How to Homeschool in South Dakota (2026 Guide)

The short version

South Dakota sits at the lighter end of the national regulation spectrum. The state calls home education “alternative instruction” and requires only that you file a single Alternative Instruction Notification (AIN) — a one-time online or paper form submitted to the SD Department of Education. Once that form is on file, you do not file again unless a specific transition occurs (such as your child moving to a new school district or enrolling in a public school).

The academic floor is low by design. State law requires instruction in “the basic skills of language arts and mathematics” and directs that all teaching aim toward mastery of the English language. No additional subjects are mandated. There is no required curriculum, no textbook approval list, no instructional-hour minimum, no credential requirement for the teaching parent, and — since Senate Bill 177 took effect in July 2021 — no standardized testing requirement.

Record-keeping is not required by statute, though the Department of Education and advocacy organizations strongly recommend maintaining detailed academic records for practical reasons such as activities participation, dual-credit enrollment, re-entry into public school, college admissions, and the Opportunity Scholarship.

One meaningful financial opportunity exists for graduating home-educated students: the South Dakota Opportunity Scholarship, a merit-based award for in-state college attendance. No state-funded Education Savings Account or voucher program exists as of June 2026. Two competing ESA bills — HB 1020 and HB 1009 — both failed in the 2025 legislative session.

Legal basis

South Dakota’s alternative instruction framework is built into Chapter 13-27 of the South Dakota Codified Laws (SDCL). The state has permitted home education since 1939 and has updated the chapter several times since. The most recent significant revision came through Senate Bill 177, which became law on July 1, 2021. That legislation made four substantive changes:

Simplified and centralized the notification process.
Removed the longstanding requirement that alternative instruction students take and report results from standardized tests in grades 2, 4, 8, and 11.
Clarified truancy statutes so that school districts are not responsible for truancy reports for students who are not enrolled in any public school courses.
Confirmed and expanded the right of alternative instruction students to participate in public school athletics and activities, including those sanctioned by the South Dakota High School Activities Association (SDHSAA).

Three foundational statutes define the framework:

SDCL § 13-27-1 establishes compulsory school attendance for any child who reaches age six by September 1 and has not yet turned 18. All children must attend kindergarten prior to age seven. This is the obligation that alternative instruction satisfies.

SDCL § 13-27-2 provides that a child shall be excused from compulsory public school attendance — without requiring any school board vote or approval — when a parent or guardian files the appropriate application indicating the child will receive alternative instruction. The exemption takes effect upon filing; no waiting period applies.

SDCL § 13-27-3 is the core provision. It authorizes alternative instruction when the instruction:

Covers the basic skills of language arts and mathematics
Is given so as to lead to mastery of the English language
Does not involve one instructor teaching more than 22 children simultaneously

The teaching parent is not required to hold a teaching certificate or any other academic credential. The Secretary of Education retains authority to investigate whether instruction is actually being provided and may, after 30 days’ notice, seek revocation of the exemption if instruction is not taking place.

Primary DOE resource: SD DOE Homeschooling page

Full text of SDCL § 13-27-3: sdlegislature.gov/Statutes/13-27-3

Notice of intent

SDCL § 13-27-3 requires every parent or guardian intending to provide alternative instruction to notify either the local public school district or the SD Department of Education. The notification must be made on the standard form provided by the Department.

When to file: You must file your notification within 30 days from the first day your child begins alternative instruction. If your child is transitioning from a different school district, you must also file within 30 days of that move.

One-time filing: Unlike many states that require annual re-filing, South Dakota requires only a single notification per child — unless a qualifying transition occurs. The transitions that trigger a new or updated notification are:

The child moves to a different school district while continuing alternative instruction.
The child enrolls in a public or nonpublic school.
The child adds dual-credit participation (if not previously indicated).

You do not file a new notification each year simply to continue homeschooling in the same district.

How to file: The Department provides an online Alternative Instruction Notification system at doe.sd.gov/oatq/homeschooling.aspx. The online system notifies both the Department and the relevant school district simultaneously. Families who cannot file online may download a paper form from the same page and submit it per the instructions on the form.

What the notification requires: The form asks you to identify your child, confirm your residency and school district, and indicate whether your child plans to participate in dual credit. No curriculum description, lesson plan, or credential documentation is required as part of the notification.

Birth certificate: At the time of filing, you must provide a certified copy of your child’s birth certificate or an affidavit in lieu of a birth certificate. Failure to provide this document is a Class 2 misdemeanor under SDCL § 13-27-3.1. If the original birth certificate is unavailable, the Department of Health may provide a certified copy at no cost to families who qualify for certain public assistance programs.

Confirmation: Families using the online system receive an electronic confirmation once their notification is received. Families using the paper form receive a signed copy from whichever entity — the school district or the Department of Education — receives it first.

School board action: No school board vote is needed to approve your notification. The district is required to treat the notification as submitted upon receipt.

Required subjects

South Dakota’s subject requirement is among the most minimal in the country. SDCL § 13-27-3 mandates instruction in only two areas:

Language arts (the basic skills)
Mathematics (the basic skills)

Beyond those two, the statute adds that all instruction “shall be given so as to lead to a mastery of the English language.” This is an instructional aim, not a requirement that English be the language of instruction.

No other subjects are legally required. Science, social studies, history, physical education, health, and the arts are all outside the statutory minimum. Most families choose to teach a much broader curriculum — both because their children’s education benefits from it and because college admissions, the Opportunity Scholarship, and practical life preparation all expect a broader course of study. The state does not mandate any particular curriculum, textbook, learning method, or educational philosophy.

There is also no instructional-hour minimum. South Dakota does not specify a required number of hours per day or days per year. The statute requires only that the alternative instruction be provided “for an equivalent period of time, as in the public schools,” which the courts and the Department have interpreted as a general good-faith obligation rather than a precise hour-count requirement.

Textbook loans: Under SDCL § 13-34-23, every school district is required to loan nonsectarian textbooks without charge to all persons ages five through nineteen who are receiving alternative instruction within the district but are not enrolled in the public school. This includes print and digital materials that constitute the principal source of teaching and learning for a given course, as approved by the school board. Hardware (computers, tablets) is not covered. Contact your resident school district to request available textbooks.

Testing

No standardized testing is required of alternative instruction students in South Dakota. This has been the case since Senate Bill 177 took effect on July 1, 2021. Prior to that date, students in grades 2, 4, 8, and 11 were required to take a nationally standardized achievement test. That requirement was fully repealed.

Families may voluntarily use standardized assessments — commercial tests such as the Iowa Assessments, SAT 10, or CAT — to gauge their child’s academic progress. Any such testing is entirely at the family’s expense and initiative, and results are not submitted to the school district or the Department of Education.

If your child participates in public school courses on a part-time basis and is enrolled more than 50 percent of the school day, the school district’s testing obligations for enrolled students may apply to that portion of enrollment. Check with your resident district for details on part-time enrollment thresholds.

Records

South Dakota does not require alternative instruction families to maintain or submit any academic records. There is no statutory record-keeping obligation, no annual portfolio review, and no government inspection of your instructional materials.

That said, the Department of Education strongly recommends that families maintain a detailed academic record of student learning, including attendance and grades earned. The practical reasons for doing so are significant:

Activities participation: To participate in public school or SDHSAA-sanctioned athletics, fine arts, or activities, students must submit a transcript from the previous semester showing completed coursework. This transcript must be issued by the parent or guardian. A transcript that does not exist cannot be reconstructed on short notice.
Dual-credit enrollment: Access to South Dakota’s reduced-tuition dual-credit program for 11th and 12th graders requires an Alternative Instruction Notification on file and a signed Memorandum of Understanding with the Department. Course selection and registration at the college also require academic records.
Re-enrollment in public school: Under SDCL § 13-27-29, a child re-entering public school will be placed at the demonstrated level of proficiency established by one or more standardized tests, up to one grade level beyond what chronological age would otherwise warrant. Organized records — course lists, grades, any available test scores — give your child the clearest starting position and support any appeal of a placement decision.
College admissions: Colleges evaluate home-educated applicants using transcripts, course descriptions, ACT or SAT scores, and sometimes portfolios or work samples.
Opportunity Scholarship: The Opportunity Scholarship requires a parent-issued transcript that meets specific coursework requirements (see Scholarships section below). These requirements cannot be satisfied retroactively without contemporaneous course documentation.

A reasonable record set includes: a course list or transcript organized by school year, grades or narrative assessments for each course, attendance logs (optional but useful), and copies of any standardized test scores obtained voluntarily.

Scholarships and financial assistance

South Dakota Opportunity Scholarship

The South Dakota Opportunity Scholarship is the state’s primary merit-based financial aid program for postsecondary education, and alternative instruction graduates are explicitly eligible. The scholarship is administered by the South Dakota Board of Regents.

What it is: A merit scholarship renewable for up to eight consecutive fall and spring semesters (or until a baccalaureate degree is earned, whichever comes first) at a university, college, or technical school accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and providing instruction from a campus located in South Dakota. The scholarship amount varies but provides meaningful assistance toward in-state tuition.

Eligibility for alternative instruction graduates (SDCL § 13-55-31.3): A student who completed their education under South Dakota alternative instruction must satisfy all of the following:

South Dakota residency at the time of high school graduation.
ACT score: A composite score or superscore of at least 24 on the ACT, or a comparable SAT score as determined by the Board of Regents (approximately 1180 combined verbal and mathematics on the current SAT). Alternatively, a student who achieves a composite or superscore of 28 or higher (with required subscores) qualifies without the GPA and curriculum requirements described in item 3.
Coursework transcript: A transcript issued by the parent or guardian listed on the Alternative Instruction Notification, showing:

Subject area	Minimum units
Language arts (including 1.5 writing, 1.5 literature with at least 0.5 American literature, 0.5 speech or debate, 0.5 elective)	4 units
Social studies (including 1 U.S. history, 0.5 U.S. government, 0.5 geography, 0.5 world history, 0.5 elective)	3 units
Mathematics (Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II, and advanced math)	4 units
Science (at least 3 lab sciences, including biology, a physical science, and chemistry or physics)	4 units
Career and technical education and/or world languages	2 units
Personal finance or economics	0.5 unit
Fine arts	1 unit
Physical education	0.5 unit
Health or health integration	0.5 unit

Enrollment: Attend a Higher Learning Commission-accredited institution providing instruction from a campus in South Dakota.
Timing: Enter the program within five years after the conclusion of the school year in which the student graduated. Veterans may enter within one year of discharge from active duty, provided that discharge occurs within five years of graduation. Students who first attend an out-of-state regionally accredited institution full-time may receive a partial award if they return to a South Dakota institution within two years of graduation.

Practical planning note: The transcript requirement is detailed and specific. Families who start tracking coursework at the beginning of high school with the Opportunity Scholarship criteria in mind will be far better positioned than families who try to document four years of study after the fact. Keep course titles, semester grades, and brief course descriptions for each high school year.

Board of Regents Opportunity Scholarship page: sdbor.edu

No ESA or voucher program

South Dakota does not have a state-funded Education Savings Account, voucher, or direct subsidy for families providing alternative instruction. In the 2025 legislative session, two competing ESA bills were introduced and both failed in committee. House Bill 1020 — supported by Governor Larry Rhoden and sponsored by House Majority Leader Scott Odenbach — would have provided up to $3,000 per student for private school tuition or alternative instruction costs, funded at $4 million. It was defeated 9 to 6 in the House Education Committee in January 2025. A competing bill, HB 1009, which proposed a larger and less regulated ESA program estimated to cost up to $142 million, failed 8 to 7.

The main South Dakota homeschool advocacy organization, Families for Alternative Instruction Rights in South Dakota, shifted from opposing HB 1020 to a neutral stance after an amendment clarified that ESA participants would not be classified as alternative instruction students — meaning families would have to choose between alternative instruction status and ESA eligibility. That distinction mattered to the advocacy community because it protected existing alternative instruction families from any increased oversight that might follow ESA program administration.

There is no ESA program in effect as of June 2026. The Opportunity Scholarship remains the primary state-sponsored financial benefit available to home-educated graduates.

Partners in Education tax-credit scholarship

The South Dakota Partners in Education (SDPIE) program provides tax credits to insurance companies in exchange for contributions to scholarships for private-school students. The program cap is $5 million annually (raised in 2024). This program serves private school tuition only and does not benefit alternative instruction families who remain outside private school enrollment.

Withdrawing from public school

If your child is currently enrolled in a public school and you want to begin alternative instruction, the transition is straightforward.

Notify the school in writing that you are withdrawing your child. No state law specifies a particular form for this notice. A brief written statement to the principal identifying your child’s name, the effective date of withdrawal, and your reason (beginning alternative instruction under SDCL § 13-27-3) is sufficient. The school cannot block or delay the withdrawal.
File your Alternative Instruction Notification (AIN) within 30 days of the date your child begins alternative instruction. If you withdraw mid-year during an active sports or activities season, be aware that SDCL § 13-36-7 and SDHSAA rules include a sit-out provision: a student who transitions from public school to alternative instruction is ineligible for activities during the balance of the current season of any sport or activity they were participating in at the time of withdrawal.
Request your child’s records. Ask the school for copies of academic records, any prior test scores, health records, and enrollment history. These records belong to your child and the school should provide them. They will be useful for your planning and for any future return to public school.

Returning to public school: Under SDCL § 13-27-29, a student returning to public school will be placed at the demonstrated level of proficiency established by one or more standardized tests. Placement can be up to one grade level above what chronological age would otherwise indicate, assuming entry at grade one at age six and annual advancement thereafter. For secondary students, English and math placement is determined by standardized tests; placement in all other subjects is made by review of transcripts according to local school board policy. A parent who disagrees with placement may appeal to the Secretary of Education.

Extracurricular activities and public school access

SDCL § 13-36-7 gives alternative instruction students the right to participate in athletics, fine arts, and other activities at the public school district in which they reside. This right was clarified and expanded by the 2021 SB 177 amendments. Key points:

No minimum class enrollment in the public school is required to be eligible for activities participation.
Alternative instruction students must meet the same eligibility requirements as publicly enrolled students: training rules, academic standards, age and grade parameters, codes of conduct, fees, and tryout requirements all apply equally.
For activities sanctioned by the SDHSAA, students must complete the SDHSAA Eligibility Checklist for Alternative Instruction Students and submit it to the school district annually.
Before each season of a sport or activity, the parent or guardian must provide the appropriate school official with a transcript from the previous semester showing completed coursework.
Students may not participate in activities at multiple school districts simultaneously unless a cooperative athletic agreement is in place between those districts.

Part-time public school enrollment: Under SDCL § 13-28-51, the resident school district must admit an alternative instruction student to take one or more public school courses on a part-time basis upon request. Part-time enrollment does not require full abandonment of alternative instruction.

Dual credit: Alternative instruction students in grades 11 and 12 who have an AIN on file may access South Dakota’s reduced-tuition dual-credit program at public technical colleges and universities. This requires a signed Memorandum of Understanding between the parent and the DOE. More information is available at ourdakotadreams.com/high-school/dual-credit-2/.

Support and community

Families for Alternative Instruction Rights in South Dakota (FAIRS) FAIRS is the primary statewide advocacy organization representing alternative instruction families in South Dakota’s legislative process. The organization monitors and engages with legislation affecting homeschoolers and has been active in debates around ESA bills, activities participation rights, and notification requirements.

Homeschool South Dakota homeschoolsd.org — A resource hub for South Dakota homeschool families that aggregates legal summaries, DOE links, scholarship information, and community connections.

Homeschooling in South Dakota homeschoolinginsouthdakota.com — A reference site collecting the full text of South Dakota statutes related to home education alongside case law, legal opinions, and summaries.

Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) hslda.org — A national membership organization of attorneys who provide legal consultations and, where needed, representation to member families in disputes with school districts. HSLDA maintains a state-by-state guide to South Dakota homeschool law and can assist with any unusual conflict during notification or activities participation.

SD Department of Education — Alternative Instruction contacts Phone: (605) 773-3134 Email: accreditation@state.sd.us The Accreditation Office handles questions about the AIN process, the online notification system, dual-credit MOUs, and activities eligibility.

Local support groups and co-ops exist throughout the state, particularly in larger communities such as Sioux Falls, Rapid City, Aberdeen, and Brookings. Searching online for your city or region together with “homeschool co-op South Dakota” is the most reliable way to find current active groups, as these organizations form and reorganize regularly.