Homeschooling in South Dakota— one notification per child, filed once — then it's largely up to you.
South Dakota is one of the lightest homeschool frameworks in the country. You file an Alternative Instruction Notification with the SD Department of Education once per child — not every year — and update it within 30 days only if you move districts or move a child to or from public school. Instruction must cover basic skills in language arts and math leading to mastery of English; the statute names no other required subjects, no teacher qualifications, no testing, and no portfolio or record-keeping mandate. Because so little is filed, the records you keep are the ones your future self — a transcript, a move, a return to school — will wish you had. Lightstead handles the one-time notification and keeps a quiet record going underneath.
What South Dakota requires, at a glance.
- Notice
Once per child
File an Alternative Instruction Notification with the SD Department of Education one time per child — not annually.
- Re-filing
Within 30 days
Update the notification within 30 days only if you change districts or move a child to or from public school.
- Subjects
Language arts & math
Basic skills in language arts and math leading to mastery of English. No other subjects are required by statute.
- Testing
Not required
South Dakota statute imposes no standardized testing requirement on homeschooled children.
- Records
Not required
No portfolio or record-keeping requirement is stated in statute — but a private record helps later.
- Teacher qualification
None required
The statute sets no teacher qualifications for the parent or instructor providing alternative instruction.
- Students per instructor
22 maximum
No single instructor may provide alternative instruction to more than 22 children.
§1
One Alternative Instruction Notification, once per child.
South Dakota requires a parent to file an Alternative Instruction Notification form with the SD Department of Education to provide home instruction. The filing is per child and one time — it is not renewed annually the way most states require an annual notice. Once the notification is on file, no further routine filing is required. The only re-filing trigger is a change in circumstances: you update the notification within 30 days if you move to a different school district, or if you move a child to or from public school. Outside those events, the original notification stands for the duration of the child's home instruction.
S.D. Codified Laws § 13-27-3
The SD filing wizard pre-fills each child's data and outputs the Alternative Instruction Notification ready for the Department of Education. Because the filing is one-time, Lightstead records when you filed and reminds you only when a move or a school transition means you have 30 days to update it.
SD notification wizard
§2
Language arts and math — and mastery of English.
The instruction you provide must include basic skills in language arts and mathematics that lead to mastery of the English language. That is the full scope the statute prescribes — it does not enumerate science, history, or any additional subject list the way more regulated states do. In practice that gives South Dakota families wide latitude over scope, sequence, and curriculum. You decide what a complete education looks like beyond the language-arts-and-math baseline; the state does not approve a curriculum or dictate the rest of your subjects.
S.D. Codified Laws § 13-27-3
The subjects list captures the language-arts and math baseline plus whatever else you choose to teach, so your plan is in one place even though the state never asks to see it. It is the spine a transcript or a future enrollment can be built from later.
Subjects & curriculum list
§3
No state testing, no required portfolio — keep one anyway.
South Dakota statute imposes no standardized testing requirement on homeschooled children, and it states no portfolio or record-keeping requirement. There is no evaluator, no annual assessment, and no document the state routinely collects after the initial notification. That light footprint is a feature, but it shifts the burden of proof onto you. When a child applies to college, moves to a more regulated state, or returns to public school, the institution — not South Dakota — asks for evidence of what was taught. A private record kept along the way answers those questions without a scramble years later.
S.D. Codified Laws § 13-27-3
Lightstead keeps a daily lesson log and an attendance and hours record going quietly in the background — nothing the state requires, but exactly the proof a future move, college application, or return to school will ask for. The records packet pulls it together into one PDF when you need it.
Records & portfolio packet
§4
One instructor, up to 22 children.
South Dakota caps the size of alternative instruction by instructor: no single instructor may provide alternative instruction to more than 22 children. For a single family this limit is never in play — it matters for co-ops, pods, and tutoring arrangements where one adult instructs children from several households. There are no teacher qualifications attached to the role. The statute does not require the instructor to hold a degree, a certificate, or any credential — only that the per-instructor count stays at or below 22.
S.D. Codified Laws § 13-27-3
If you teach in a co-op or pod, Lightstead's attendance and hours log tracks each child you instruct, so the per-instructor count and each child's record stay clear across households. For a single family it simply runs in the background.
Attendance & hours log
What people search for when they look up South Dakota homeschooling.
Do I have to register my homeschool in South Dakota?
You file an Alternative Instruction Notification form with the SD Department of Education once per child. It is a one-time filing — not an annual registration. Once it is on file, no routine renewal is required.
Does South Dakota require an annual notice of intent?
No. Unlike most states, South Dakota's notification is filed one time per child, not every year. You only update it within 30 days if you change school districts or move a child to or from public school.
What subjects does South Dakota require homeschoolers to teach?
The statute requires instruction in basic skills in language arts and mathematics leading to mastery of the English language. No other subjects are named in statute, so you choose the scope, sequence, and curriculum beyond that baseline.
Does South Dakota require homeschool testing?
No. South Dakota statute imposes no standardized testing requirement on homeschooled children — there is no annual assessment and no evaluator built into the law.
Does South Dakota require homeschool record-keeping or a portfolio?
No. The statute states no portfolio or record-keeping requirement. The state does not collect records after the initial notification — but a college, a move to a more regulated state, or a return to public school will, so keeping a private record is worthwhile.
Do I need a teaching certificate to homeschool in South Dakota?
No. South Dakota sets no teacher qualifications for the parent or instructor providing alternative instruction — no degree, certificate, or credential is required by statute.
How many children can one instructor homeschool in South Dakota?
No single instructor may provide alternative instruction to more than 22 children. For a single family this cap is never in play; it matters for co-ops, pods, and tutoring arrangements that serve children from multiple households.
When do I have to update my South Dakota homeschool notification?
Within 30 days of moving to a different school district, or of moving a child to or from public school. Outside those two events, the original one-time notification stands for the duration of home instruction.
Is homeschooling hard to comply with in South Dakota?
South Dakota has one of the lightest regulatory frameworks in the country: a one-time notification, a language-arts-and-math instruction baseline, no testing, no required records, and no teacher qualifications. The main thing to stay on top of is the 30-day update window after a move or a school transition.
Does South Dakota offer a high school diploma for homeschoolers?
Because South Dakota requires no portfolio, testing, or state-issued credential, the homeschool diploma and transcript come from the family — not the state. Building a transcript as you go is what colleges and employers look for, since the state keeps no record of coursework after the initial notification.
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