- The law asks for no portfolio, no records and no standardized test.
- File an affidavit of intent with your county school superintendent within 30 days of starting, with a certified birth certificate or other proof of age. You file it once.
- On an Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) instead? You don’t file the affidavit. Your ESA contract counts as school attendance.
The paper on your table is this year’s folder of work: worksheets, a book list, a few projects. Beside it sit your copy of the affidavit, the birth certificate the county handed back, a grade note if your child tries out for a school team, and the notice you send if you ever stop.
Arizona law treats a homeschool and an ESA as two separate choices (A.R.S. § 15-802). This page covers both and says which rules go with which. Good news: the rules are short.
Does Arizona require a homeschool portfolio?
No. Arizona’s homeschool law asks for an affidavit, proof of your child’s age and teaching in five subjects. It says nothing about a portfolio, a log, work samples, attendance or a test (A.R.S. §§ 15-802, 15-745).
Here is what the law does ask (A.R.S. § 15-802):
- Teach at least reading, grammar, math, social studies and science.
- It applies to every child from age 6 to 16.
- The law names no teaching credential for the parent.
No test, either. The law says homeschooled children aren’t tested while they are being homeschooled (A.R.S. § 15-745).
Want to wait until your child is eight? If your child isn’t eight by September 1, you file an affidavit saying you’ll start home instruction later (A.R.S. § 15-802(B)(3)).
The affidavit of intent
You file it with your county school superintendent, not the state, within 30 days of starting. File one for each child. After that, you don’t file it again (A.R.S. § 15-802(B), (C)).
The law asks for four things: your child’s name, your child’s date of birth, “the current address of the school the child is attending,” and the names, phone numbers and addresses of the people who have custody of your child.
Within the same 30 days, show the county a certified copy of the birth certificate, or other proof of identity and age. The county keeps a photocopy and gives the document back (A.R.S. § 15-828).
Your county may have its own form. Maricopa County, for example, asks for the affidavit notarized and takes it online, by mail or in person. Check your county school superintendent’s page before you file.
If you stop homeschooling, tell the county within 30 days. If you start again, file a new affidavit within 30 days (A.R.S. § 15-802(C)). The Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) says to do the same when you move to a new county.
School sports and activities
Your child may try out for the teams and activities of the public school whose attendance area you live in, on the same rules as enrolled students. As the main teacher, you give the school a written note on grades and progress (A.R.S. § 15-802.01).
| What you give the school | Rule |
|---|---|
| Written word that your child has a passing grade in each subject you teach | A.R.S. § 15-802.01(A)(1) |
| Written word that your child is making satisfactory progress toward the next grade | A.R.S. § 15-802.01(A)(2) |
| The same registration, fee, insurance, physical and age paperwork as enrolled students | A.R.S. § 15-802.01(A) |
One catch: a child who was enrolled in a public, private or charter school earlier in the school year sits out the rest of that year (A.R.S. § 15-802.01(B)).
What counts as a work sample?
Arizona has no rule, because it requires no samples. But samples are what stand behind the grades in your note.
Our examples, not the law’s: a dated math page, a writing piece, a book list, a photo of a project, and any test you choose to give.
Homeschool or ESA: which rules apply
An ESA is its own legal route, not a homeschool. You sign a contract with the Arizona Department of Education (ADE), and you agree not to file the homeschool affidavit (A.R.S. §§ 15-802(A), 15-2402). Maricopa County says the same: no homeschool affidavit for a child with an ESA.
| Route | Law | What you file | What the law asks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homeschool | A.R.S. § 15-802 | An affidavit and proof of age, with your county, once | Teach five subjects. No test, no portfolio. |
| Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) | A.R.S. §§ 15-2401 to 15-2404 | A contract with ADE, renewed every year | Teach the same five subjects. Don’t enroll in a district or charter school. Spend the money only on allowed expenses. |
ADE audits ESA accounts and reviews a random sample each year (A.R.S. § 15-2403). Our advice: keep the receipt for every ESA purchase. ADE publishes an ESA handbook each year with the details.
The Arizona homeschool year, date by date
There is no statewide deadline. Your clock starts the day you begin teaching at home.
| When | What | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Within 30 days of starting | Affidavit of intent to your county school superintendent, for each child | A.R.S. § 15-802 |
| Within 30 days of starting | Certified birth certificate, or other proof of age, to the county. You get it back. | A.R.S. § 15-828 |
| All year | Teach reading, grammar, math, social studies and science | A.R.S. § 15-802 |
| Before tryouts | Your written note on passing grades and progress | A.R.S. § 15-802.01 |
| Within 30 days of stopping | Tell the county | A.R.S. § 15-802 |
| Within 30 days of starting again | File a new affidavit | A.R.S. § 15-802 |
How long to keep homeschool records in Arizona
The law sets no period. Our advice: keep your copy of the affidavit, and any receipt from the county, for as long as you homeschool. It’s your proof you filed.
HSLDA advises keeping the birth certificate, the affidavit copy and any withdrawal letter close at hand. It says to keep most records at least two years, and high school records, plus proof you followed the law in those years, forever. That’s advice, not law.
If your child goes back to school
A school gives your child a placement test to set the grade (A.R.S. § 15-745). Our advice: bring a few work samples and a book list too, so the school can see the work behind the score.
Will a school accept digital records?
The law doesn’t say what form your records or grade note must take. Maricopa County, for one, takes the affidavit through its online app.
So whether a coach or school takes a digital homeschool portfolio or an emailed note is their call. Ask first. A printed copy works for anyone who wants paper.
What changes in 2026 and 2027
2026
No change to Arizona’s homeschool law. No 2025 or 2026 law amended A.R.S. §§ 15-802, 15-802.01 or 15-745.
One bill came close to the topic. Senate Bill 1004 would have opened school sports to ESA students. It was rewritten in committee and did not become law.
2027
No change is scheduled. The 2027 session opens January 11, 2027, and no 2027 bills are posted yet.
Keeping the year’s work in KidsFoldr
The stack of worksheets can go, and the year stays organized with no sorting and nothing to type. Snap each page as you teach, and KidsFoldr files it by child, grade and type, with schoolwork and tests by subject too. It’s a homeschool record keeping app that does the filing for you.
- The paper goes, with no guilt. Scan a page for peace of mind, then toss it: no pile on the counter, no shelf of binders. Keep the originals that matter, though: the birth certificate, your affidavit copy and any county receipt, test score reports, and high school work a school may need for credit.
- The paperwork keeps up. An email from the county or ADE files the same way: just forward it.
- Dates land on the calendar. Snap the tryout sign-up sheet or a letter with a test date, or forward the email, and each date goes on your family calendar, linked back to its paper, with nothing to type.
- The year is ready when a coach asks. Start a New portfolio, pick your dates or grades, and get one PDF with a cover and contents. Share or print it from your phone, or share your child’s Portfolios folder read-only.
- Keepsakes stay safe, artwork and projects included. Turn on automatic backup, and every paper goes to KidsFoldr Cloud as it is filed. One tap on Back up copies every paper to your own Google Drive or iCloud.
You pick the portfolio’s sections and their order. For Arizona, you might switch on:
- Work samples, grouped by subject, behind the grades in your tryout note.
- A reading log (title, author and date) for the year’s books.
- Test results for any test you give.
- Letters and notices for your affidavit copy and any letter from the county.
Common questions
Do I have to keep a homeschool portfolio in Arizona?
No. The law doesn’t require one. HSLDA advises keeping work samples and records anyway, and a few samples back up the grade note for school sports.
Do I file the affidavit every year?
No. You file it once, within 30 days of starting. You file again only if you stop and then start again (A.R.S. § 15-802(C)).
Does my child have to take a standardized test?
No. Homeschooled children aren’t tested while they are homeschooled (A.R.S. § 15-745). A placement test comes only if your child enrolls in school later.
How long do I have to keep homeschool records in Arizona?
The law sets no period. HSLDA advises at least two years for most records, and high school records forever.
Do I file a homeschool affidavit if we use an ESA?
No. On an ESA you agree not to file it, and your ESA contract counts as school attendance (A.R.S. § 15-2402).