9 Steps to Start Homeschooling (Let’s Keep It Simple)
You have made the decision. Or you are super close to it. Either way, you are here because you want to know how to start homeschooling and you want someone to give it to you straight.
There are a lot of guides out there that will walk you through the basics: learn your state laws, pick a curriculum, set up a schedule. That is all good advice and we will cover every bit of it. But most of those guides leave out a step that should come before you buy a single textbook. It is the step that separates families who start strong from families who spend six months guessing before finding out what they’re doing isn’t working.
Here are 9 steps to start homeschooling the right way, in order, including the one most guides skip entirely.
Step 1. Know Your Why
Before you look at a single law, curriculum, or schedule, take a moment to get clear on why you are doing this. Your reason matters because it will shape every decision that follows.
Maybe you are frustrated with what your child is getting in public school. Maybe you want more control over what and how your children learn. Maybe your child has specific needs that are not being met in a traditional classroom. Maybe your family’s values are not reflected in the education system. Maybe you simply believe you can do better. If you are still weighing the decision, the research on homeschool vs public school outcomes strongly favors homeschooling.
All of those are valid reasons. Write yours down. On the hard days (and there will be hard days), that clarity is what keeps you going.
Step 2. Learn Your State’s Homeschool Laws
Homeschooling is legal in all 50 states, but the requirements vary widely. Some states require you to notify your school district. Some require annual standardized testing. Some require virtually nothing. Before you do anything else, find out what your state expects.
The most reliable source for state-by-state requirements is HSLDA’s legal page. Your state’s homeschool association is another excellent resource. Look for the specific requirements around:
Notification. Do you need to tell your school district you are homeschooling? Some states require a letter of intent. Others require nothing.
Record keeping. Are you required to maintain attendance logs, curriculum records, or portfolio documentation?
Assessment. Does your state require standardized testing, portfolio evaluation, or any other form of annual assessment?
Subjects. Some states specify which subjects must be taught. Most are broad (math, language arts, science, social studies) but check your specific requirements.
Get this step right from the beginning and you will never have to worry about compliance.
Step 3. Find Out Where Your Child Actually Stands
This is the step most guides skip entirely, and it is one of the most important things you can do before you start.
If your child is coming out of public school or another schooling program, you might assume they are “on grade level” because that is what their report card says. But public school grade-level standards and actual mastery are not always the same thing. A child can be passed along to the next grade while quietly struggling with foundational concepts.
According to data from the National Center for Education Statistics, roughly one-third of U.S. public school students are performing below grade level. Your child may be one of them without you knowing it. Or they may be ahead in some subjects and behind in others. You will not know until you assess their academic performance.
Before you choose a curriculum, before you build a schedule, before you buy a single textbook, you need an honest picture of where each child stands. Not a broad grade-level label. A specific, subject-by-subject, topic-by-topic breakdown of their strengths and weaknesses.
This is what an academic audit looks like:
Math: Strong in geometry and measurement. Behind in fractions and algebraic thinking.
Language Arts: Excellent vocabulary. Solid grammar. Reading comprehension below the benchmark.
Science: Strong in life science. Gaps in physical science, especially force and motion.
That kind of detail changes everything about how you plan your homeschool. You know where to start. You know where to spend extra time. You know where you can move quickly. You are not guessing.
Homeschool Test Track was built for exactly this moment. It gives you topic-level scores across Math, Science, Language Arts, and Social Studies, each benchmarked against the national average, for Grades 1 through 6. Results are instant. One account covers up to 6 kids for $145 a year. It is the first thing every new homeschool family should do, and it takes less than an hour.
For more on Homeschool Progress Reports, read our other article that goes into this in depth.
Step 4. Choose a Homeschool Style
Homeschooling is not one thing. There are many approaches, and the right one depends on your family, your children, and your own teaching style. Here are the most common:
Traditional/Textbook. Follows a structured curriculum with textbooks and workbooks, similar to a conventional classroom. Clear, predictable, and easy to track progress.
Classical. Based on the trivium (grammar, logic, rhetoric stages). Emphasizes language, logic, history, and great books. Popular among families who value rigorous, time-tested academic methods.
Charlotte Mason. Focuses on living books, nature study, short lessons, and habit formation. Emphasizes the whole child and avoids dry, textbook-heavy instruction.
Unit Studies. Builds lessons around a central theme or topic, integrating multiple subjects. Great for families with children at different grade levels studying together.
Unschooling. Child-led, interest-driven learning with minimal formal structure. The parent facilitates rather than directs. Requires trust in the process and a lot of intentionality.
Eclectic. Picks and chooses from multiple approaches. Most experienced homeschool families end up here eventually, blending methods to fit each child’s needs.
There is no wrong answer. What matters is that you pick an approach that you can sustain and that fits how your child learns. You can always adjust later.
Step 5. Pick Your Curriculum
This is where most new homeschool parents get overwhelmed. There are hundreds of curriculum options and every homeschool blog has a different recommendation.
Here is a simple way to cut through the noise:
Start with the gaps you found in Step 3. If your child’s assessment showed they are behind in fractions, choose a math curriculum that covers fractions thoroughly at their level, not at the grade level the calendar says they should be in. This is one of the biggest advantages of homeschooling. You teach to your child’s actual needs, not to an arbitrary grade level.
Cover the basics first. Math and Language Arts are the backbone. Get those right before you worry about everything else. Add Science, Social Studies, and electives once you have a rhythm.
Do not overbuy. New homeschool families almost always buy too much curriculum in the first year. Start with one solid program per core subject. You can add, adjust, or switch later.
Use free resources to fill in. Libraries, YouTube, documentaries, and free online platforms like Khan Academy can supplement your core curriculum without adding cost.
Step 6. Set Up Your Space and Schedule
You do not need a dedicated classroom. You need a consistent, distraction-free place where your child can focus. A kitchen table, a desk in a quiet corner, a spot on the couch with a lap desk. Keep it simple.
For scheduling, start with this: younger children (grades 1 through 3) typically need 2 to 3 hours of focused instruction per day. Older elementary students (grades 4 through 6) need 3 to 4 hours. That is significantly less than a public school day because you are not managing 25 kids, transitioning between classrooms, or waiting for everyone to be ready.
Some families follow a strict hourly schedule. Others use a daily checklist of tasks that the child works through at their own pace. Both work. Choose the approach that matches your personality and your child’s temperament.
Step 7. Connect with Other Homeschool Families
Homeschooling does not mean isolation. One of the most valuable things you can do early on is connect with other families who are doing the same thing.
Local co-ops. Cooperative learning groups where homeschool families meet regularly. Some offer classes taught by parents. Others organize field trips, group projects, and social events.
State and regional homeschool organizations. Most states have at least one homeschool association that provides resources, legal support, and community events.
Online communities. Facebook groups, forums, and social media communities for homeschool parents. These can be invaluable for curriculum recommendations, encouragement, and troubleshooting.
Church and faith-based community. Many churches, and likely the one you attend, already support homeschool families with co-op programs, educational resources, and community groups. Ask around on a Sunday morning, or call a local church office to find out.
You are not the first family to do this. Lean on the people who have been doing it longer. It’s important to go on the homeschooling journey with others.
Step 8. Start Teaching
At some point, you have to stop planning and start doing. The first week will be messy. The first month will have days where nothing goes according to plan. That is normal.
Expect an adjustment period, especially if your child is transitioning from public school. Many experienced homeschool families recommend a “deschooling” period of a few weeks where you dial back formal academics and let everyone adjust to the new rhythm. Your child may need time to decompress from the institutional structure they are used to. Give them grace and give yourself grace.
Remember: you are not trying to replicate school at home. You are building something different. Something better. Something tailored to your child. It will not look like a classroom, and that is the point.
Step 9. Assess Progress and Adjust
This is where it all comes together. You have been teaching for a few months. You have a rhythm. Now you need to check whether it is working.
Go back to the assessment data you gathered in Step 3. Test your child again. Compare the results. Are the gaps closing? Are the strong areas staying strong? Did anything new emerge that needs attention? Our guide to homeschool progress reports breaks down exactly what to track and why it matters.
This is exactly what Homeschool Test Track was built for. Because your account includes unlimited retakes for the entire year, you can test in the fall to set your baseline, test again midyear to check progress, and test again in the spring to see where you landed. Every attempt is saved in your parent dashboard with full topic-level scoring, so you can see the trajectory for each child in each subject over time.
That cycle of assess, teach, reassess, and adjust is the engine of effective homeschooling. It is what separates families who are confident they are on track from families who are hoping they are.
The One Step That Changes Everything
If you take nothing else from this list, take Step 3. Find out where your child stands before you start. Every other decision you make, your curriculum, your schedule, your priorities, will be better if it is built on real data instead of assumptions.
Homeschool Test Track makes that assessment fast, affordable, and specific. Topic-level scores across four core subjects, benchmarked against national data, instant results, up to 6 kids on one account, $145 for the year. It is the starting line every new homeschool family deserves.
