Homeschool Records: What You Need to Know for Success

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Whether or not you keep homeschool records might depend on the homeschool laws imposed by the state you live in.  However, even if your state does not require you to turn in records each year, it is very important that you document certain things for your homeschool.

The task can seem burdensome – you’re already having to choose curriculum, plan lessons, grade assessments and reports, not to mention actually teach the lessons, and serve as lunch-lady and recess monitor. 

You might wonder why you’d want to go through ANY extra effort required for homeschool record keeping!  But unfortunately, sometimes situations arise that would really benefit from having adequate documentation to protect you.

I’m going to walk you through a few things you will want to keep track of in your homeschool, plus, share a fun FREE printable with you at the end of this post that you can add to your homeschool portfolios this year!

Why Keep Homeschool Records?

Aside from the satisfaction of being able to see your child’s progress from year-to-year, there are a few reasons you’ll want to keep track of the work you do in your homeschool:

• Keeping records of your child’s progress academically is part of our responsibility as homeschool parents.  Without detailed records, you’d have a hard time demonstrating you’re giving your kids a great education, should this ever be questioned. You will want to be able to provide proof of education if your kids ever need it.

• If you homeschool through the high school years, you’ll need good records to aid in creating a diploma and a high school transcript for your high school student. Additionally, you’ll need documentation for college applications, scholarships, and possible military recruiters.

• If you ever decide to enroll in public or private schools, good records will help place your child into the correct classes or grade level.

Portfolios Help You Track & Organize Your Homeschool

You don’t have to save everything your student does; some items are more beneficial than others to keep. 

Creating a portfolio is a great way to keep and organize the most important work and documents each year.  A portfolio sounds fancy, but it’s really just a collection of student work from throughout the year that shows highlights of what you worked on, and some of your child’s best work to show their growth.

What you save may vary per student, but here are a few examples of what you can keep in your child’s homeschool portfolio:

• Typical daily schedule
• List of curriculum used (textbooks & workbook names)
• Course of study and class descriptions (a full course description sheet might be appropriate for high school courses)
• Samples of worksheets
• Pictures of activities or projects completed (this could even be a scrapbook-like page to give details on an important project)
• Writing samples
• Book lists and reading lists
• Assessments throughout the year (including but not limited to report cards, list of grades, standardized test scores if applicable)
• List of extracurricular activities
• Community service records
• Attendance Record & documentation of field trip days

Believe me, I have a hard time letting go of any of my kid’s work, but if you save everything, it will pile up quickly! It’s much easier to begin setting work samples aside for your child’s records at the beginning of the year and throughout, and then at the end of the year chose the best pieces to actually save.

Check Your State Regulations

In addition to those items above, make sure to check your state requirements to make sure you are tracking the necessary things.

For example, in Missouri, it is suggested we log hours of instruction completed by subject and location, so I would add this to the portfolio (I created a printable Homeschool Tracker to use exactly for this). Some states want you to keep track of attendance as well.

If you prefer to keep track of this data electronically, Homeschool Hall is the best resource for tracking state requirements and other homeschool data. You’ll simply print out your reports and add them to your portfolio at the end of the school year.

If you’d like to learn more about good record keeping with Homeschool Hall, check out my video here – I promise you might even like tracking your homeschool state requirements with this tool!

Organizing Your Homeschool Portfolio

There are multiple ways to organize all of this information. A binder and page protectors work really well, or you can simply store documents in a file on your computer (just make sure you have it backed up!). You could even use a file box to store artifacts from your kids each year.

If you use your computer to create a digital homeschool portfolio, this has the benefit of being able to include audio files if you’d like (think a recording of your child playing an instrument, or reciting poetry), and you can easily add photos of your children during their school day, or take pictures of completed projects.

Your overall goal is to show a variety of work that represents the progress your child has made over the school year.  Plus, having this portfolio will be fun to look back on for both you and your kids!

Other Records to Consider Keeping

These suggestions are optional, but you might consider keeping these items (or copies of them) in your portfolio. Even if they aren’t required homeschool records (check with HSLDA or your state to know for sure!), they might come in handy at some point:

• Your personal Philosophy of Education statement
• Mission & Vision Statement for your homeschool
• Copies of birth certificates & immunization records
• Any records from previous schools attended
• Record of any correspondence with public school
• Receipts for materials spent on your homeschool and/or a supply list
• Awards and certificates your kids have earned
• Transcripts (also include information about your grading system/how you grade)

How Long Do I Need to Keep Student Portfolios?

If you’re like me, you’ll hold onto everything way too long, but if not – and you’re wondering how long you have to keep everything – I’d recommend at least 2 years during elementary and middle school years. You should plan on keeping all 4 years of high school work and records indefinitely.

Free Printable End-of-Year Review for Your Portfolio

Here’s one more fun thing I want to share with you that you can include in your student’s portfolio – a one-page summary sheet to jot down the major skills your child covered and learned throughout the year!

This sheet will be another great way to wrap-up the school year, and make note of all of your child’s accomplishments over the year.

It’s easy to use, and you can stick it right in the front of your portfolio for reference. In the subject boxes (for example, math), I might write something like, “Carly mastered her addition and subtraction facts this year and is working on multiplication and beginning fractions. She learned how to tell time and count money.” Simple! For reading, you might jot some of the favorite books your kids read (or that you read together). In the science box you can note the areas they studied this year. There are also spaces to make notes about elective subjects, and how you’ve seen your child grow the most over the year.

Grab yours for free below!

Hopefully this gives you a good idea of what kinds of records to keep for your homeschool, and why you’ll want to keep them! If you have any other tips you’d like to share, drop a comment below and let me know!

Related Posts

• Why Homeschool Hall is the Last Homeschooling Tracker You’ll Need
• Successfully Track Your Homeschool With This Easy Printable
• Effortlessly Create and Organize a Homeschool Portfolio

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