Please submit all home school documents to BPSHomeSchooling@buffaloschools.org

Step 1: Parent/guardian submits a   Letter of Intent (LOI) to homeschool the child.

Step 2: BPS Office of Home Schooling confirms receipt of LOI within 10 days.

Step 3: Parent submits an Individualized Home Instruction Plan (IHIP) within 30 days. The IHIP must be submitted even if the student is enrolled in an online program or school, and must contain detailed information about the student's intended coursework and curriculum. You do not need to wait for submission or approval of the IHIP to begin homeschooling. 

Step 4: The Office of Home Schooling approves or denies IHIP within 10 days. 

If the student is new to Buffalo Public Schools, the following documents must also be submitted along with the LOI:

• A copy of the student's birth certificate
• Proof of residency (i.e., a copy of a recent utility bill or lease)
• A copy of the parent's identification (i.e., driver's license)

Ongoing throughout the year:

Once the student's IHIP is approved, the student is officially enrolled as a home schooler. Part 100.10 of the New York State Education Department Commissioner's Regulations requires that all home-schooled students submit four quarterly reports per year. Dates for quarterly reports are suggested by the BPS Office of Homeschooling on the Compliance Items/Dates webpage. Parents may determine the actual dates of quarterly report submissions on the final page of the IHIP, but reports must be sent at four evenly spaced quarterly intervals. For students entering home schooling during the school year, the number of reports should be proportional to the period of home instruction. 

End of year:

An end-of-year assessment or narrative is due for home-schooled students as follows:

• For students in grades 9 - 12, one of the following achievement tests: 
  • Iowa Assessments
  • Stanford Achievement Test Series
  • Comprehensive Test of Basic Skills (now known as TerraNova)
  • California Achievement Test
  • Personalized Assessment of Student Success (PASS) Test
  • Metropolitan Achievement Test
  • State Education Department test
• For students in grades 4 -8, a written narrative may be provided every other year, alternating with one of the assessments listed above for the following year.
• For students in grades 1 - 3, whomever provides instruction throughout the year must provide a written narrative that certifies whether or not the child has made adequate academic progress.