South Dakota Homeschool Laws and Requirements

Homeschooling in South Dakota is called alternative instruction, and current law keeps it simple. You file a notification once for each child, within 30 days of beginning. You file again only if the child enrolls in a school or moves to a different district. The older annual notification and standardized testing requirements were removed, so do not plan around them.

Last Reviewed: August 15, 2026. Reviewed by the Modern Homeschools Editorial Team. Next scheduled review: August 15, 2027.

South Dakota Homeschool Requirements at a Glance

What Changed, and What Did Not

South Dakota families still meet older guidance online, so it is worth naming what no longer applies. Alternative instruction students are no longer required to take and submit the results of nationally standardized achievement tests. Parents are not required to submit a birth certificate or an affidavit in lieu of one. And notification is not annual.

What remains is the notification itself. Individuals are only required to submit a notification one time for each child, unless a transition has occurred. The form asks for the child's name and birth date, the resident district, the open enrolled district if one applies, and the signature of the parent, guardian, or other person having control of the child.

Two transitions restart the clock, and both give you 30 days. One is the child enrolling in a public or nonpublic school. The other is the child moving to a different school district. Outside those events, there is nothing further to file.

How to Start Homeschooling in South Dakota

1. Get the standard form. The notification must be made on the standard form provided by the department, which publishes it online.
2. File within 30 days. Thirty days from the first time your child begins alternative instruction, to your local district or the department.
3. Keep your proof. The department or the district provides a signed or stamped copy of the notification as proof of notification. Save it.
4. Cover the basics at minimum. Language arts and mathematics are the statutory floor; everything beyond that is your choice.
5. Note the two transitions. Enrolling in a school or moving districts means a new notification within 30 days.

Testing, Attendance, and Record Keeping

There is no state testing requirement for alternative instruction students, no portfolio, no evaluation, and no annual progress report. Nothing about your child's academic work goes to your district or to the state.

There is also no attendance register to file and no day or hour count named in the department's guidance. Your calendar is yours to build.

The one document worth guarding is your stamped or signed notification copy, since it is the proof your filing was made and the notification itself is kept confidential.

Beyond that, records are prudent practice rather than legal duty. A file of subjects covered, materials used, grades, and completed work supports a transcript and answers questions if your student later enrolls in a school applying its own placement and credit procedures. South Dakota does not ask for it, which is why no one else will have it.

Official South Dakota Homeschool Resources

• South Dakota Department of Education, Home Schooling
• Alternative Instruction Notification form
• South Dakota Alternative Instruction frequently asked questions
• SDCL 13-27-7, notification of alternative instruction

Modern Homeschools provides educational information to help families understand and navigate homeschooling requirements. Because requirements may change, families should confirm current details with the official state sources linked within this guide.