Homeschooling in Utah: My Best Tips and Resources
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You’ll love homeschooling in Utah. Learn all about the laws and local resources to set yourself up for success this year.
Our family has moved around a lot over the years. Since my oldest child was old enough for school, we have lived in 3 different states. Including Arizona, Idaho, and Utah.
I am happy to say that all of these states have been exceptionally homeschooling friendly. I have never had to deal with a state that didn’t want me to homeschool my kids. Thank goodness!
Homeschool Laws in Utah
Utah is no exception to this. It is super easy to homeschool legally in Utah! Utah homeschooling laws are really user-friendly.
When you first begin homeschooling in a new state, you always want to make sure you are following the laws. While it is legal to homeschool in all 50 states, some states have more regulations than others.
USLDA is one of the most trusted sources for homeschooling laws in the United States. You can find the laws for homeschooling in just about any state at USLDA.org
According to USLDA
All children in the state of Utah must begin their formal education by the time they are 6 years old. This education must continue until graduation, or until the child is 18 years old.
File an Affidavit
When you first begin homeschooling your child in Utah, you must file an affidavit.
This just means you need to get a paper that is signed and notarized stating that your child will be educated at home by you, and that you accept full responsibility for the education of your child.
Send this affidavit into your local school board and you’re good to go! This affidavit is good for the entire time you live in your current school district. No need to file a new one every year. (unless, of course, you have a new child turn 6)
Educational Requirements
Additionally, there are no specific education requirements in the state of Utah. No required subjects or hours or anything else like that. You are free to educate your child however you see fit.
NOTE: it is still recommended that you keep records of your homeschooling, even though they are not required to in Utah. This is merely for any just in case scenarios.
The full list of Utah homeschooling laws can be found here.
Local Facebook Pages
I homeschool in Utah County so I am in a lot of local to Utah County facebook groups. These groups include but are not limited to:
I love spending time in these (and other) groups because this is a great way to connect with other local homeschoolers. We set up field trips together, hold classes together, and just answer each other’s questions.
I highly recommend joining a couple of local homeschooling groups, wherever you are.
Homeschooling Resources in Utah
Utah is a great place to homeschool children!
There are SO many national parks here. And with the Every Kid In A Park program, families who have a fourth grader can get into all of these national parks for free!
National Parks in Utah
Just a few of the many beautiful National Parks in Utah include:
- Zion’s National Park
- Bryce Canyon
- Arches National Park
- Capitol Reef
- Canyonlands
- Great Basin
- Box-Death Hollow
The libraries in Utah are pretty good too. A lot of them hook up to each other so you can exchange books throughout the whole system, all from your local library.
Museums and Venues
Museums and other educational venues are also very plentiful in Utah.
Thanksgiving Point
Thanksgiving Point is one of our very favorite places to go with our kids.
Thanksgiving Point is like a hub for several educational venues. At one location, you will find a Children’s Museum (The Museum of Natural Curiosity), a dinosaur museum (The Museum of Ancient Life), a Farm Country, a beautifully manicured garden (Ashton Gardens), and an insect education area (Butterfly Biosphere).
Each of these venues is HUGE and really really fun. You could spend an entire day at each of these locations.
Some of them are big enough you couldn’t go through everything in just one day. (Museum of Natural Curiosity for example)
It is not free to get into Thanksgiving Point, but a membership is the same price no matter how large your family is (so it’s a GREAT value for large families). Or you can just pay for one day’s entry and have a great educational experience.
Zoo and Aquarium
Utah also has a fun little zoo (The Hogle Zoo) and a really fun aquarium (Living Planet Aquarium).
The zoo is the perfect size for a family to go through in a day. It’s nowhere near as big and as cool as, say, the Phoenix Zoo or the San Diego Zoo, but for our cute little Utah, it’s pretty great!
There is a fun train ride available, and a bunch of statues the kids can climb on, in addition to all the traditional animals.
The Living Planet Aquarium is really great too.
They went through a HUGE remodel a few years ago and what was already a good aquarium is now even bigger and better than ever!
Both of these venues are great places to get some world experiences and hands-on learning in for our homeschooled kids.
Other Museums and Historical Landmarks
There are lots of other museums and historical landmarks to be enjoyed in Utah.
Utah is a very historical place rich with history. And a lot of these landmarks are free to get in!
Some examples include:
- BYU Art Museum (exhibit changes regularly)
- BYU Bean Museum (learn about local animals)
- BYU Planetarium
- Clark Planetarium
- This Is The Place Heritage Park
- Ensign Peak
- Fort Douglas Military Museum
- Pony Express National Historic Trail
All in all, Utah is a really easy, fun, and affordable place to homeschool kids.
There are so many resources here, I don’t know how we’ll ever have time to get through them all!
If you are homeschooling in Utah, drop a comment below: what are YOUR favorite resources and places to visit with your kids?
And if you’d love to have a printable resource to use to keep track of state homeschool requirements, key organizations, activities and field trip plans, and curriculum notes, grab a copy of my Curriculum & Activity Planner below (it’s free!):
Interested in learning about homeschooling in another state? Check out the Homeschooling in 50 States Series.
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Moved to Utah last year, husband retired from the Navy and went back to his birth state, We haven’t been to the Hogle Zoo in over 10 years so not sure if it has any updates since then. Haven’t been inside the Living Planet Aquarium since 2011 when it was in a tiny building in Sandy. I also think the dinosaur museums in Vernal are quite nice, they have a military discount as well. We are also in Utah County and I have a teen.