Effective as of July 1, 2012, home school Declaration of Intent and Yearly Attendance forms are now submitted to the Georgia Department of Education (GaDOE). These forms should be submitted electronically using the GaDOE website. Upon submitting the Declaration of Intent, a Thank You for Your Submission screen will appear. Print/save a copy of the Declaration of Intent with your 36 unique character digital parent signature.

Yearly Attendance Form
The yearly attendance form should be submitted electronically using this GaDOE website on your LAST day of home school instruction. The online yearly attendance form is currently not activated but will be soon. Thank you for your patience.

Driving Permit or License
To obtain a driving permit or license, a copy of the electronically submitted Declaration of Intent to the GaDOE website with a 36 unique character digital parent signature is all that is needed.

Work Permits
Work permit forms required by the Department of Labor must be distributed and signed by an official of the local school district in accordance with the law O.C.G.A. § 39-2-11 provides in part: § 39-2-11. Employment certificates -- Required; requirements for issuance. GaDOE is ONLY responsible for issuing the Certificate of Attendance (COA) for the work permits.

Pursuant to Georgia law (O.C.G.A. § 20-2-690), the following are requirements for home study programs:

1. Effective July 1, 2012, parents or guardians who wish to teach their children at home in a home study program must annually submit to the Georgia Department of Education a Declaration of Intent to Utilize a Home Study Program by September 1 or within 30 days after a program is established. The Georgia Department of Education will provide for electronic submittal of the Declaration of Intent. Please see the information below on how to submit the Declaration of Intent and the attendance reports. 
2. The declaration must include the names and ages of the students, the address where the program is located, and the dates of the school year.
3. Parents or guardians may teach only their own children in the home study program provided the teaching parent or guardian possesses at least a high school diploma or a general equivalency diploma (GED). Parents or guardians may also employ a tutor who holds at least a high school diploma or a GED to teach such children.
4. The home study program must include, but is not limited to, instruction in reading, language arts, mathematics, social studies, and science.
5. The school year must include the equivalent of 180 days of at least 4.5 hours of instruction per day unless the child is physically unable to comply with this requirement.
6. Attendance reports must be submitted annually to the Georgia Department of Education which will provide for electronic submittal of such reports. For driving permits or licenses, all that is needed is the Declaration of Intent with a 36 character parent signature. This document replaces the Certificate of Attendance and should be submitted with all other Driver Service's required documents to obtain a driving permit or license. 
7. Students in home study programs shall be subject to an appropriate nationally standardized testing program administered in consultation with a person trained in the administration and interpretation of norm-referenced tests. The student must be evaluated at least every three years beginning at the end of the third grade. Records of such tests shall be retained
8. The instructor shall write an annual progress assessment report in each required subject area for each student. These reports shall be retained for at least three years.

Online Submittal
Parents/guardians are encouraged to submit the Declaration of Intent and attendance reports online using the Georgia Department of Education’s online web application.

Paper Form Submittal
Parents/guardians will find it much more efficient to submit their homeschool documentation electronically using the Georgia Department of Education’s online web application. However, parents/guardians that do not have access to a computer may submit hard copies of their homeschool documentation by mail or fax using the contact information below:

Mailing Address
Georgia Department of Education
Homeschool Division
205 Jesse Hill Jr. Drive, SE
Suite 1754 Twin Towers East
Atlanta, GA 30334

Fax: 404-656-5744

For driving permits or licenses, all that is needed is the Declaration of Intent with a 36 character parent signature. This document replaces the Certificate of Attendance and should be submitted with all other Driver Service's required documents to obtain a driving permit or license. To request a Certificate of Attendance for homeschool students that are eligible for a work permit, or as needed for other purposes, please contact:

• Pat Blenke at ablenke@doe.k12.ga.us
• Judy Serritella at jserrite@doe.k12.ga.us

Laws impacting homeschool in Georgia (Georgia Codes 20-2-690 and 20-2-690.1) can be found on www.legis.ga.gov/en-US/default.aspx.

Select "Georgia Code" on the left of the homepage, and enter the code numbers to search for the laws.

Home school parents and students interested in the Governor's Honors Program (GHP) should contact the local system GHP coordinator. For a list of local school system GHP coordinators and general information about the program, please visit the official Governor's Honors Program website.

For more information regarding homeschooling, please visit the Georgia Department of Education's website.

Contact Information

Patrick Blenke
Program Manager 
Curriculum and Instruction
Email: ablenke@doe.k12.ga.us 

Judy Serritella
Program Specialist
Email:jserrite@doe.k12.ga.us

Phone: 404-656-2093
Fax: 404-656-5744