What Tennessee actually asks of a family teaching their own children. Written plainly, and honest where the answer is that nobody asks for anything.
United StatesFiling requiredWho is in charge
Local director of schools (independent home school); the church-related umbrella school (satellite route)
Who actually reviews your child
The local director of schools for independent home schools; the umbrella school's director for satellite families.
Prior to each school year
Goes to: Local director of schools
Names, number, ages and grade levels of the children; the location of the school; the proposed curriculum; the proposed hours of instruction; and the qualifications of the parent-teacher.
At the end of each school year
Goes to: SUBMITTED to the director of schools
Within 30 days of the statewide test date if a professional testing service is used
How often: at those grades
Goes to: SUBMITTED to the director of schools
Read directly from the Tennessee DOE FAQ on 2026-08-11: 'the results of a nationally normed achievement test administered in grades five, seven, and nine shall be submitted to the director of schools.'
With the notice of intent
Goes to: Local director of schools
Filing on time is the easy half. The harder half is the year in between: showing what your child actually learned, in words the reviewer recognises, without turning your home into a school.
That is what this app is for. You say what your child did, in a sentence. It maps that to the real curriculum for Tennessee and builds the record you can hand over the day someone asks. See how it works.