Countries where homeschooling is allowed
For immigrant and expat families navigating new countries, homeschooling presents a powerful opportunity for flexible and personalized education. This approach allows you to tailor your child’s curriculum to their specific needs and interests, whether addressing special educational needs or providing a safe learning environment free from concerns like bullying.
It can also provide a stable and consistent educational foundation that adapts to a mobile lifestyle, with many international homeschooling communities offering vibrant support groups and co-ops to help new families connect and thrive. This flexibility and community support can empower parents to provide a high-quality education that is truly customized to their child’s unique journey.
Most homeschooling is in the following countries: Australia , Canada , New Zealand , Great Britain and the USA . Some countries have highly regulated homeschooling programs as an extension of the compulsory education system. Few countries have banned home schooling entirely. In some countries we do not yet know whether homeschooling is allowed or tolerated in these countries. In the following, we list those countries and regions in which you can either train your children yourself or through private teachers in home lessons or have them taught via an online school (for some this is only permitted under certain conditions). The countries are listed in alphabetical order.
Click on the name of the country to get detailed information and an overview of the country.
Countries | Status | Statistics |
Children can be homeschooled, but parents must apply for permission from the Provincial Education Council. | Not Specified | |
Legal with state-level regulation | Around 45,000-50,000 as of 2025. The number of children registered for home education is estimated to be 92% higher in 2024 compared with 2020. | |
Home schooling is legal under restrictive conditions as long as the teaching at least corresponds to that of the state school. | 2,100 students | |
Homeschooling is allowed for a few different reasons being if they have a serious medical condition, if the student has exceptional talent or if the student can not attend school permanently for a good reason. | ||
Homeschooling is legal under restrictive conditions and a constitutional right in Belgium. | 500 students | |
Expats have the right to home schooling. However, the presence requirement is unclear. | Not specified | |
Legal “Gray Area”. The legal status of homeschooling in Brazil is currently in a “legal limbo” and “nebulous” state, with its legality being questioned. | Over 70,000 children | |
Public education is compulsory. Only children with special needs are allowed to be homeschooled under strict government control. | less than 100 families | |
Legal with provincial regulation. Known for supportive laws and a large homeschooling community | 54,738 in the year 2022-2023 academic year | |
Legal. The constitution guarantees freedom of education. Prior registration with the Ministerio de Educación is required. | 8,000 to 15,000 students | |
Illegal for citizens without a permit, but with no restrictions for foreign students. | over 6,000 families (2017) | |
Legal. Regulated by the Ministry of Education and the ICFES (Colombian Institute for the Advancement of Higher Education). A student must take a public aptitude test and a state test (similar to SAT) if he / she wishes to attend college. | not specified | |
Costa Rica | ILLegal | |
Cuba | ILLegal | |
Czech Republic | Legal under restrictive conditions as an alternative (for “serious reasons”) to primary school. Exams are compulsory twice a year. | 2,500 families |
Legally under the control of the school, as an alternative to the compulsory public school system. Inspections are mandatory every year unless specific arrangements have been made. | 349 to 375 children (2017) | |
Legal. Every home-schooled child must be supervised by an authorized school (can be a private school) and pass annual exams. It receives a diploma from the supervisory school. | less than 100 students | |
Legal as an alternative to the compulsory public school system. Written and oral exams are mandatory. | 400 to 600 students | |
Legal as an alternative to the compulsory public school system. Annual inspections are mandatory. | 35,950 students (2018/2019) | |
Illegal. Homeschooling is forbidden by law, with very rare exceptions for specific medical conditions. A small but determined community continues to advocate for more freedom. | around 400 students | |
Homeschooling is legal. Parents must have a high school degree. File declaration of intent with the Georgia Department of Education. | 59000 (2015) and 91000 in 2022 | |
Great Britain | Legal as an alternative to the compulsory state school system. | more than 48,000 children |
Illegal. Despite strict laws and penalties, a small community of families continues to homeschool. | no specific number | |
Legal with permission. | not specified | |
Homeschooling is legal under certain conditions. Schooling is compulsory for children aged 6 to 16. Most of the time, children are homeschooled because of illness or other special circumstances. Homeschooled children need to be tested at least twice a year. | not specified | |
Iceland | Only holders of teaching qualifications are allowed to teach legally. In other cases, public education is compulsory. | not specified |
Homeschooling in India is a legal alternative to the mandatory public school system. | 2000 children | |
Legal as an alternative to the compulsory public school system. | 40,000 Children | |
Homeschooling is allowed and anchored in the constitution. | 1,100 students | |
Israel | Legal under regulatory conditions. | 500 children |
Legal. Homeschooling in Italy is permitted as a constitutional right, but families must meet certain requirements and may be required to take end-of-year exams. | No specific number published | |
legal. There is no law that requires education to be done in a formal school. In some regions, families are required to meet with teachers at a local school once a month | Very few homeschoolers | |
Kazakhistan | Not illegal, but not enshrined in law. Legal for gifted and disabled students. Door-to-door checks are carried out on a regular basis. Legal for non-residents. | Many immigrant families are homeschooled |
Homeschooling is allowed as long as it meets the specific curriculum of learning time, and learning goals. The parent teaching their child needs to have a teaching qualification or be approved by the office of education. Students do not need to take any exams. | not specified | |
Latvia | Legal. Each child must be supervised by an authorized school (can be a private school) and pass annual exams. Home-schooled children receive a diploma from the supervisory school. | less than 100 families |
Lithuania | Legal. Each child must be supervised by an authorized school (can be a private school) and pass annual exams. Home-schooled children receive a diploma from the supervisory school. | not specified |
Luxembourg | Legal for elementary school age. | not specified |
Malaysia | Legal. Homeschooling in Malaysia is legal with some regulations. | No specific number found |
Homeschooling is legal in Malta with a “Valid Reason”. Parents must have a teaching warrant and a license. It will also be audited and monitored by the education authorities. Valid reasons may include families who move countries frequently etc. | not specified | |
Legal as long as the student is registered, which can be a lengthy bureaucratic process. The compulsory attendance laws are unclear. | not specified | |
Moldova | Not illegal. Details are missing. | 100 to 200 |
Illegal as public or private education is compulsory. | not specified | |
Legal as an alternative to the compulsory public school system. Homeschooling in New Zealand is well established. | 10,757 students as of 2024 | |
Homeschooling is legal under restrictive conditions as long as the teaching at least corresponds to that of the state school. | more than 400 students | |
Legality or requirements not yet clarified. | not specified | |
For local residences attendance at public or state schools is compulsory. Foreigners can have home tuition if they do not speak Spanish or Guarani sufficiently and if a native-speaking school is more than 50 km or over an hour’s drive from their place of residence. | not specified | |
Legal. Prior registration with the Ministerio de Educación is required. | not specified | |
Legal. Homeschooling in the Philippines is a legal educational option. | More than 10,000 | |
Legal under restrictive conditions. Every home-schooled child must be supervised by an authorized school (can be a private school) and pass annual exams . Schoolchildren receive diplomas from the school inspectorate. | Around 14,000 children (2017) | |
Legal. Children who live in Portugal for more than 4 months are required to go to school by law. Home schooling according to the Portuguese curriculum only . Compulsory annual exams in Portuguese. | not specified | |
Legal under restrictive conditions. Children with disabilities, special needs or whose condition does not allow them to be physically present in a school can be homeschooled under the supervision of an accredited teacher. Foreign curriculum can be studied from abroad under the supervision of an umbrella school. | 500 students | |
Russia | Legal. Every home-schooled child must be enrolled in a government-licensed school (can be a private school) and not have to take annual exams . Children receive diplomas from the school inspectorate. | 50,000 to 100,000 students |
Legal. Primary school and for students with special needs and disability who are being home schooled through implementation of an individual educational plan with adapted standards. | not specified | |
Slovakia | Legal, under restrictive conditions (only sick children or children aged 6 to 10 years). | not specified |
Slovenia | Legal. Details are missing. | not specified |
Singapore | Legal. Homeschooling is legal in Singapore, but requires regulation and an exemption to be granted. | 50 students per year |
Legal with provincial regulation. Homeschooling is legal under national law, but most provinces lack the administrative capacity to register home learners, so over 90% of parents do not formally register. | around 100,000 | |
Legal “Gray Area”. While the practice is technically illegal by law, the law is unclear, and homeschoolers generally do not face issues with authorities. | 2,000 students | |
Legal “Gray Area”. The constitution guarantees the right to education, but the government interprets this as a choice between registered schools. A determined “underground” homeschooling community exists | No specific number found | |
Suriname | Legal. Details are missing. | not specified |
Illegal. While the law allows for homeschooling under “exceptional circumstances”, these are very restrictive and rarely granted. | very few | |
Legal in around three quarters of the cantons, many of which are restrictive to very restrictive. | 2500 Children | |
Legal. Foreign nationals can also homeschool their children in Taiwan without restrictions. | 1000 children | |
Legal. Students in Thailand’s homeschooling system undergo annual assessments to ensure they are meeting the required educational standards. | around 1000 children | |
Trinidad and Tobago | Legal. Parents need to inform MOE (Ministry of Education) their intention to homeschool their child. Parents have to choose a curriculum to follow. Parents qualify if they have completed secondary school completely. | not specified |
Turkey | Illegal. Turkey has a compulsory 12-year education system, requiring attendance in state or private schools. Parents who fail to enroll their children in school may face penalties, including fines and, in some cases, imprisonment. | not found |
Ukraine | Legally but heavily regulated. | 100 families |
Legal. Homeschooling in UAE, especially in Dubai is officially recognized as a valid educational option for both Emirati and expatriate families in Dubai. | more than 2000 | |
Legal. Homeschooling is legal in all 50 states, but regulations vary from state to state. It is considered one of the best places in the world to be homeschooled. | About 3.1 to 3.7 million students | |
Legal. Homeschooling in UK is well-established and growing, with minimal government oversight and a flexible approach. | 111,700 children as of 2024 |