Home Instruction

As required by the compulsory attendance statutes in the State Code of Virginia, children who will have reached their fifth birthday on or before September 30 of any school year and who have not passed the eighteenth birthday are required to attend school during the period of each year the public schools are in session. Parents with children between the stated ages may elect to provide home instruction in lieu of school attendance if they satisfy the requirements as outlined in 22.1-254.1 of the Code of Virginia. Refer to Lynchburg City School Board Policies LBD and LBD-RZ as well as §22.1-254 of the Code of Virginia.

Notice of Intent to Provide Home Instruction

Please submit all documentation to:
Attn: Home Instruction
Lynchburg City Schools
915 Court Street
Lynchburg, VA 24504

If you have any questions, please contact LCS Home School Officer at (434) 515-5001 or [email protected].

You can submit documentation in person, by mail, or via email. Please be patient, as processing can take several weeks. If you email your paperwork, please include all required documents and information in a single email. If this isn’t possible, please send them in the same email thread. Do not use multiple email addresses to submit documents. PDFs are preferred; Apple Pages and Google Drive documents will not be accepted. If you choose to mail your paperwork, we recommend that you use Certified Mail or request a return receipt. You will be held responsible if your paperwork is not received

• Home Instruction in Virginia-Information for Parents Site
• Religious Exemption Template Form

Beginning of the School Year

In order to homeschool your child(ren), you must provide notice for the upcoming school year no later than Aug. 15 annually. If you move into the school division or would like to begin homeschooling after the school year has begun, you must notify the school division of your intention to provide home instruction as soon as possible and meet requirements within 30 days.

The following documents must be submitted no later than Aug. 15 annually:

• Notice of Intent: This document includes home address, name(s) of child(ren), age on or before Sept. 30 of the school year, and a parent/guardian signature.
• Description of the Curriculum: This is a list of subjects your child will learn during the upcoming school year. This must be submitted for each child.
• Educational Credentials: Supporting documentation must be submitted for one of the following requirements each year:
  • The parent/guardian has a high school diploma or higher: A copy of a high school diploma, transcript, or proof of higher educational credentials is required.
  • The parent/guardian is qualified to be a teacher in Virginia: A copy of a current Virginia teaching license or a statement of qualifications from the Virginia Department of Education is required.
  • The parent/guardian has provided an external program of study or curriculum: For correspondence course, distance learning program, or similar program, notice of acceptance or other evidence of enrollment is required.
  • The parent/guardian can provide an adequate education: A statement that provides evidence of a parent’s ability to provide an adequate education is required.

End of the School Year

At the end of the school year, you are required to provide evidence of academic progress for your child(ren). The deadline is Aug. 1. You must provide either of the following:

• Evidence that the child has attained a composite score in or above the fourth stanine on any nationally normed standardized achievement test, or an equivalent score on the ACT, SAT, or PSAT test. (Please do not redact your documents.) or
• An evaluation or assessment determined by the superintendent to indicate that the child is achieving an adequate level of academic progress, including: 
  • An evaluation letter stating that the child has achieved an adequate level of educational growth and progress. This must be written by someone who has either a teaching license in any state or a master’s degree or higher in an academic discipline, and who is aware of the child’s academic progress, with the evaluator’s credentials included. or
  • A final report card or transcript from a college, college distance learning program, or home education correspondence school.* This must include:
    • Your child’s name
    • The issuing institution or program
    • Reporting period (Include records spanning the entire duration of home instruction for the school year, including both the fall and spring semesters, if applicable.)
    • Grades or scores earned (Please highlight these if they’re not visible at a glance.)

Evidence must be submitted in the form of an official document bearing your child’s name and the issuing company’s name, if applicable. If the information you provide isn’t enough to determine your child’s academic progress, we may contact you for clarification. Please provide your contact information.