Homeschooling in Nebraska— the exempt-school state — one Rule 13 filing by July 15, then teach.
Nebraska homeschools operate as exempt (non-accredited private) schools under Neb. Rev. Stat. § 79-1601. The one recurring obligation is the annual Rule 13 filing by July 15: Form A and Form B to the Commissioner of Education, plus a certified birth certificate in the first year only. After that, the state asks little — no teacher certification, no standardized testing, and no state visits, since LB1027 (2024) removed the testing and visit authority. What stays on you is the hours count (1,032 elementary / 1,080 secondary) and a record your future self will want. Lightstead stages the July 15 filing, logs the hours, and keeps the portfolio ready.
What Nebraska requires, at a glance.
- Notice
July 15 · annually
Annual Rule 13 filing to the Commissioner of Education by July 15 — Form A (Statement of Election and Assurances) and Form B (Authorized Parent Representative).
- First-year proof
Birth certificate
A certified copy of each child's birth certificate is required with the first year's filing only — not on subsequent annual filings.
- Hours (elementary)
1,032 / year
Minimum 1,032 instructional hours per year for elementary grades. The hours are the core obligation — there is no separate day count to track.
- Hours (secondary)
1,080 / year
Minimum 1,080 instructional hours per year for secondary grades. Log as you go so the year's total holds up.
- Subjects
5 required
Neb. Rev. Stat. § 79-1601 requires instruction in language arts, mathematics, science, social studies, and health; the parent picks materials, scope, and sequence.
- Teacher qualification
None required
Nebraska does not require teacher certification or any specific parent credential to run an exempt-school homeschool.
- Testing
None required
No standardized or state-mandated testing. LB1027 (2024) eliminated the Commissioner's testing authority.
- State visits
None
No state visits or inspections. LB1027 (2024) also removed the visit authority — the relationship is the annual filing, nothing more.
- Graduation
Form D under 18
File Form D (Report of Completion) with the Commissioner for any graduate who is under 18.
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File Rule 13 by July 15 — Form A and Form B.
Nebraska homeschools are not separately licensed schools; they operate as exempt (non-accredited private) schools under Neb. Rev. Stat. § 79-1601. To claim the exemption you make an annual Rule 13 filing to the Commissioner of Education by July 15: Form A (Statement of Election and Assurances) and Form B (Authorized Parent Representative). The election is what places the school outside the state's approval and accreditation requirements. The filing is annual — it is not a one-time registration. Miss the July 15 window and the exemption for that year is not in place, so the practical discipline is to treat July 15 like a recurring deadline rather than a one-and-done step. A certified copy of each child's birth certificate accompanies the first year's filing only; later years are the two forms alone.
Neb. Rev. Stat. § 79-1601
The filing wizard assembles Form A and Form B, pre-fills your children's data, and flags whether this is your birth-certificate (first) year. The July 15 deadline shows on the dashboard as a deadline card from early summer, so the annual filing doesn't slip.
Rule 13 filing wizard
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1,032 elementary, 1,080 secondary — the one number to track.
With the exempt-school election in place, Nebraska keeps two substantive obligations. The first is instructional time: a minimum of 1,032 hours per year for elementary grades and 1,080 hours per year for secondary grades, with no prescribed day count. The second is subject coverage — Neb. Rev. Stat. § 79-1601 calls for instruction in language arts, mathematics, science, social studies, and health — though the parent chooses the materials, scope, and sequence within them. The assurance in your Form A filing is the commitment, and the hours and subjects are how you honor it. Nothing about the hours is sent to the state on a routine basis. But the count is exactly the kind of record your future self will need — a transcript, a move to a stricter state, or a return to school all go more smoothly when the hours were logged as the year happened rather than reconstructed afterward.
Neb. Rev. Stat. § 79-1601
The hours log runs a daily total against the 1,032 / 1,080 target for each child's grade band, so you can see at any point whether you're on pace. It is a running tally you keep, not a form to file — but it is there the moment a transcript or a residency change asks for it.
Attendance & hours log
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What Nebraska does not ask for.
Nebraska requires no teacher certification, no standardized testing, and no state visits. LB1027 (2024) specifically eliminated the Commissioner's authority to require testing or to conduct visits, so the modern Nebraska relationship is the annual Rule 13 filing and nothing beyond it. No evaluator letter, no portfolio review, no superintendent sign-off. That lightness is the whole shape of homeschooling here, and it is genuine — there is no hidden second requirement. The honest counsel for a low-oversight state is the opposite of padding: because so little is demanded of you year to year, the records that matter are the ones you choose to keep for yourself, not the ones the state forces.
Neb. Rev. Stat. § 79-1601 (as amended by LB1027, 2024)
With no testing or visits to manage, Lightstead's role in Nebraska is the record you keep voluntarily: a subjects list, a daily lesson log, and a portfolio packet that quietly accumulates the evidence of the year. None of it is state-facing — all of it is for the moment you actually need it.
Subjects & lesson log
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Form D for any graduate under 18.
When a Nebraska homeschool student graduates while still under 18, the exempt school files Form D (Report of Completion) with the Commissioner of Education. It is the bookend to the annual filing — the same office, a one-time report that closes out a student who finishes before the compulsory-attendance age. A student who graduates at 18 or older does not need Form D, since they are past compulsory-attendance age. The form exists so an early graduate is properly accounted for rather than appearing to have simply stopped attending, which is exactly the kind of gap a future transcript request or enrollment check can stumble on.
Neb. Rev. Stat. § 79-1601
The transcript builder assembles courses, credits, and the years of work into a homeschool transcript, and Lightstead flags Form D as a step when a graduating student is still under 18 — so the completion report and the transcript come together rather than as an afterthought.
Transcript builder
What people search for when they look up Nebraska homeschooling.
Do I have to register my homeschool in Nebraska?
You file annually rather than register once. Nebraska homeschools operate as exempt (non-accredited private) schools under Neb. Rev. Stat. § 79-1601, and you make a Rule 13 filing to the Commissioner of Education by July 15 each year — Form A (Statement of Election and Assurances) and Form B (Authorized Parent Representative). The first year also includes a certified copy of each child's birth certificate.
When is the Nebraska homeschool filing due?
By July 15 every year. The Rule 13 filing (Form A and Form B) goes to the Commissioner of Education by that date. It is an annual deadline, not a one-time registration, so the exemption has to be re-elected each year before July 15.
How many hours does Nebraska require for homeschool?
A minimum of 1,032 instructional hours per year for elementary grades and 1,080 hours per year for secondary grades. There is no separate day count — the hours are the obligation, and logging them as the year happens is far easier than reconstructing the total later.
Does Nebraska require homeschool testing?
No. Nebraska does not require any standardized or state-mandated testing. LB1027 (2024) eliminated the Commissioner's testing authority, so there is no test to take and no scores to report.
Does Nebraska require a teaching certificate to homeschool?
No. Nebraska does not require teacher certification or any specific parent credential to run an exempt-school homeschool. The annual Form A assurances are what the state relies on, not a teaching license.
Do Nebraska homeschools get state visits or inspections?
No. Nebraska conducts no state visits or inspections of homeschools. LB1027 (2024) removed the visit authority — the entire ongoing relationship with the state is the annual July 15 filing.
What forms does Nebraska homeschool filing require?
Form A (Statement of Election and Assurances) and Form B (Authorized Parent Representative), filed with the Commissioner of Education by July 15. The first year also requires a certified copy of each child's birth certificate. When a student graduates while under 18, you also file Form D (Report of Completion).
Do I need a birth certificate to homeschool in Nebraska?
Yes, but only in the first year. A certified copy of each child's birth certificate accompanies your first Rule 13 filing. Subsequent annual filings are Form A and Form B alone — no birth certificate is required again.
What subjects does Nebraska require homeschoolers to teach?
Neb. Rev. Stat. § 79-1601 calls for instruction in language arts, mathematics, science, social studies, and health. You still choose the materials, scope, and sequence within them, and your Form A election is the commitment to provide that education. Keeping a subjects list and a lesson log is good practice even though the state does not collect them.
Do I have to report my Nebraska homeschooler's graduation?
Only if they graduate while under 18. In that case you file Form D (Report of Completion) with the Commissioner of Education. A student who graduates at 18 or older is past compulsory-attendance age and does not need Form D.
Is homeschooling hard to start in Nebraska?
No — Nebraska is a low-oversight state. The barrier to entry is the annual Rule 13 filing by July 15 (two forms, plus a birth certificate the first year), and after that there is no testing, no certification, and no visits. The main discipline is simply not missing the July 15 deadline and keeping your own hours and records.
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