Rhode Island
• Compulsory Attendance Ages: Between 6 (on or before September 1 of any school year and 16 (§ 16-19-1(a)). A child age 16 or older who is "enrolled in school" must have written parental permission to stop schooling before age 18. (§ 16-19-1(b))• Required Days of Instruction: "substantially equal to that required by law in public schools." (§ 16-19-2)
• Required Subjects: Reading, writing, geography, arithmetic, United States and Rhode Island history, principles of American government, English (§ 16-19-2), health and physical education. (§ 16-22-4). Also, beginning with fourth grade, history and government of Rhode Island must be taught. In high school the U.S. Constitution and Rhode Island Constitution must be taught.
• Teacher Qualifications: None.
• Standardized Tests: Not required by statute. The Commissioner of Education has ruled that local school districts have the authority to require some type of evaluation under their "approval" authority as long as they "accommodate the preferences of parents for certain mechanisms for measurement."
If the parents choose standardized testing, the Commissioner ruled that religious home schoolers, under the first Amendment, have the right to choose their standardized test and the testing site.
The Commissioner held: "we cannot discern the presence of any administrative burdens placed on the School Committee by accommodation of the parents' choice of standardized test. Thus, we do not find the School Committee's test choice (or its requirement that children be tested in the public school) to be the "least restrictive alternative."
1. A child may receive a "course of at-home instruction approved by school committee of the town wherein the child resides" if the following requirements are met:
a. the period of attendance is "substantially equal" to that of the public schools,
b. an attendance register is kept, and
c. the teaching in the required subjects listed above is "thorough and efficient." (§ 16-19-2)
2. If the local school committee denies parents the right to home school, the parents may appeal to the Department of Education & have a right to a hearing. (§ 16-19-2)
3. Commissioner ruled that it is a "Constitutional right" to educate one's children.
Reference: Click Here
Rhode Island State High School Graduation Requirements
- English units: 4
- Math units: 3
- Eff. Class of 2008: 4. Fourth unit can be "math-related, such as computer programming, physics or accounting."
- Social studies units: 2. Must include instruction on Rhode Island and U.S. Constitutions and government.
- Science units: 2 lab
- Eff. Class of 2008: 3
- P.E./Health units: Students must receive the equivalent of 1 unit health instruction over the course of 4 years and must receive p.e. instruction equivalent to .5 credit per year, or an average of 20 minutes each school day.
- Arts: .5
- Foreign language: 2. 2 units of 1 foreign language.
- Electives units: 4
- Other units: .5 (.5 unit computer literacy). District may petition commissioner of education to include community service learning program as component of graduation requirements.
* Eff. Class of 2008: 20Other diploma options: State does not offer differentiated diploma pathways. State has policy on awarding proficiency-based credit.
Technical notes and citations By the Class of 2008, in addition to completing Carnegie unit requirements, students must demonstrate proficiency to graduate from high school. Proficiency may be demonstrated through exhibitions such as senior projects, capstone projects, or certificates of initial mastery; portfolios; proficiency-based departmental end-of-course exams; common tasks; and industry skill certifications.
R.I. CODE R. 08 050 001; R.I. GEN. LAWS § 16-22-2, 16-22-4, 16-22-21; "Regulations of the Board of Regents for Elementary and Secondary Education Regarding Public High Schools and Ensuring Literacy for Students Entering High School," January 9, 2003, The Rhode Island High School Diploma System
Important Note: State Graduation requirements are not necessarily the best guideline for homeschoolers to use. They have been included here as a guideline for what a typical public school student would need to complete in order to graduate.
A more important guideline may be the College Entrance requirements for where your student would like to attend college. While colleges have differing requirements, there are many colleges that publish requirements for homeschool graduates.
Related Pages:
Homeschool Support Groups in Rhode Island
Colleges in Rhode Island