- The law asks for no portfolio, no records and no standardized test.
- File one Alternative Instruction Notification with the Department of Education or your school district within 30 days of starting. Keep the signed or stamped copy you get back.
- For school sports or activities, give the school a transcript you write for the previous semester, before each season.
The paper on your table is this year’s folder of work: worksheets, a book list, a few projects. Beside it sit the notification you filed and its stamped copy, a transcript if your child plays a school sport, and a test report if you choose to test.
South Dakota calls homeschooling “alternative instruction” (SDCL 13-27-3). The Department of Education (DOE) says the term covers nonaccredited schools too. Good news: the rules are short.
Does South Dakota require a homeschool portfolio?
No. South Dakota’s homeschool law asks for a notification and for teaching. It says nothing about a portfolio, a log, work samples, attendance or a test (SDCL 13-27-3, 13-27-7).
Here is what the law does ask (SDCL 13-27-3):
- Teach the basic skills of language arts and math.
- Teach so your child masters the English language.
- One person may teach no more than 22 children.
- You don’t need a teaching certificate.
It applies from kindergarten (age five or six by September 1) until your child turns 18 or graduates (SDCL 13-27-1).
Testing ended in 2021. The DOE says homeschooled students no longer test at grades 4, 8 and 11 or report results. You may still test if you want, at your own cost.
The DOE does recommend one thing: keep a detailed record of your child’s learning, including attendance and grades. That is the state’s advice, not the law.
The Alternative Instruction Notification
You file it once, within 30 days of starting, with the DOE or your local school district (SDCL 13-27-3, 13-27-7). The DOE’s online system notifies both at once, and a paper form is available.
The form asks for your child’s name, birthdate, resident district and open-enrolled district, if any, plus your signature and where to send your copy. The law says the form may ask for nothing more. Each child gets a separate form.
You get back a signed or stamped copy as proof (SDCL 13-27-7). Keep it. No school board approval is needed, no birth certificate goes with it, and the notification is kept confidential.
File a new one within 30 days if your child enrolls in a public or nonpublic school, or moves to a different district (SDCL 13-27-7). The DOE also asks you to update it if you open enroll in another district or stop homeschooling.
Sports and activities: the transcript
Your district must let your child join its athletics, fine arts and activities. Before each season, you give the school a transcript of the previous semester that you issue yourself (SDCL 13-36-7).
| What you give the school | Rule |
|---|---|
| A transcript of the previous semester’s completed coursework, issued by you, before the season | SDCL 13-36-7 |
| Proof of age, such as a birth certificate | SDCL 13-36-7; DOE |
| The SDHSAA eligibility checklist for alternative instruction students, each year, with a physical form if the activity needs one | DOE |
| Word to the school if your child becomes ineligible | SDCL 13-36-7 |
Your child follows the same training rules and South Dakota High School Activities Association (SDHSAA) eligibility rules as enrolled students (SDCL 13-36-7). The DOE says a district can’t require a number of classes first.
One catch: a student who leaves an accredited school mid-year sits out the rest of that season (SDCL 13-36-7).
What counts as a work sample?
South Dakota has no rule, because it requires no samples. But samples are what stand behind the grades on your transcript.
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.
The South Dakota 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 | File the notification with the DOE or your district. Keep the stamped copy. | SDCL 13-27-7 |
| All year | Teach language arts and math, toward mastery of English | SDCL 13-27-3 |
| Before each activity season | Your transcript of the previous semester, plus proof of age | SDCL 13-36-7 |
| Within 30 days of a move or school enrollment | File a new notification | SDCL 13-27-7 |
How long to keep homeschool records in South Dakota
The law sets no period. Our advice: keep the stamped notification for as long as you homeschool, because it is your proof.
The Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) advises keeping most records at least two years. It says to keep high school records, and proof you followed the law in those years, forever. That is advice, not law.
If your child goes back to school
A public school places your child using standardized tests (SDCL 13-27-29). In middle and high school, English and math go by test, and other subjects by a review of transcripts. You can appeal the placement to the Secretary of Education.
The DOE adds that you’ll want transcripts for dual credit, college and scholarships too. Your district must also take your child part-time if you ask (SDCL 13-28-51).
Will a school accept digital records?
The law doesn’t say what form your records or transcript must take. The notification itself can be digital: file online, and your copy comes back by email if you choose.
So whether a coach or school takes a digital homeschool portfolio or an emailed transcript is their call. Ask first. A printed copy works for anyone who wants paper.
What changes in 2026 and 2027
2026
No change to South Dakota’s homeschool rules. SDCL 13-27-3, 13-27-7 and 13-36-7 were last amended in 2021, by Senate Bill 177.
Two 2026 bills on alternative instruction were withdrawn by their sponsors: HB 1158, to revise the requirements for alternative instruction students, and HB 1206, on public funds for alternative instruction. A bill to define “nonpublic school” (SB 187) failed in the Senate.
2027
No change is scheduled. The 2027 session opens January 12, 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 stamped notification, any test score report, and high school work a school may need for credit.
- The paperwork keeps up. An emailed confirmation or score report files the same way.
- Dates land on the calendar. Snap the activity sign-up sheet, or forward the coach’s email, and each date goes on your family calendar, linked back to its paper, with nothing to type.
- The semester 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 South Dakota, you might switch on:
- Work samples, grouped by subject, behind each grade on your transcript.
- A reading log (title, author and date) for the year’s books.
- An attendance or hours log, filled in from the dates on your papers, for the DOE’s recommended record.
- Test results for any test you give, and Letters and notices for your stamped notification.
Common questions
Do I have to keep a homeschool portfolio in South Dakota?
No. The law doesn’t require one. The DOE recommends a detailed record with attendance and grades, and you’ll need a transcript for school activities.
Do I file the notification every year?
No. You file once, within 30 days of starting, and again within 30 days of a move to a new district or an enrollment in school (SDCL 13-27-7).
Does my child have to take a standardized test?
No. The DOE says testing is your choice, at your own cost.
How long do I have to keep homeschool records in South Dakota?
The law sets no period. HSLDA advises at least two years for most records, and high school records forever.
Can my homeschooler play school sports?
Yes. Your district must allow it. Bring a transcript of the previous semester and proof of age, and your child follows the same rules as enrolled students (SDCL 13-36-7).