Guide to Homeschooling in Utah

Resources

Utah Homeschool Laws and Requirements

Utah requires students to attend school from age six to 18. This goes for students in public schools, private schools, and homeschools. Many states have numerous homeschool requirements, including a set minimum number of school days per year, specific subjects that must be taught, and dictated level of education that the teaching parent must have received before eligible to homeschool.

Not all states require you to formally withdraw your student from a public or private school, but we always encourage parents to do so just to be safe. You don’t want your student to be considered truant, which could land you in legal trouble.

RECORD KEEPING

Keeping detailed records is another step that we encourage parents to make when homeschooling. Keep records of attendance, curriculum, grades, assignments, and more. These records could be helpful should you ever need to re-enroll your child in public or private school or the laws in your state change.

Power Homeschool’s parent portal makes recordkeeping easy for homeschooling parents. All of the documents you could ever need are stored in this portal for your convenience. The parent portal is completely separate from the student portal but both can be accessed through the Acellus app.

UTAH STANDARDIZED ASSESSMENTS

Homeschool families often use standardized assessments to track their child’s progress. These assessments can determine whether your child is meeting the expectations of students in that same age level. In many states, these tests aren’t required for homeschool students, but can be a great way to find gaps in their curriculum.

UTAH HOMESCHOOL GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS

Homeschool students in Utah will have their graduation requirements set by their homeschool. This means that parents are free to issue their students a diploma when they see fit as long as all state requirements have been met. In most cases, it is a good idea for parents and students to discuss post-graduation goals early on. This allows parents to tailor the curriculum to their child’s future needs. Look into specific colleges, technical schools, and potential employers and what their requirements are for student admission or eligibility.

Resources

Homeschool Support & Groups in Utah

These organizations can provide legal counsel, advice, resources, and other information to families in need.

Support groups and co-ops are organizations that are generally created by homeschooling parents that provide families in the area the opportunity to learn and share resources, advice, and information with others. These groups might also host activities, meet-ups, events, and other opportunities.

Co-ops tend to be more academic-focused. Some host weekly or monthly lessons for homeschooling families, and parents might alternate teaching courses to students.

Both of these types of groups offer homeschooling families the ability to come together to home educate their children based on their age and interests.

Here are a few options for support groups in Utah:

• Wasatch Home Educators Network
• Davis County Homeschoolers
• LDS Homeschool Connections
• Homeschool Support Group (UT)
• Utah Valley Homeschoolers
• Utah Homeschool Field Trips
• South Utah Valley Homeschoolers

Check out our Power Homeschool Parent Support groups!

• Edge of the Cedars State Park Museum in Salt Lake City: Home to the largest collection of Ancestral Puebloan pottery in the region, you can feel the rich history that Edge of the Cedars State Park Museum has to offer. At this museum, you can also see a Puebloan village or visit during one of the many festivals and events.
• Golden Spike National Historic Site in Brigham City: This site commemorates the completion of the first transcontinental railroad. See the original railroad grade and get up close and personal with Victorian-era replica locomotives.
• Dinosaur National Monument in Dinosaur: See an area where dinosaurs once roamed. With fossils still visible in the rocks, this is a great place for any dino-lover to explore.
• Territorial Statehouse State Park Museum in Fillmore: Tour the oldest existing governmental building in Utah. Interestingly, this building, which was begun under the order of Brigham Young, was never fully completed.
• George Art Museum in George: View an amazing collection of art from a variety of cultures, eras, and media. There is something for everyone at the St. George Art Museum.
• Hill Aerospace Museum on Hill Air Force Base: View more than 90 military aircraft, missiles, and aerospace vehicles at the Hill Aerospace Museum. Other pieces in the collection include military vehicles and uniforms.
• Treehouse Museum in Ogden: This non-profit organization brings a bit of whimsy into the lives of children in Utah. The museum is designed to let children have imaginative playtime. Here, stories and fun are the bridges to learning.
• Zootah in Logan: Study conservation and different species at the Zootah. The education programs at the zoo involve more than 10,000 students every year, and there are hundreds of animal species to be found here.