Light requirements
Homeschooling in South Dakota
Since 2021 you file once, not every year, and the state may not ask you for anything the law does not name.
Getting started (notice)
one alternative instruction notification on the Department of Education's form, filed up to 30 days after you begin. Since SB 177 took effect in July 2021 you file again only if the child enrols in a school or you move to a different district.
Required subjects
at a minimum, instruction in the basic skills of language arts and mathematics leading to mastery of English.
Records you must keep
none required.
Testing / evaluation
none. State law no longer mandates testing, and results need not be submitted.
Parent qualifications
none.
Where Letters & Devotion fits in South Dakota
Whatever South Dakota asks you to keep, keeping it should not be a job. 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, so notices, portfolios and evaluations start from records that already exist. The curriculum itself covers every core subject, K through 12.
Read all 84 courses in full before you pay anythingEvery unit, every skill, every objective. No account, no card.$29 a month after the first month. Cancel anytime, in one click.
This is a plain-language summary, not legal advice, and laws change. Last verified 2026-08. Always confirm current requirements with your state before relying on them. Sources:
HSLDA also publishes a plain-language summary of South Dakota's law, at hslda.org/legal/south-dakota, and sells a paid legal-defense membership built on top of it. It is an advocacy organization, not a legal authority: its leadership is explicitly Christian, and it lobbies on homeschool legislation, positions a family may or may not share. Read what membership actually costs and covers before joining anything.