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Field Trips The Rookie Workshop for New Homeschoolers: ❖ Deschooling: The Mental Vacation You Didn't Expect ❖ The 4 Basic Homeschooling Styles ❖ Learning Styles ❖ What Else Counts as Curriculum? State Laws & Info Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming Support

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Fungasa, the magazine for African American homeschoolers.

Homeschooling Methods by Paul and Gena Suarez. Seasoned advice on learning styles and how to tell which homeschooling style fits you best.

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The best homeschooling information
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Wyoming Homeschool Law

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Legal FAQ & Summary
A good explanation of the legal requirements.

Scholarships for Home Educated Students
The Wyoming Hathaway Scholarship is for study at accredited Wyoming community colleges, as well as the University of Wyoming.

Support Groups in Wyoming
Families from all religions and walks of life gather together all over the state.

Wyoming Jography: A Fun Run Thru Our State!
Keep fit and teach geography at the same time.

Wyoming Home School Statutes
Visit the state legislature page to peruse the various statutes.

Wyoming Department of Education
The official web site.



Homeschooling in Wyoming - What the Statutes Mean

- courtesy of Laura Wheeler, homeschooler, mom of eight, and 11+ year resident of Wyoming. Laura owns and operates a home business alongside homeschooling her children. You can find her web design studio at http://www.firelightwebstudio.com/


The state of Wyoming is actually one of the easier ones to homeschool in. Requirements are fairly simple to meet.

You have to file two pieces of paper every year with the school district: A Letter of Intent to Homeschool (your school district may have a form for you to fill out), and a listing of Curriculum and Materials (books you'll use, and ways you'll accomplish teaching the required subjects - keep it simple!).

You are required to demonstrate that you are teaching a "sequentially progressive curriculum" in seven core subjects: Reading, Writing, Arithmetic, Science, Civics (government), Literature, and History. You demonstrate this in two ways:

1. By filing the required Curriculum and Materials list each year.

2. By the year end report. School districts are required to check up on homeschooling families at the end of every year, but all they can really verify is that you did in fact educate your kids as you intended. They ask you if you used the materials that you said you would, and if you did the things you said you would. You can tell them you did (if things went according to plan), or you can tell them that some of the planned materials did not work out and you substituted educationally equivalent resources instead. School plans often change!

Standardized testing is optional. The state does not require that your children be tested, but you can choose to participate in the tests. Your school district may charge you for the test if you choose to have your children take it.

This article is not a substitute for professional legal advice, and should not be construed to be legal advice. Statutes and requirements change periodically, so please check with the state statutes and with your local school district to insure that this information is current.

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The Legal Requirements for Home Education in Wyoming

ARTICLE 1 - COMPULSORY ATTENDANCE

21-4-101. Definitions.

(a) For the purposes of this article:

(i) "Unexcused absence" means the absence, as defined in the policies of the local board of trustees, of any child required by this article to attend school when such absence is not excused to the satisfaction of the board of trustees by the parent, guardian, or other person having control of such child;

(ii) "Habitual truant" means any child with five (5) or more unexcused absences in any one (1) school year;

(iii) "Private school" is any nonpublic, elementary or secondary school providing a basic academic educational program for children and may include parochial and church or religious schools and home-based educational programs;

(iv) "Parochial, church or religious school" is one operated under the auspices or control of a local church or religious congregation or a denomination established to promote and promulgate the commonly held religious doctrines of the group though it may also include basic academic subjects in its curriculum. Nothing contained in W.S. 21-4-102(b), 21-2-401 or 21-2-406 grants to the state of Wyoming or any of its officers, agencies or subdivisions any right or authority to control, manage, supervise or make any suggestions as to the control, management or supervision of any parochial, church or religious school which meets the requirements of W.S. 21-2-406(a);

(v) A home-based educational program means a program of educational instruction provided to a child by the child's parent or legal guardian or by a person designated by the parent or legal guardian. An instructional program provided to more than one (1) family unit does not constitute a home-based educational program;

(vi) "Basic academic educational program" is one that provides a sequentially progressive curriculum of fundamental instruction in reading, writing, mathematics, civics, history, literature and science. These curriculum requirements do not require any private school or home-based educational program to include in its curriculum any concept, topic or practice in conflict with its religious doctrines or to exclude from its curriculum any concept, topic or practice consistent with its religious doctrines.


21-4-102. When attendance required; exemptions.

(a) Every parent, guardian or other person having control or charge of any child who is a resident of this state and whose seventh birthday falls on or before September 15 of any year and who has not yet attained his sixteenth birthday or completed the tenth grade shall be required to send such child to, and such child shall be required to attend, a public or private school each year, during the entire time that the public schools shall be in session in the district in which the pupil resides; provided, that the board of trustees of each school district may exempt any child from the operation of this article when:

(i) The board believes that compulsory attendance in school would be detrimental to the mental or physical health of such child or the other children in the school; provided, the board may designate at the expense of the district a medical doctor of its choice to guide it and support it in its decision;

(ii) The board feels that compulsory school attendance might work undue hardship. The board may conduct a hearing on issues pursuant to this paragraph by executive session; or

(iii) The child has been legally excluded from the regular schools pursuant to the provisions of W.S. 21-4-306.

(b) A home-based educational program shall meet the requirements of a basic academic educational program pursuant to W.S. 21-4-101(a)(vi). It shall be the responsibility of every person administering a home-based educational program to submit a curriculum to the local board of trustees each year showing that the program complies with the requirements of this subsection. Failure to submit a curriculum showing compliance is prima facie evidence that the home-based educational program does not meet the requirements of this article.


21-4-103. Enforcement of article; appointment and compensation of attendance officers.

The primary responsibility for the enforcement of this article shall be upon the board of trustees of the school district, which shall appoint an attendance officer or officers to carry out the provisions of this article. Said officer shall be paid out of the district treasury such sum as may be provided in the order of appointment.


21-4-104. Duties of attendance officers.

(a) Subject to the policy of the board of trustees, it shall be the duty of each attendance officer to:

(i) Counsel with students, parents, guardians or custodians and teachers; and to investigate the causes of unexcused absences;

(ii) Give written notice to the parent, guardian, or custodian of any child having an unexcused absence that the attendance of such child at school is required by law. If after such notice has been given, the child has a second unexcused absence, which the attendance officer reasonably believes was due to the willful neglect or failure of the parent, guardian, or custodian of the child, then he shall make and file a complaint against such parent, guardian, or custodian of such child before the district court for the violation of W.S. 21-4-102.


21-4-105. Penalty for failure of parent, guardian or custodian to comply with article.

Any parent, guardian or custodian of any child to whom this article applies who willfully fails, neglects, or refuses to comply with the provisions of this article shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and shall be punished by a fine of not less than five dollars ($5.00) nor more than twenty-five dollars ($25.00) or by imprisonment in the county jail not more than ten (10) days or by both such fine and imprisonment.


21-4-106. List of children of school age to be furnished; notice of unexcused absences.

At the beginning of each school year, the board of trustees shall furnish each district attendance officer a list of the names of the children of compulsory school age within the district who are enumerated on the regular enumeration lists. The person in charge of each school within the district shall notify each district attendance officer promptly in writing of all cases of unexcused absence so that the attendance officer may proceed according to the provisions of this article.


21-4-107. Notice to district attorney of habitual truancy; duty of district attorney.

When the board of trustees of any school district shall determine that a child is an habitual truant as defined by this article the board or its attendance officer shall notify the district attorney who shall then initiate proceedings in the interest of the child under the Juvenile Court Act [ 14-6-201 through 14-6-244].



This page updated 06/2007