Super Simple Homeschool Record Keeping

The forms I have listed here are extensive. Yes, I am going to remind you to review your state requirements because you would hate to discover that you were missing a form or that you made more work for yourself then you needed to.

FORMS

• School Calendar
• Attendance
• A Course of Study
• Grades
• Book Log
• Samples: tests, essays, photos of field trips, artwork, PE logs, Scout awards
• Medical records

Because I had multiple students I used colored file folders for each child and for the administrative records.

You can get forms for free at DonnaYoung.org.  I have been using her site for 15 years!  Her site is the most thorough site for homeschooling forms I have ever found that once I found it I never searched for another.

Putting It Together

Administrative Records Section

• School Calendar
  A calendar showing the beginning and end of your school year.  If your school is year round then you can make a note on the calendar stating that your program is year round.
• Medical Records
  Usually, verification supplied from your family doctor of vaccinations, vision test, and dental visits.
• Copies of forms and correspondence with the school district
  A copy of the affidavit and receipt you have given the school district.  Letters sent to you from the school district
• Attendance
  A simple record of the days your children were taught.

Course Records

• Course of Study
  A detailed plan of you what you will cover.
• Grades
  The assigned grades i.e. letter for each course
• Book Log
  The books you have used for each course plus any additions you have added.
• Samples
  A collection of tests, essays, photos of field trips, artwork and any other form of documentation that shows achievement and progression of the studies.

For samples, I made a separate file for each course.

For example, in my Math file folder, I kept my son's tests to demonstrate his progression in the math program.

If you don’t want to go to your local district office a good reliable place to find out what records your state requires is Home School Legal Defense Association or most popularly known as HSLDA.  There are also websites and online homeschool support groups that are specific to your state which can be found with a quick Google search.

Your Family's Needs

I like super simple, and the families that I taught how to keep records liked this system too.  What’s nice is that you can start with this basic approach and develop a homeschool record keeping system that works with your family's needs.

When my sons grew older, I added files for interesting opportunities, colleges, transcripts, and conferences that were happening in the area.  Things like that.

Now all you need to do is work on the hard stuff like remembering to use your book log and filling out your attendance sheet.  Those are the two documents that I am always filling out at the last minute!  You don't want to do that, trust me!