Homeschooling a Child With Autism or ADHD in Vermont

What Vermont asks of a homeschool family

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

Getting started (notice)

an annual home study enrolment notice to the Agency of Education for each child, filed on their site or on paper Form A.

Records you must keep

a record of the year end assessment, including a portfolio with at least four and no more than six pieces per subject area, and one piece each for fine arts, physical education and health.

Testing / evaluation

you assess your child's progress at the end of each school year. The assessment is not submitted to the Agency of Education, but you must keep a record of it.

Special education and your homeschooled child in Vermont

We researched this from Vermont'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

Home study is its own category under 16 V.S.A. 166b, but for special education Vermont State Board Rule 2367.1 (Series 2360, effective July 2022) says home study children are deemed the same as children enrolled by their parents in an independent school. So home study children are treated like parentally placed private school children for IDEA purposes.

Asking for an evaluation

Rule 2367.1.1 says the school district (LEA) where the home study program is located locates and evaluates home study children, with an initial evaluation within 60 days. The Agency of Education FAQ (July 2023) says a parent may request an evaluation without enrolling the child, and a refusal must be given in writing.

Services and IEPs

Rule 2367.1.4 says home study children are not entitled to FAPE and that services are at the LEA's discretion through a services plan, with no individual right to services. The Agency of Education home study page states more strictly that home study students "are not entitled to and may not receive" special education services through the school, which conflicts with the rule and FAQ, so ask the district directly. Public enrollment brings FAPE through the district of residence, and the sources reviewed do not say whether an existing IEP continues after withdrawal.

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

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

The Agency of Education says home study students may enroll in up to two of the five main courses plus electives, athletics and extracurriculars as space permits, and may use regional career and technical centers if accepted. Under the public school FAQ (July 2023) the same enrollment rules apply as for full-time students; the FAQ says a student in a public class may get a services plan or IEP for that class at the school's discretion.

Scholarships and funding for a child with a disability

No Vermont scholarship, ESA or voucher for children with disabilities that homeschoolers can use was found, and the Agency of Education states there is no money available to pay for a home study program.

Also worth knowing

Under 16 V.S.A. 166b as amended by 2023 Act 66 (effective July 1, 2023), parents file a notice of intent at least 10 business days before starting and attest to an annual assessment, 175 days of instruction and adaptations for students with documented disabilities. First-time enrollees not previously in a Vermont public school need independent professional evidence of disability status, and an IEP or 504 plan is an accepted alternative.

State office to ask: Vermont Agency of Education, Special Education (Home Study Office 802-828-6225).

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 Vermont, 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 Vermont allows.

Records in Vermont

Check the records line above for Vermont. 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.

Try it with your child in Vermont

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Questions

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

Vermont's homeschool rules are summarized on this page. On special education: Home study is its own category under 16 V.S.A. 166b, but for special education Vermont State Board Rule 2367.1 (Series 2360, effective July 2022) says home study children are deemed the same as children enrolled by their parents in an independent school. So home study children are treated like parentally placed private school children for IDEA purposes. Rule 2367.1.1 says the school district (LEA) where the home study program is located locates and evaluates home study children, with an initial evaluation within 60 days. The Agency of Education FAQ (July 2023) says a parent may request an evaluation without enrolling the child, and a refusal must be given in writing.

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 Vermont's testing rules?