Homeschooling in Virginia, US

[nobeatenpath]

Looking for someone to point me in the right direction for information about homeschooling in Virginia for Highschool aged kids. There is a chance we could be moving there in a few years so I want to start looking in to what is available - co-ops, homeschool groups etc.

We are secular homeschoolers. We are not US citizens, and not bound by US state homeschool laws. Are there a lot of opportunities for homeschoolers? Does anyone know about Community College opportunities (especially for non-US citizens)? Any and all information welcome.

[Angie in VA]

There are many activities and opportunities for homeschoolers in my area. Of course it will depend where in VA you end up living, but you might not want to share that info on a message board. I wouldn't. ;) 

 

Sorry I don't know about non-US citizens attending community colleges. Hope someone else can help w/ that. 

 

I'll add some links so I can pretend to be useful. 

 

http://vahomeschoolers.org/guide/local-groups/

 

https://www.thehomeschoolmom.com/homeschooling-in-virginia/homeschool-organizations-support-groups/

 

https://www.home-school.com/groups/VA.html

 

 

I hope you're happy in the US in general and in Virginia in particular. :)

[Reefgazer]

I homeschool in Virginia and the laws here are not too bad.  Send a letter of intent to your local superintendent along with a list of subjects you'll be teaching and you are all set.  Test once at end of year with standardized test (I think these days you can submit SAT/ACT scores in lieu of the CAT or IOWA test).

 

Here are 2 websites that have had helpful and straightforward info and got me started:

 

http://heav.org/

 

http://www.hslda.org/

 

That last one is religious and has a religious agenda, but I just pull what I need off of it and that's that.

 

Where will you be homeschooling in Virginia?  We are in the Norfolk-VA Beach area, and there are a ton of homeschool co-ops here, both religious and not; something for everyone.  In fact, I'd say this was one of the best places to homeschool because the laws are not really onerous, there are so very many community resources here, and tons of homeschooling groups.

 

Your teens can attend college at 16, or earlier if they pass the (very easy) placement test.  You'll have to pay non-state resident tuition, though.
 

Edited September 24, 2016 by reefgazer

[G5052]

FWIW, the homeschooling laws in Virginia apply regardless of your citizenship unless you're in a situation where there's diplomatic immunity. It's where you live, not where you're from. They are part of overall schooling laws, which specify that children must be educated in a private, public, or homeschool situation. As other stated, you will have to notify the county where you live and provide certain documentation. With that, your children could be considered truant if the police get involved.

 

You will be out-of-state tuition at the community colleges until you're been a resident for a year. You'll have to supply information about your status there, but no barriers otherwise.

Edited September 25, 2016 by G5052

[nobeatenpath]

We would be in Norfolk and yes, we would have diplomatic type immunity (covered by the SOFA for military bods reading this). Thanks for the links, they have been really helpful.