How to Homeschool in Wyoming (2026 Guide)

The short version

Wyoming is one of the most straightforward states in the country for homeschooling families. After House Bill 46 took effect on July 1, 2025 — making Wyoming the first state to roll back existing homeschool regulations through legislation — there is no annual filing with any government agency, no curriculum submission, no standardized testing requirement, and no record-keeping mandate from the state. The law defines a home-based educational program as a program of instruction provided by a parent, legal guardian, or a person they designate, covering seven core subject areas in a sequentially progressive way. Families who withdraw a child from public school must meet once with a district counselor or administrator to notify the district of the withdrawal — but that is the full extent of ongoing contact with officials. Families whose children never attended a Wyoming public school have no notification obligation at all. Wyoming also operates the Education Savings Account (ESA) program, which provides $7,000 per year to eligible students outside the public school system.

Legal basis

Wyoming’s homeschool framework is built on the compulsory attendance provisions in Title 21, Chapter 4 of the Wyoming Statutes.

W.S. § 21-4-102(a) establishes the state’s compulsory attendance requirement. Any parent, guardian, or person having control of a child who is a Wyoming resident, and whose seventh birthday falls on or before August 1 of any year, must ensure that child is enrolled in a public school, a private school, or a home-based educational program until the child turns sixteen or completes the tenth grade.

W.S. § 21-4-101(a)(v) defines a home-based educational program as “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.” That designated instructor can be anyone the parent or guardian chooses — no teaching credential or college degree is required.

W.S. § 21-4-101(a)(vi) defines the standard a home-based program must meet. A qualifying program must provide “a sequentially progressive curriculum of fundamental instruction in reading, writing, mathematics, civics, history, literature and science.” This is called a “basic academic educational program.”

W.S. § 21-4-102(b) applies that standard to home-based programs. As amended by House Bill 46, the Homeschool Freedom Act (signed by Governor Mark Gordon in February 2025, effective July 1, 2025), families are no longer required to submit their curriculum to the local school district. Prior to HB 46, districts received annual curriculum submissions — but by their own admission, had no authority to approve or reject them. The submission requirement was repealed with broad bipartisan support (House: 54–6; Senate: 28–2). Wyoming became the 12th state, and the first to achieve it through legislation rather than court precedent, to have no requirement that families file anything with the government in order to homeschool.

W.S. § 21-4-102(c) governs what happens when a child withdraws from public school. If a child has previously been enrolled in a Wyoming public school, the person administering the home-based program must meet in person with a school district counselor or administrator and provide the district with written consent to the withdrawal. If the student has never attended public school in the district, this meeting and written consent are not required.

Primary WDE resource: Wyoming Department of Education — Homeschooling

Statute text: Wyoming Statutes Title 21, Chapter 4

Notice of intent

Wyoming does not require an annual notice of intent, registration with the state, or any recurring filing. Under the post-HB 46 framework:

• If your child has never attended a Wyoming public school: No notice to any government agency is required before you begin homeschooling.
• If your child is currently enrolled in a public school: You must meet in person with a school district counselor or administrator and provide written consent to the withdrawal. This is a one-time step, not an annual obligation.

That in-person meeting is not an approval process — the district does not have authority to deny your decision to homeschool. The written consent documents your child’s departure from the enrollment rolls.

The withdrawal consent form must also include a separate provision authorizing the release of the student’s identity and address to the Wyoming National Guard Youth Challenge Program for recruitment purposes only. This release is a required part of the form, not something you can omit, but it does not affect your right to homeschool.

Once your child is withdrawn, your ongoing compliance obligation is simply to teach the required subjects. There is no annual check-in, renewal, or report to file.

Required subjects

W.S. § 21-4-101(a)(vi) lists the subjects that a home-based educational program must cover:

• Reading
• Writing
• Mathematics
• Civics
• History
• Literature
• Science

The statute requires that instruction in these areas be “sequentially progressive” — meaning content builds on prior learning in a logical sequence appropriate to your child’s level. Beyond that, the law gives no further direction. Wyoming does not mandate a specific curriculum, textbooks, course materials, or teaching method. No agency reviews or approves your instructional approach. The depth, pacing, and style of instruction are entirely your decision.

The law does not specify minimum instructional hours or days per year. Wyoming homeschool families are free to structure their school year as they see fit, provided the seven subject areas receive sequentially progressive instruction.

Testing

Wyoming does not require home-educated students to take any standardized test or submit any assessment results to the state, a school district, or any other government body.

Testing decisions belong entirely to the family. Some families use nationally normed assessments for their own benchmarking or portfolio purposes. Others use evaluations from private tutors or educational consultants. Both approaches, and neither, are equally lawful.

College admissions: High school students planning to apply to the University of Wyoming or Wyoming community colleges should be aware that the Hathaway Scholarship — Wyoming’s main state-funded college scholarship — requires ACT or SAT scores to determine eligibility. This is not a state homeschool requirement, but it is a practical planning consideration for families with college-bound students. See the Scholarships section below.

ESA participants: Families participating in the Wyoming Education Savings Account program are required to have their children assessed annually through either the Wyoming statewide assessment or a nationally norm-referenced assessment, and to submit those results to the Wyoming Department of Education. This is a condition of ESA participation, not a general homeschool requirement.

Records

Wyoming law does not require homeschooling families to maintain attendance records, transcripts, portfolios, lesson plans, or any other documentation and submit them to a government agency. There is no state record-keeping mandate.

Even so, keeping records for your own purposes is practical and worth the modest effort. Records you create voluntarily may be useful in a number of situations:

• College applications: Universities typically ask homeschool applicants for a transcript and course descriptions prepared by the parent. Records you keep contemporaneously make that task straightforward.
• Re-enrollment in public school: If your child later returns to a Wyoming public school, the district will conduct its own placement assessment. Prior academic records can inform that process and help advocate for appropriate placement.
• The Hathaway Scholarship: Homeschool graduates applying for the Hathaway Scholarship must demonstrate completion of the Hathaway Success Curriculum and submit standardized test scores. Documentation of courses taken supports that verification.
• Military enlistment: The U.S. military uses a tiered classification system for homeschool graduates. A clear academic record strengthens an enlistment application.
• ESA program: Families receiving ESA funds are required to maintain records of qualifying educational expenditures and to submit annual assessment results. This is an ESA-specific obligation, not a general homeschool one.

A simple log of topics covered by subject, dates of instruction, and any assessments or projects completed provides a useful foundation for all of these purposes.

Wyoming Education Savings Account (ESA)

Wyoming established the Wyoming Education Savings Account Act in 2024 and amended it through the Steamboat Legacy Scholarship Act in 2025. The program provides eligible students with $7,000 per year in a state-funded spending account for approved educational expenses, deposited quarterly in equal installments.

The ESA program is administered by the Wyoming Department of Education under W.S. § 21-2-901 through § 21-2-909.

Eligibility for K–12 students:

• The student must be a Wyoming resident.
• The student must not be enrolled in a public school for the relevant school year.
• Pre-kindergarten students (one year before kindergarten) may also qualify, subject to an income limit of 250% of the Federal Poverty Level.

Under W.S. § 21-4-102(d) (effective January 1, 2025), a child participating in the ESA program who notifies their school district of participation is deemed to be in compliance with Wyoming’s compulsory attendance requirement.

What ESA funds can be used for:

• Tuition and fees at a participating private school
• Tutoring services
• Classes or extracurricular activities at a traditional public or public charter school
• Textbooks and curriculum materials
• Educational technology
• School uniforms
• Summer and after-school educational programs
• Tuition and fees for nongovernmental online learning programs
• Educational therapies (behavioral, speech-language, and similar services)
• College admission test fees and Advanced Placement exam fees
• Transportation to education service providers (subject to conditions)

ESA requirements for participating families:

Families receiving ESA funds take on obligations that go beyond standard Wyoming homeschool law. Specifically, participating students must:

1. Receive instruction in reading, writing, mathematics, civics, history, literature, and science (K–12).
2. Participate in an annual academic assessment — either the Wyoming statewide assessment or a nationally norm-referenced test.
3. Submit those assessment results to the Wyoming Department of Education.

These requirements apply to ESA participants, not to all Wyoming home-educating families.

Legal status: The ESA program faced a legal challenge in 2025. A Laramie County District Court issued an injunction, which temporarily blocked the program. The Wyoming Supreme Court subsequently lifted that injunction, and the state is authorized to move forward with the program and make payouts while the underlying constitutional case continues to be litigated in district court. As of June 2026, the program is operating and accepting applications for the 2026–27 school year. Families interested in participating should monitor the WDE website for application timelines.

ESA information: edu.wyoming.gov/parents/education-savings-accounts

The Hathaway Scholarship

The Hathaway Scholarship, named for former Wyoming Governor Stan Hathaway, is Wyoming’s primary state scholarship for higher education at the University of Wyoming or Wyoming community colleges. Homeschool graduates are explicitly eligible for this scholarship.

Basic eligibility:

• Wyoming resident, as determined by the University of Wyoming.
• Homeschool graduate (explicitly listed alongside traditional high school and High School Equivalency Certificate graduates).
• Must initiate the scholarship by the 21st birthday (compared to four years after graduation for traditional high school graduates).
• Must submit ACT or SAT scores — these are required by statute for Hathaway eligibility.
• Must have completed the Hathaway Success Curriculum.

Award amounts (as increased by legislation signed by Governor Gordon in February 2026, applicable from fall 2026):

Level	Per semester (12 credit hours)
Honors	$2,360
Performance	$1,770
Opportunity	published by UW
Provisional	published by UW

Initial eligibility level is determined by the combination of high school curriculum completed, standardized test score, and GPA. Once initiated, students have up to six years (eight full-time semesters or 96 credit hours) to use the full scholarship benefit.

The Wyoming Department of Education notes on its homeschool page that any high school student (grades 9–12) may benefit from contacting a Hathaway Scholarship advisor to ensure they stay on a path to eligibility.

Hathaway Scholarship information:

• uwyo.edu/sfa/scholarships/hathaway
• hathawayscholarship.org

Withdrawing from public school

If your child is currently enrolled in a Wyoming public school, you must take one formal step before beginning to homeschool: meet in person with a school district counselor or administrator and provide written consent to the withdrawal of your child from school attendance.

This meeting is not an approval hearing. The district may not refuse your decision to homeschool, and no waiting period is imposed. The purpose of the meeting is to notify the district and document the withdrawal.

The written consent form includes a provision authorizing release of your child’s name and address to the Wyoming National Guard Youth Challenge Program for recruitment outreach. This is a required part of the form under W.S. § 21-4-102(c).

When you meet with the district, ask for a copy of your child’s complete academic records, including any evaluations, test scores, or special education documentation. Those records belong to your family and can be useful as you plan your home-based program.

Once the withdrawal is complete, there are no further reporting obligations to the school district.

Returning to public school: Wyoming law does not specify a formal re-enrollment process for homeschool students returning to public school, but school districts conduct standard placement assessments for incoming students. Your voluntary records of subjects studied and any assessment results your child has completed will assist with placement conversations.

Special education and students with disabilities

Home school students in Wyoming are treated as parentally placed private school students for purposes of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). This means:

• Your child is not entitled to the same individual services that would be provided through an Individualized Education Program (IEP) in a public school setting.
• School districts may, but are not required to, offer some services to parentally placed private school students with disabilities.
• If your child has an existing IEP and you withdraw to homeschool, the IEP does not automatically transfer or continue.

Families with children who have significant support needs should contact their local school district’s special education coordinator before withdrawing to understand what, if any, services may continue to be available. The Wyoming Department of Education’s special education guidance provides additional information on parental placement.

The Wyoming ESA program may provide access to educational therapies (behavioral therapy, speech-language therapy, and similar services) as approved qualifying expenses, which is one avenue some families use to access specialized support outside the public school system.

Support and community

Wyoming’s homeschool community is active statewide, organized primarily through one main advocacy organization.

Homeschool Wyoming (formerly Homeschooling of Wyoming, operating since 1996) is the primary statewide organization. It advocates for homeschool freedom, monitors legislation, and provides resources including sample letters of intent, withdrawal guidance, and an online community network. Homeschool Wyoming was central to the advocacy effort that produced HB 46 in 2025.

• Homeschool Wyoming: homeschoolwy.org — getting-started guides, sample documents, FAQ, event listings, and an online member community
• Homeschool Wyoming — Getting Started: homeschoolwy.org/getting-started
• Wyoming Department of Education — Homeschooling: edu.wyoming.gov/parents/homeschooling

Local co-ops, enrichment groups, and support networks operate across Wyoming’s communities. The Homeschool Wyoming website and its member community (called “The Neighborhood”) are the most current sources for connecting with local families in your area.