Exempt School [Home School] Program

General Information

Parents (or legal guardians) may educate their child at home by electing not to meet State approval or accreditation requirements (Section 79-1601 R.R.S.). In Nebraska, “home schools” are referred to as exempt schools and are considered non-approved or non-accredited schools.  By filing for and receiving exempt status, parents are electing not to have their child attend a school that meets State approval and accreditation requirements while also complying with the mandatory school attendance law (Section 79-201 R.R.S.).

• Rule 13 is the rule governing the procedures and standards for parents (or legal guardians) filing for an exemption.
• Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
• Resources (private parent support organizations)

2023/24 School Year (10/13/2023 update)

Letter to Exempt School Families from Commissioner Maher

• Rule 13 filings for the 2023/24 school year by either online or paper submission are still accepted; please file as soon as possible.
• We are still waiting on the new system that allows us to issue the acknowledgement letters.  In the meantime, if you filed using the online system, keep the confirmation email for reference.
• Resident public schools have access to the 2023/24 report of those families in their district who filed.   Many filings are not yet reflected on the report; we have asked schools to refrain from checking status with parents until the report is up-to-date.

Statistical Information

• 2019/20 Report on Participants in Nebraska Exempt Schools (October 2021)
• The following student count is a year-end estimate only and subject to change pending audit:
  • 2020/21
    • Students – 14,780
  • 2021/22
    • Students –13,765
• The following student count is based on filings received as of 08/19/2022 and subject to change on a daily basis:
  • 2022/23
    • Students –11,647

Program Contacts

• Beth Bolte: (402) 471-2795 or beth.bolte@nebraska.gov
• Micki Iverson: (402) 471-1894 or micki.iverson@nebraska.gov