New York Homeschool Record Keeping: IHIPs, Quarterly Reports, and Assessments

Start with written notice and an IHIP

New York parents give written notice of intent to the district superintendent by July 1 each school year or within 14 days after beginning home instruction during the year. The district then provides the regulation and an Individualized Home Instruction Plan form. The completed IHIP is due within four weeks after receiving those materials or by August 15, whichever is later. The IHIP identifies the syllabi, curriculum materials, textbooks, or plan of instruction for the required subjects.

Keep attendance and report progress every quarter

Parents are required to keep attendance records for the substantial equivalent of 180 instructional days. The annual minimum is 900 instructional hours for grades 1 through 6 and 990 hours for grades 7 through 12. Each quarterly report documents the quarter’s instructional hours, the material covered in each IHIP subject, and either a grade or a written narrative of progress. If less than 80 percent of the planned material was covered in a subject, the report includes an explanation.

Complete the annual assessment

Commissioner’s Regulation 100.10 requires an annual assessment with the fourth quarterly report. In grades 1 through 3, a parent may choose an approved written narrative instead of a norm-referenced achievement test. In grades 4 through 8, a written narrative may be used no more often than every other school year, so a qualifying standardized test is required at least every other year. In grades 9 through 12, the regulation does not provide the written-narrative alternative, so the annual assessment uses a qualifying norm-referenced test. A test result is considered adequate when the composite score is above the 33rd percentile on national norms or shows one academic year of growth compared with a test administered during or after the prior school year. Families should still confirm the current test list, administration rules, and district forms before filing.

Keep a complete family copy

Notice of intent and district correspondence
The approved IHIP and any revisions
Four quarterly reports
Attendance records and instructional-hour totals
Annual assessment or permitted alternative evaluation
Representative work and evidence of achievement
Course, credit, grade, and outside-provider records for high school

Plan ahead for high school records

NYSED explains that home-instructed students do not receive a local or Regents diploma simply by completing home instruction, and a receiving school decides whether to award transfer credit. Keep detailed course descriptions, hours, grades, assessments, and supporting work, and ask each college, school, or program what it requires.

Source date and scope

This summary was checked against New York State Education Department guidance on September 18, 2026. It is educational information, not legal advice. Regulations, assessment options, and district forms can change, so confirm the current instructions before filing.

Common questions

What goes in a New York quarterly homeschool report?

NYSED guidance says each report includes instructional hours for the quarter, material covered in each IHIP subject, and a grade or narrative evaluation of progress, plus an explanation when less than 80 percent of planned material was covered.

When is a New York IHIP due?

The completed IHIP is due within four weeks after the parent receives the district’s regulation and form, or by August 15, whichever is later.

Does New York require a standardized test every year?

Not in every grade. A written narrative may be used in grades 1 through 3 and no more often than every other year in grades 4 through 8. Because the written-narrative alternative is not provided for grades 9 through 12, those grades use a qualifying norm-referenced achievement test each year.

Which New York homeschool records must parents keep?

Parents are required to keep attendance. NYSED also recommends keeping evidence of the program and the student’s achievement, along with district correspondence. Keeping the IHIP, quarterly reports, annual assessment, and supporting high-school records creates a reliable family file.