If you live in Georgia and want to homeschool this year, there’s one form you need to file: the Declaration of Intent. It looks like a lot of instructions at first, but it’s really simple, and Georgia’s homeschool requirements are pretty basic. Let’s walk through the form together, step by step.
What you’ll get from this post
- Where to find Georgia’s Declaration of Intent form online
- The basic Georgia homeschool requirements, in plain words
- When standardized testing starts and how often
- Exactly what to type into each part of the form
- How to save your copy and use it as proof you homeschool
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Chapters
- 0:38 Georgia Department of Education homeschool page
- 2:39 Standardized testing requirements
- 2:59 Filling out the form, step by step
- 5:03 Last thoughts
Start on the Georgia DOE homeschool page
Everything you need is on the Georgia Department of Education homeschool page. It covers registering and the rules for homeschooling, and it has a link to submit the Declaration of Intent online.
This form is specific to Georgia. Other states may have something similar, but check your own state’s rules. Requirements can change, so always double-check the state page before you file.
Georgia’s homeschool requirements, in plain words
Here’s what the page laid out when we filmed:
- Required subjects. The page lists the content areas your homeschool program must cover. You can choose any curriculum you want.
- When to file. Submit the Declaration of Intent within 30 days of starting your homeschool, or by September 1.
- 180 days, 4.5 hours a day. Georgia requires 180 instructional days with four and a half hours of instruction per day.
- Testing. You don’t start standardized testing until 3rd grade. At the end of 3rd grade, your child takes a standardized test, and then only every three years after that.
- Attendance. Georgia doesn’t require attendance forms.
Don’t let the 4.5 hours scare you. As the parent-teacher, you’re in charge of what those hours look like. They won’t always be formal sit-down instruction and worksheets. That’s the beauty of homeschooling: your child can learn in lots of different ways, especially the ways they really engage with. This isn’t public school at home. The state gives you the bird’s-eye view, and you decide the day-to-day.
Step by step: filling out the form
When you click through to the online form, you’ll see “Home Study Program Declaration of Intent.” Home study is the same thing as homeschool.
- Special education. There’s a box to select if you have a special ed student.
- Students. Enter each child’s name and age. In the video I entered my oldest, Titus, who was nine. Then add any other children you’re homeschooling.
- School year. Enter a 12-month period for your school year. A lot of homeschoolers school year-round, so don’t put too much weight on this date. Just enter when you plan to start. We start in the middle of August, so our year ends the following August.
- Signature. Skip over the signature line.
- Your info. Type in your name. Phone number is optional. Then your address, city, state and ZIP code.
- District. Scroll to find your school district and select it.
- School year (optional). We entered 2021.
- Submit. Click to submit your Declaration of Intent, enter your email address when it asks, and click OK.
That’s it. You’ve filled it out.
Print or save your copy
Next, click the link to print. You can print it or save it to your computer as a PDF. When you open the saved form, you’ll see a set of unique characters added to it. That’s the copy you’ll show if you ever need to prove you homeschool. The state recommends you print and save a copy for your records.
Why you’ll want that copy handy
This form is the document you use to prove you’re a homeschooler. A few places it comes in handy:
- Field trips. Zoos and other field trip spots sometimes have homeschool days where you need to show you homeschool.
- Teacher supply stores. You can show your form and get the same discount teachers get on supplies.
Last thoughts
The website does a really good job laying it all out, and I hope walking through it with me makes you feel more confident. If you’re new to homeschooling, plug into the homeschool community. There are so many helpful homeschool moms on YouTube. My oldest was going into 4th grade when I made this, and I have videos on most of the curriculum we’ve used through 3rd grade if you’re still choosing.
Key takeaways
- Georgia homeschoolers file a Declaration of Intent within 30 days of starting or by September 1.
- You choose the curriculum. The state lists the required subject areas.
- Georgia requires 180 days and 4.5 hours a day, but you decide what instruction looks like.
- Standardized testing starts at the end of 3rd grade, then every three years.
- Save a PDF of your submitted form. It’s your proof of homeschooling.
What viewers say
Thank the Lord I found a Georgia homeschool mama. I've been praying for God to help lead me through this new journey and I found you this morning.
@sarahfrancine3564 on YouTube
How many video i had to watch to find you. You not just talking to be talking you actually grabing my hands to follow and do.. Great video
@mirthacacho on YouTube
Things we mentioned
- Georgia Declaration of Intent form: where you file online
- Georgia DOE homeschool requirements: the state’s full rules and info
- Homeschool supply list
- How to teach your kindergartener and our 1st grade curriculum choices
- Our daily schedule for school at home and chores
Just starting your homeschool journey? Come hang out with our crew on YouTube. Subscribe to The Johnson Crew on YouTube.
FAQ
When is the Georgia Declaration of Intent due?
When we filmed, the state page said to submit it within 30 days of starting your homeschool program or by September 1. Check the Georgia DOE page for the current rule.
How many hours a day does Georgia require for homeschool?
Georgia requires 180 instructional days of four and a half hours each. You decide what those hours look like.
When does standardized testing start for Georgia homeschoolers?
At the end of 3rd grade, and then every three years after that.
Do I have to sign the Georgia Declaration of Intent?
When we filled it out online, we skipped over the signature line and typed our name instead.
How do I prove I homeschool in Georgia?
Print or save a PDF of your submitted Declaration of Intent. That’s what you show at places like zoos or teacher supply stores.
More from our crew
- Steps to Start Homeschooling: Requirements for Georgia
- How to Start Homeschooling Your Child Today
- How to Find A Homeschool Community: Ways to Make Homeschool Friends
Full transcript
Hi today we're going to show you step by step how to fill out the declaration of intent form if you are wanting to homeschool your child this year so if you live in the state of georgia this form is specific to georgia other states may have a similar form but the one we're looking at today is specifically for the state of georgia I will include all the links below that you need in order to check out the georgia department of education site that lists all the requirements for homeschooling your child which are actually really simple
And basic and then of course I'll leave a link to the declaration of intent form online okay so let's head to the computer so this is the first page that looks at all the information about homeschooling registering and rules for home school click here to submit an online declaration of intent form we're going to click that in just a second I did want to scroll down just to show you that it lists out the content areas that you must have in your homeschooling program you can choose any curriculum you want you do need to submit the declaration of intent either 30 days after beginning your home schooling program or by september 1st
And then there are more instructions on how to fill out the form it looks like a lot of instructions but really it's very simple and we'll walk through it step by step together if you keep scrolling down it does list out that they do require you to have 180 instructional days four and a half hours of instruction per day now just so you know as the parent teacher you are in charge of what those instructional hours look like and so those are not always going to look like sitting down formal instruction worksheets that's kind of the beauty of homeschooling is you can learn through many different ways
And in the ways that your child really engages with so don't look at that and go oh gosh this is just basically going to be doing public school at home you are in charge of what that looks like this is just the bird's eye view of what's required and you can decide on the nitty-gritty day-to-day they do recommend that you print and save a copy for your own records and this is actually going to be the document that you use to prove that you home school if you've ever seen like zoos or other field trip destinations have like a homeschooling day
And you need to somehow prove that you're a homeschooler or if you want to go shopping at a teacher supply store you can actually show your homeschooling form and you can get the same discount that teachers get on those supplies for your family that's pretty great and if you scroll down further it does give you information about testing standardized testing now for georgia we don't have to begin standardized testing until the third grade so at the end of third grade you would have them take a standardized test
And then you only have to do it every three years after that and georgia does not require attendance forms all right let's go ahead and hop in and fill out this form okay here we are home study program declaration of intent yes home study is the same as homeschool okay let's scroll down here there is a selection here if you have a special ed student so now you're just going to enter in the names of your students titus johnson and his age is nine then you would go in
And enter any other children's names and their age okay scroll down okay the school year for this home study program is so you're just going to enter in a 12-month period so whenever you're going to start and end your school year a lot of homeschoolers are year-round homeschoolers so don't put too much weight on this date so just whenever you're planning to start this year go ahead and enter that date so for us we start our home school year in the middle of august which means we will then end the following august
Okay and then you're just going to um you're actually going to skip over this signature okay so you type in your name and phone number is optional you're going to type in your address city state zip code and then choose a district okay so you're going to scroll find your district okay and then school year optional 2021 and then click submit your declaration of intent okay it does ask you to fill in your email address and then click ok ok great we've filled it out
Now we're going to hit click here to print you can either print it or save it to your computer as a pdf so now if you open up the form that you just saved to your computer you can see these unique characters that were put in there and so this is the printout that you would need to have if you want to take it somewhere to prove that you're homeschooled that is it that's all there is to it if you have any questions feel free to leave me a comment below the website actually does a really good job laying it out for you
So hopefully that makes you feel a lot more confident in getting this thing filled out if you're new to homeschooling I have a ton of homeschooling videos that you can check out next I will leave a playlist up at the end of this video that you can click on to get some tips on homeschooling if you've been curious about different curriculums I've got videos reviewing different curriculums that we've used my oldest is going into fourth grade this year so everything we've used through third grade I've got a video about most of it
So um go ahead and check those things out next connect plug into this home schooling community youtube is awesome for that there's a ton of amazing homeschooling moms on youtube making very helpful videos so definitely go and give them a follow I hope that you have an amazing homeschool year and a great start to this new journey with your family if you are new to my channel my name is Sarah and I have four kids from the ages of nine to two and I would love to have you join us here every week
So go ahead and click that subscribe button below love to talk about all things homeschooling and mom life and traveling as a family so if that interests you go ahead and hit that subscribe button now and if you enjoyed this video definitely give it a thumbs up leave me a comment say hi all that stuff really really helps my channel so thank you in advance alright see you next time