Legal pathways
The ways a child can satisfy compulsory attendance in that state, each linked to the statute.
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How to legally run a microschool in your state.
The legal pathways, operator types, funding programs and licensing agencies each state recognizes, with links straight to the state code and agency pages. Fifty states and DC.
51state guides
7operator models compared
What every state guide covers
Operator types
Private school, homeschool co-op, tutor practice, umbrella satellite and the rest, with the agency for each.
Funding programs
ESAs, scholarships and tax-credit programs, linked to the administrator and the provider application.
Childcare licensing
Which agency licenses childcare, what commonly triggers a licensing review, and where the rules live.
State guides
Fifty states and DC. General information with links to the primary sources. Not legal advice.
Free tool
Find your operator model
Answer a few questions about the program you want to run. You get a ranked list of the operator models that fit, what each one would mean for you, and what would change the answer.
- Ranked fits, not a verdict.
- Grounded in your state's guide.
- Never a licensing determination.
Legislation
Recent law changes
Bills that became law and touch microschools, learning pods or education savings accounts, from LegiScan. Each one is read before it is listed. We list what passed, not what was proposed.
- NH HB1268Became lawHomeschool law
Families who home educate no longer file a notice, keep a portfolio or get an annual evaluation; a declaration is needed only to use public school programs or when withdrawing from a public school. A student in the Education Freedom Account program is not a home educated student under the new definition.
- LA HB1203Became lawMicroschools and learning pods
Provides relative to parent-driven learning microschools
Defines a parent-driven learning microschool as a voluntary association of parents who group children across grade levels for instruction in a home, community space or similar setting. Using a building that already meets its occupancy requirements does not change its zoning or occupancy classification, and no government agency may require the microschool to register or report.
- CO SB023Became lawMicroschools and learning pods
Publicly funded part-time programs for homeschool students, including microschools run by or for a district, charter school or BOCES, may not pay for private purchases for families, may not enroll students who attend an independent or parochial school, and need authorization to operate outside the provider's boundaries. A fully private microschool's students no longer count for part-time public funding.
- TN SB1585Became lawESA and school-choice funding
A private school that takes students in the Education Savings Account pilot must test those students in grades 3 through 11 every year and give the results to parents. Starting June 30, 2027 it must also send the results to the Comptroller's Office of Research and Education Accountability each year.
- GA SB179Became lawPrivate school regulation
A nonpublic school that teaches only virtually now counts as a private school even without the 180 day, four and a half hour schedule, if it meets the other private school requirements. The most a private school or home study student can be charged for a Georgia Virtual School course rises from $250 to $350.
- AL HB238Became lawMicroschools and learning pods
The fiscal year 2027 education budget funds a new $500,000 Microschool Grant Program: startup grants for new microschools and for organizations that train founders, to be designed by the Alabama STEM Council.
- WV SB63Became lawMicroschools and learning pods
Creating Sustaining Opportunities for Academics in Rural Schools Act
A public charter school may now partner with learning pods and microschools to give them instruction on campus or virtually. The act places no duty on a microschool.
- UT SB0164Became lawBuildings and zoning
School Construction Amendments
A micro-education entity now gets its building permits, inspections and occupancy approval from city or county building officials under local building codes. The option to get a certificate of occupancy from the state superintendent or a school district is removed.
- UT HB0126Became lawBuildings and zoning
Micro-Education Entity Facility Amendments
A micro-education entity may operate in a facility only if it complies with all applicable local ordinances, and it may not have more than 100 students whatever the building holds. Cities and counties may now regulate more, including street type by projected enrollment, noise, and lot size scaled to student numbers.
Bill data from LegiScan LLC, CC BY 4.0. Updated Sep 20, 2026. Every law listed was read before it was listed. The summaries are ours and are not legal advice. Read the act on the legislature's site before you rely on it.
Who this is for
Founders
You want to open a microschool and need to know which door to walk through in your state before you sign a lease or take a deposit.
Operators
You already run one and want the statute, the agency and the funding program in one place when a question comes up.
Families and advocates
You want to understand what the law in your state allows before you join, start or argue for a program.