State requirements › Missouri
Missouri
A Missouri home school is defined in RSMo § 167.031. Nothing is filed with anyone unless you choose to send a notice, but the statute is specific about hours and about the records you must keep in case they are ever asked for. Summary checked against the statute on September 13, 2026.
What the statute asks for
| Requirement | What it means | In Schoolhouse |
|---|---|---|
| 1,000 hours of instruction a year | For children of compulsory age (7 to 17, or younger if enrolled), in a school term of the parent's choosing. | Hours log shows the total against 1,000. |
| 600 hours in the core subjects | Reading, language arts, mathematics, social studies, and science. | Subjects marked core count toward the 600; the log shows the core total against 600. |
| 400 of the core hours at the regular home school location | Hours logged elsewhere (co-op, field trips, the library) do not count toward this 400. | Each check-off records home or away; the log shows core-at-home against 400. |
| A plan book, diary, or other written record | Indicating the subjects taught and the activities engaged in. | The Hours log itself: every day's entries with subject, minutes, core or not, and location. The Lesson log is the plan book. |
| A portfolio of samples of the child's academic work | Kept with the records. | Portfolio book, from the photos attached on Today. |
| A record of evaluations of the child's academic progress | Any evaluation you choose to do. | Assessments, printed on the year's reports. |
| Optional notice of enrollment | A parent may, but need not, send a signed declaration of enrollment to the county recorder or the superintendent by September 1. | Not a report. |
Counting hours the Missouri way
Mark Math, Reading, Language Arts, Social Studies, and Science as core when you set up subjects (the guided setup pre-checks them). On Today, a lesson defaults to home; when the day happens elsewhere, mark the day as away in Attendance or change the location on the lesson, and those minutes move to the away column. Activities that count toward hours (a museum visit, yes; a soccer game, usually no) add their minutes too. The Hours log prints three totals, home and away by subject, and every day's entries, which is the written record the statute describes.
A Missouri year in Schoolhouse
- Set the home state to Missouri and confirm the five core subjects are marked core.
- Pick a school term of any dates; Missouri does not fix the year.
- Check things off on Today; set minutes on lessons that ran long or short, and mark away days.
- Attach photos of work as you go for the portfolio.
- At the end of the term, print the Hours log, the Lesson log, and the Portfolio book and keep them with your records.
Verify locally. Missouri does not review records unless there is a question of compliance, and local practice on what counts as instruction varies; a Missouri homeschool association can advise. This page summarizes the statute and is not legal advice.