- Nebraska asks for no portfolio, no work samples and no testing. No law or rule sets how long to keep records, and NDE collects no grades or progress reports.
- Each year by July 15, file a Statement of Election and Assurances and an Authorized Parent Representative form with NDE. NDE acknowledges your filing; it doesn’t approve it. Keep the letter it sends.
- Teach the basic skills (language arts, math, science, social studies and health) for at least 1,032 hours a year, or 1,080 in high school. No teaching certificate needed.
Picture one child’s records folder. It holds this year’s acknowledgment letter from NDE, copies of the two forms you filed, an hours log, a list of books and curriculum, and a few work samples.
In Nebraska, a homeschool is an “exempt school”: a private school that elects not to meet the state’s approval or accreditation rules, under Neb. Rev. Stat. § 79-1601. Using an online program? See which route you’re on.
What Nebraska requires instead of a portfolio
Nebraska has no portfolio rule. Your exempt school meets § 79-1601, the hours in § 79-211, and a yearly filing under NDE’s Rule 13.
| Requirement | What the law says | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Yearly filing | A Statement of Election and Assurances and an Authorized Parent Representative form, filed with NDE by July 15 | Rule 13 (92 NAC 13), 004.01A; § 79-1601(3) |
| Subjects | A sequential program leading to basic skills in language arts, math, science, social studies and health | § 79-1601(2), (4)(c) |
| Hours | At least 1,032 instructional hours for elementary grades and 1,080 for high school | § 79-211; NDE |
| Teacher | No teaching certificate. You sign that you’re satisfied the people teaching are qualified. No one convicted of certain felonies may teach | § 79-1601(3)(d), (5) |
| Birth certificate | A certified copy (or other proof of age with an affidavit), the first year | § 43-2007(3) |
| Ages | From 6 (if your child turns 6 before January 1 of the school year) until 18 | § 79-201(1) |
| Immunizations | Required if you choose the nonreligious reason on your statement | § 79-1601(4)(d); § 79-217 |
Here’s the easy part: the calendar is yours. NDE says there is no rule on your start date, school-day hours or days in session, as long as the 1,032 or 1,080 hours happen between July 1 and June 30.
You choose the curriculum, and NDE doesn’t supply any. Since a 2024 law (LB 1027), you no longer report your curriculum or who teaches (NDE). The law also asks your school to meet state health, fire and safety standards (§ 79-1601(4)(a)).
Filing with NDE each year
The one thing you send is a yearly filing with NDE, due July 15. It has two short forms.
The Statement of Election and Assurances is signed by one parent for each child. It lists your name and address, each child’s name, age and birth date, and your school’s name and address. You check one reason: approval rules violate your sincerely held religious beliefs, or they interfere with your decisions about your child’s education. The second box means the immunization rule applies (§ 79-1601(3), (4)(d); Rule 13, 003.02).
The Authorized Parent Representative form names the person who files and talks with NDE, usually a parent (NDE). NDE’s form also asks for your school year’s start and end dates.
File online (NDE’s preferred way) or by mail or drop-off in Lincoln, but not by email or fax. There’s no fee, and one filing covers all your children. The first year, include a certified copy of each child’s birth certificate; a color scan with the seal showing works online (NDE).
Next comes a letter signed by the Commissioner of Education acknowledging your filing, by email if you file online. NDE says exempt schools are “acknowledged only”, not approved, and it tells your resident school district (Rule 13, 005; NDE).
Moving to Nebraska, or leaving a school after July 15? File promptly (Rule 13, 004.01A). NDE says instruction can begin once it receives your filing, and advises withdrawing your child from school after that.
Who checks your homeschool
No one, on a schedule. Nebraska sets no testing, no evaluator and no inspection for exempt schools.
Other private schools are inspected by the local superintendent at least twice a year, but that law doesn’t apply to exempt schools (§ 79-1605). NDE collects no grades and asks for no progress reports. It says testing isn’t required of exempt school students.
The filing is what matters. NDE says that without it, no exemption is in place and your child counts as truant (§ 79-1601(6); NDE).
The Nebraska homeschool year, date by date
Nebraska’s homeschool year runs July 1 to June 30, and the filing is due July 15. Everything else follows your own calendar.
| When | What | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| July 1 | The school year starts, for counting your hours | Rule 13, 002.09; NDE |
| By July 15 | File both forms with NDE, every year | Rule 13, 004.01A |
| Starting mid-year | File promptly. NDE says your hours can be prorated for the rest of the year | Rule 13, 004.01A1-A2; NDE |
| During the year | Report a new child, a child who stops, a new representative or a new address, promptly | Rule 13, 004.01B-E |
| June 30 | The school year ends: your 1,032 or 1,080 hours are done | § 79-211; NDE |
| Turns 6 before January 1 | School age. File, or give your district an affidavit that you’ll file by age 7 | § 79-201(1), (3)(e) |
| Age 16 or 17 | You can withdraw your child by filing NDE’s signed release form | § 79-202(6) |
| Finished before 18 | File a Report of Completion with NDE | § 79-201(3)(b); Rule 13, 008.01 |
NDE accepts filings after July 15, but asks you to file as soon as you can. Your district, not NDE, has the age-6 affidavit form.
How long to keep homeschool records in Nebraska
The law sets no time. NDE says Rule 13 doesn’t cover record keeping, and that your school’s parent representative is responsible for its own records.
NDE does advise keeping attendance records and a transcript of classes and grades for each child. If your child goes back to a public or private school, the local board’s policy decides grade placement and credit (NDE).
HSLDA suggests keeping most records, like attendance, book lists and work samples, at least two years. It says to keep high school records and proof that you followed the law forever. Both are advice, not law.
Our advice: keep a few originals on paper. Those are your child’s certified birth certificate, each year’s NDE letter, any letter from NDE or your school district, test score reports if you test, and high school work you may need for credit. Everything else can be a scan.
Work samples: not required, still worth keeping
Nebraska asks for no work samples. But they’re the easy proof of a year’s learning if your child returns to school, where credit is the school’s call (NDE).
Nebraska doesn’t issue diplomas to exempt school students. If you make one, the school or college receiving it decides whether to accept it, and NDE recommends keeping a transcript with grades.
What counts is up to you. Examples, not rules: a dated math page, a writing piece, a book list, a science lab sheet, a health project.
Exempt school, online school or accredited school
The rules on this page are for an exempt school. Signing up for an online program doesn’t change that, unless it’s one of two Nebraska accredited schools (NDE).
| Route | What it is | What it means for you |
|---|---|---|
| Exempt school | You teach at home, or with other families | File with NDE by July 15 each year |
| Online program accredited elsewhere | An out-of-state or private online school NDE doesn’t accredit | Still file as an exempt school |
| University of Nebraska High School or Omaha Virtual School, full time | Nebraska accredited schools | No exempt school filing |
| Approved or accredited private school | A private school that meets the state’s standards | Not an exempt school |
Public school classes and activities
Your local school board must let your child enroll part time in the courses you choose, under its policy (§ 79-2,136(1)). Part-time enrollment doesn’t come with school transportation.
Your child can also join the district’s extracurricular activities on the same terms as its own students, and your school sets the academic standard (§ 79-2,136(2)). For activities run by an association the school belongs to, such as NSAA sports, the district requires five credit hours a semester. Other activities can need fewer (§ 79-2,136(3)). Ask your district and NSAA for the details.
Can your records be digital?
Yes, as far as the law goes. It sets no format for any record and names no evaluator. The filing itself is online, the letter comes by email, and NDE takes a color scan of the birth certificate.
Keep copies you could print if a school or a college asks. That is advice, not law.
What changes in 2026 and 2027
2026
A new Rule 13 took effect June 28, 2026, rewritten after LB 1027. The July 15 filing stays.
LB 937 took effect July 18, 2026. For homeschool families, it:
- bars anyone convicted of certain felonies from teaching at an exempt school (§ 79-1601(5)(b))
- makes a new exempt school filing invalid for 14 days while a child abuse or neglect investigation notice is in place (§ 28-711.01)
- changes the credit hours a district may require for activities, as above (§ 79-2,136(3))
No change to the ages or hours.
2027
No change is scheduled. File again by July 15, 2027, for the 2027-28 school year.
The Legislature meets every year, and its 2027 session opens January 6, 2027. Any change would start there.
Keeping your records in KidsFoldr
No law tells you what to keep, so the easy answer is to keep it all, on your phone instead of a shelf of binders. Snap each paper for peace of mind, and the paper can go. Years of hours logs, book lists and work fit on your phone, filed by child, grade and type (and subject for schoolwork), with nobody sorting and nothing to type.
The few originals named above stay on paper. Snap them too, so a copy is always at hand. Snap a test appointment or a district note with a date on it, and that date lands on your family calendar, linked back to the paper, with nothing to type.
Your hours start from your papers. In the Attendance or hours log, tap Fill from papers to add a day for every date your child has schoolwork, artwork or a test on file. Then add the hours you taught.
If a school or a college asks, the year is ready. Start a New portfolio for a grade or your own dates, such as July 1 to June 30, and print or share the PDF. You pick the sections. For Nebraska, you might switch on:
- The attendance or hours log, for your hours
- Work samples, sorted by subject
- A reading log, for your book list
- Letters and notices, for NDE’s acknowledgment letter
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, and every paper is searchable by any word on it.
Common questions
Do I need a homeschool portfolio in Nebraska?
No. Nebraska law asks for no portfolio, no work samples and no tests. You file with NDE by July 15 each year and teach at least 1,032 hours, or 1,080 in high school (§§ 79-1601, 79-211).
Do I have to file every year?
Yes. Your parent representative files a Statement of Election and Assurances and an Authorized Parent Representative form by July 15 of each year your school runs (Rule 13). The birth certificate goes in only the first year.
Does NDE approve my homeschool?
No. NDE acknowledges your filing with a letter but doesn’t approve or disapprove exempt schools. Keep the letter.
How long do I have to keep homeschool records in Nebraska?
The law sets no time. NDE advises keeping attendance records and a transcript of classes and grades. HSLDA advises keeping most records at least two years, and high school records forever.
How many hours do Nebraska homeschoolers need?
At least 1,032 instructional hours a year for elementary grades and 1,080 for high school, between July 1 and June 30 (§ 79-211; NDE). How you spread them over the year is up to you.