidence: Medium |
| 46 | Maine (ME) | 53.8 | Moderate regulation | Notice/filingSubjectsTesting/evalRecords/reportsInstruction time | Confidence: High |
| 46 | North Dakota (ND) | 53.8 | Moderate regulation | Notice/filingQualificationsSubjectsTesting/evalRecords/reportsInstruction time | Confidence: Medium |
| 46 | Washington (WA) | 53.8 | Moderate regulation | Notice/filingQualificationsSubjectsTesting/evalRecords/reportsInstruction time | Confidence: Medium |
| 49 | Colorado (CO) | 52.5 | Moderate regulation | Notice/filingSubjectsTesting/evalRecords/reportsInstruction time | Confidence: Medium |
| 50 | Minnesota (MN) | 51.3 | Moderate regulation | Notice/filingSubjectsTesting/evalRecords/reports | Confidence: Medium |
| 51 | American Samoa (AS) | 45 | High regulation | Notice/filingQualificationsSubjectsRecords/reportsInstruction time | Confidence: Low ⚠ Needs verification |
| 51 | Northern Mariana Islands (MP) | 45 | High regulation | Notice/filingQualificationsSubjectsRecords/reportsInstruction time | Confidence: Medium ⚠ Needs verification |
| 53 | U.S. Virgin Islands (VI) | 40 | High regulation | Notice/filingQualificationsSubjectsTesting/evalRecords/reportsInstruction time | Confidence: Medium ⚠ Needs verification |
| 54 | Massachusetts (MA) | 38.8 | High regulation | Notice/filingQualificationsSubjectsTesting/evalRecords/reportsInstruction time | Confidence: Medium |
| 55 | New York (NY) | 27.5 | High regulation | Notice/filingSubjectsTesting/evalRecords/reportsInstruction time | Confidence: Medium |
| 56 | Pennsylvania (PA) | 21.3 | High regulation | Notice/filingQualificationsSubjectsTesting/evalRecords/reportsInstruction time | Confidence: Medium |
Badges list requirements found in the scored pathway; “Notice/filing” also covers registration or approval. Open each page for exceptions (e.g., notice only when withdrawing from public school).
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Comparing two places?
See the criteria side by side — notice, testing, records and more.
Why trust these numbers?
Every score comes from a published rubric, and each page links its sources, a last-verified date and a confidence badge.