WV

How to Start Homeschooling in West Virginia (2026)

West Virginia law provides two routes for home instruction: instruction in the home or another place approved by the county board, or a notice of intent filed with the county superintendent. The Hope Scholarship, the state's education savings account program, is open to existing traditional homeschool students who were not previously eligible beginning with the 2026-27 school year.

Legal framework

West Virginia Code Section 18-8-1(c) provides two routes for home instruction. Under subdivision (c)(1), the instruction takes place in the home or at another place approved by the county board, and the persons giving it must be qualified, in the judgment of the county superintendent and county board, to teach the subjects required in public elementary schools; if the county board denies a request, it must give the applicant good and reasonable justification in writing. Under subdivision (c)(2), the parent presents the county superintendent or county board with a notice of intent that includes the name, address, and age of each child and an assurance of instruction in reading, language, mathematics, science, and social studies (the West Virginia Department of Education describes it as a one-time notice), and a family that establishes residence in a new county submits a new notice to the superintendent of that county. The person giving the instruction also submits satisfactory evidence of a high school diploma or equivalent, or of a post-secondary degree or certificate from a qualifying institution, and obtains an academic assessment of the child each year by one of four methods: a nationally normed standardized achievement test, the state public school testing program, a portfolio reviewed by a certified teacher, or an alternative assessment agreed with the county superintendent. The parent keeps copies of each assessment for three years and submits the results to the county superintendent for grade levels three, five, eight, and eleven, as applicable, by June 30 of the year the assessment was administered.

ESA & scholarship opportunities

The West Virginia Hope Scholarship is an education savings account program governed by the Hope Scholarship Board, with the West Virginia State Treasurer's Office performing administrative functions. Existing traditional homeschool students who were not previously eligible can participate beginning with the 2026-27 school year. The full 2026-27 award is $5,435.62 per student, and a new applicant's share depends on the application date: 100 percent through June 15, 2026, 75 percent through September 15, 50 percent through November 30, and 25 percent through February 28, 2027. A homeschooled child who accepts the scholarship is classified under state law as an Individualized Instructional Program student, which carries different reporting requirements than traditional home instruction.

• Hope Scholarship program site (retrieved October 2026)
• Hope Scholarship: New Students, application windows (retrieved October 2026)
• Hope Scholarship Parent Handbook, award amount and portal (retrieved October 2026)
• Hope Scholarship Board, IIP vs. Traditional Homeschool
• Hope Scholarship FAQ, eligibility for 2026-27 (retrieved October 2026)
• Legal framework source: West Virginia Code Section 18-8-1
• Legal framework source: West Virginia Department of Education, Homeschool State Code (retrieved October 2026)

Curriculum landscape in West Virginia

The West Virginia Department of Education states that parents who provide home instruction may choose any curriculum they see fit in the education of their child.