Homeschooling a Child With Autism or ADHD in Nebraska

What Nebraska asks of a homeschool family

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

Getting started (notice)

a Statement of Election and Assurances, the form the state calls Form A, filed promptly when you begin and by July 15 each year after.

Records you must keep

none filed with the state beyond the annual form.

Testing / evaluation

none required.

Special education and your homeschooled child in Nebraska

We researched this from Nebraska'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

Treated like a private school

The Nebraska Department of Education (NDE) guidance says that under state law an exempt (home) school is a private school and its student is treated like any other parentally placed private school student (Rule 51, 92 NAC 51). Home schools in Nebraska are filed as exempt schools under Neb. Rev. Stat. 79-1601 and are called non-approved, non-accredited nonpublic schools.

Asking for an evaluation

NDE guidance (2020) says the district where the exempt school is located does child find, the October 1 child count and the equitable services consultation for exempt home school children. Nebraska is unusual in that the child's resident district is the one responsible for providing FAPE to a resident child in an exempt school, and NDE tells parents to contact their resident public school about services.

Services and IEPs

NDE guidance says a resident child with a disability in an exempt home school is entitled to FAPE and an IEP from the resident district under 92 NAC 51-015.03C1a, not only a share of equitable services, and that this is not limited by the proportionate share dollar amount. This differs from the federal default for private school children and applies to residents of the district. For a child with an existing IEP, NDE's FAQ says only to contact the resident school about which services the child may continue to be eligible to receive, so whether the IEP continues as written is not stated.

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

The NDE exempt school FAQ (2026/27) says an exempt school student's participation in local public school activities such as music and drama depends on the school's board policy, with some high school competitive activities covered by NSAA bylaws. A statewide part-time enrollment right was not found in the sources we read.

Scholarships and funding for a child with a disability

NDE's exempt school FAQ says there is no funding available through NDE for exempt schools. The Governor opted Nebraska into the federal scholarship tax credit program, but whether homeschooled children or children with disabilities can use it was not found in primary sources.

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

Also worth knowing

Exempt school status is filed with NDE each year, and the 2026/27 FAQ notes Rule 13 is under revision after LB 1027 (2024), so home school rules may be changing. Parents of a child with an IEP who are considering homeschooling are directed to ask their resident public school what services remain available.

State office to ask: Nebraska Department of Education, Office of Special Education.

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 Nebraska, 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 Nebraska allows.

Records in Nebraska

Check the records line above for Nebraska. 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 Nebraska?

Nebraska's homeschool rules are summarized on this page. On special education: The Nebraska Department of Education (NDE) guidance says that under state law an exempt (home) school is a private school and its student is treated like any other parentally placed private school student (Rule 51, 92 NAC 51). Home schools in Nebraska are filed as exempt schools under Neb. Rev. Stat. 79-1601 and are called non-approved, non-accredited nonpublic schools. NDE guidance (2020) says the district where the exempt school is located does child find, the October 1 child count and the equitable services consultation for exempt home school children. Nebraska is unusual in that the child's resident district is the one responsible for providing FAPE to a resident child in an exempt school, and NDE tells parents to contact their resident public school about services.

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 Nebraska's testing rules?