Homeschooling a Child With Autism or ADHD in Hawaii

What Hawaii asks of a homeschool family

These are the homeschool rules we have on file for Hawaii, last verified 2026-08. Our Hawaii page has the full list, with sources.

Getting started (notice)

Form 4140, the exceptions to compulsory education form, or a letter of intent, submitted to the school your child would otherwise attend.

Records you must keep

an annual progress report for each child, which you keep. It can be a written evaluation by a Hawaii certified teacher, or one you write yourself covering progress in each subject with samples of work and tests.

Testing / evaluation

standardized testing in grades 3, 5, 8 and 10. You may test at your designated school or arrange private testing at your own expense, and those scores can double as the annual progress report.

Special education and your homeschooled child in Hawaii

We researched this from Hawaii's statutes and administrative code, the state education department and the US Department of Education, last checked October 2026. Where a source was missing, old or in conflict, the line says so instead of guessing. Federal law (IDEA) gives a child placed in private school by a parent no individual right to services, only a share of the district's equitable-services funds, and each state decides how a home school is counted.

How the state counts a home school

Its own category, not a private school

Hawaii Administrative Rules 8-12-2 defines homeschooling (a parent instructing the parent's own child) as its own category, separate from a licensed private school, and 8-12-4 treats the notice of intent to homeschool as an exception to compulsory attendance. The rules in chapter 8-12 were last compiled in 2000, so the wording is older than 2022.

Asking for an evaluation

Hawaii has one statewide public school district, and HAR 8-60-10 says child find covers all students residing in the State, including those in private schools. HAR 8-12-14 refers to home-schooled children who have been evaluated and certified as needing services. Under HAR 8-60-31(d)(3), the department may not override a parent's refusal of consent for a home-schooled student.

Services and IEPs

HAR 8-12-14 says statutorily mandated educational and related services shall be made available at the home public school site to home-schooled children who have been evaluated and certified as needing them and who request them. HAR 8-60-23 says parentally placed private school students have no individual right to services, and the rules do not clearly say how that applies to home-schooled children. What happens to an existing IEP when a child is withdrawn to homeschool: not found in primary sources.

Part-time classes, therapies and activities at the public school

Hawaii has no part-time or dual enrollment statute that was found in primary sources. HAR 8-12-13 makes the parent responsible for the child's total educational program, including athletics and co-curricular activities, and HAR 8-12-14 allows requested services at the home public school. A 2024 bill (HB1746) proposed letting homeschoolers join public school sports teams, but its outcome was not confirmed.

Less certain: the sources on this were thin or in conflict. Confirm with the state office before relying on it.

Scholarships and funding for a child with a disability

No state scholarship, ESA, voucher or tax-credit program for children with disabilities was found in the Hawaii sources reviewed. This was not confirmed against a dedicated program page, so check with the Hawaii Department of Education.

Less certain: the sources on this were thin or in conflict. Confirm with the state office before relying on it.

Also worth knowing

HAR 8-12-18 requires an annual progress report for homeschooled children and statewide testing in grades 3, 5, 8 and 10 (private testing is allowed), with evaluation methods that include a written evaluation by a Hawaii-certified teacher or by the parent. These rules date from 1991 and were compiled in 2000.

State office to ask: Hawaii Department of Education, Special Education directory (Exceptional Support Branch).

Sources we read

A plain-language summary of public sources, not legal advice. Scholarship and school-choice programs change often, and we have left dollar amounts out on purpose. Confirm current rules with the state office before you act.

Pace, testing and the plan

Check the testing and evaluation line above for Hawaii, since it can depend on how you homeschool. Where a test or an evaluation applies, remember that Learning Supports change how lessons look and feel while your child learns. They are not part of a test or an evaluation. Whether a child can be given accommodations on the test, or with the evaluator, is something to ask the test provider or evaluator before the day, and we cannot tell you what Hawaii allows.

Records in Hawaii

Check the records line above for Hawaii. Letters & Devotion logs instructional hours automatically while your child works, tracks mastery per skill as a ready-made portfolio record, and prints a transcript in one click. Turning supports on or off does not change that record, and nothing in it names a condition, because Letters & Devotion never stores a diagnosis.

Six Learning Supports you can switch on

A parent ticks what helps, never a condition. Each support is a bundle of single switches, and any switch can be changed on its own. After about three weeks the parent side asks whether a support is helping.

Reading support
Often chosen for dyslexia
Read-aloud with each word highlighted, a clearer font, extra spacing and answer buttons.
Focus support
Often chosen for ADHD
Short pieces, one question on screen and movement breaks.
Predictable routine
Often chosen for autism
The same layout, a heads-up before changes, a calm look and plain wording.
Math support
Often chosen for dyscalculia
Pictures and a calculator, with nothing timed.
Writing support
Often chosen for dysgraphia
Answer out loud, with ideas counted over spelling.
Low-pressure mode
Often chosen for anxiety or perfectionism
No scores, calm feedback and a free second try.

What this is not

It does not diagnose anything or store a diagnosis. Your child never sees a condition name.
It is not special education, therapy or an evaluation, and it is not a substitute for an IEP.
Read-aloud is a computer voice, not a person, and answering out loud needs the microphone switch.
Some lesson rewrites, such as plainer literal wording, are pre-written, so not every lesson has one.

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Questions

Can I homeschool a child with autism or ADHD in Hawaii?

Hawaii's homeschool rules are summarized on this page. On special education: Hawaii Administrative Rules 8-12-2 defines homeschooling (a parent instructing the parent's own child) as its own category, separate from a licensed private school, and 8-12-4 treats the notice of intent to homeschool as an exception to compulsory attendance. The rules in chapter 8-12 were last compiled in 2000, so the wording is older than 2022. Hawaii has one statewide public school district, and HAR 8-60-10 says child find covers all students residing in the State, including those in private schools. HAR 8-12-14 refers to home-schooled children who have been evaluated and certified as needing services. Under HAR 8-60-31(d)(3), the department may not override a parent's refusal of consent for a home-schooled student.

Does Letters & Devotion store my child’s diagnosis?

No. You pick supports, never a condition, nothing stores a diagnosis, and your child never sees a condition name. Support settings are never sent to analytics.

Does this replace an evaluation or an IEP?

No. The setup screen says it plainly: these change how lessons look and feel, and they are not a substitute for an evaluation or an IEP.

Do the supports work with Hawaii's testing rules?