The complete guide to organizing attendance logs, work samples, and compliance documents - without spending hours on paperwork.
If you're homeschooling, record-keeping is one of those tasks that feels tedious until you actually need your records. Then it becomes the most important thing you did all year.
Good homeschool records serve three critical purposes:
Even if your state has minimal record-keeping requirements, keeping basic records is a smart practice. State laws can change, and you may move to a state with stricter requirements. Records are much easier to maintain as you go than to reconstruct later.
The exact records required vary by state, but here is a comprehensive list of what most homeschool families should be tracking. Even if your state does not require all of these, keeping them gives you a complete picture of your child's education.
The most common requirement across states. An attendance log tracks the days your child attended school. It can be as simple as marking a calendar or as detailed as logging daily hours by subject.
Keep a list of all textbooks, workbooks, online programs, and other educational materials you used during the school year. This does not need to be purchased ahead of time - simply record what you actually used.
Save examples of your child's work throughout the year. These provide tangible evidence of educational progress and are often required for portfolio reviews.
If your state requires standardized testing, keep all score reports. Even if testing is not required, periodic assessment results can be valuable.
Some states require immunization records as part of your homeschool file. Even where not required, keeping them organized is practical for future school transitions.
Keep copies of every document you file with your state or school district. This includes:
Always make copies of anything you submit to your school district or state education department. If a document gets lost, your copy is proof that you filed it. Consider sending important filings via certified mail or keeping email confirmation of online submissions.
Our Binder Checklist Generator creates a customized list of exactly what your state requires.
Build Your ChecklistThe best organization system is the one you will actually use. There is no single right way to organize homeschool records, but here are two proven approaches.
A classic three-ring binder is still one of the most reliable ways to organize homeschool records. It is tangible, easy to flip through during an evaluation, and does not require any technology.
A digital system can be more flexible and easier to back up. Use cloud storage (Google Drive, Dropbox, iCloud) so your records are safe even if your computer fails.
2026-02-15_math_fractions-worksheet.jpgKeep a physical binder for evaluations and a digital backup for safety. It sounds like double work, but most of it is just snapping a photo of the physical work before filing it in the binder.
Blue Folder handles both sides for you. Upload photos of work samples, track attendance digitally, and export a polished PDF binder when you need one. Try it free.
The secret to painless record-keeping is a short, consistent routine. Set aside 15 minutes at the end of each month to do the following:
Fifteen minutes a month adds up to just three hours for the entire school year. Compare that to spending a full weekend (or more) scrambling to reconstruct records at evaluation time.
15 minutes per month x 10 months = 2.5 hours per year. That is the total time investment for a complete, organized set of records. Most families who wait until year-end spend 8-12 hours trying to reconstruct what they did.
Blue Folder's calendar tracks school days, holidays, and hours - and tells you if you're on pace for your state's requirements.
Get Started FreeRecord-keeping requirements vary significantly from state to state. Some states have almost no requirements, while others expect detailed documentation submitted on specific deadlines.
States like Texas, Alaska, and Idaho have minimal or no record-keeping requirements. However, we still recommend keeping basic attendance logs and work samples for your own protection.
States like Florida, North Carolina, and Georgia typically require a notice of intent, attendance records, and annual testing or evaluation. Records must usually be kept on file and available for inspection.
States like New York, Pennsylvania, and Massachusetts require detailed documentation including instruction plans, quarterly reports, portfolios, and standardized test results submitted to the school district.
Not sure what your state requires? Use our Compliance Checker to get a personalized checklist for your state in under 2 minutes.
Both digital and physical records have their advantages. Here is a practical comparison to help you decide what works for your family.
Bottom line: Keep digital backups of everything, and maintain a physical binder if your state requires portfolio reviews or if your evaluator prefers it. When in doubt, do both.
After helping hundreds of homeschool families get organized, we see the same mistakes come up again and again. Here are the ones to avoid.
This is by far the most common mistake. Families plan to "organize everything later" and then face a mountain of unsorted papers in May. The monthly 15-minute routine solves this completely.
Undated work is nearly useless for demonstrating progress. An evaluator needs to see growth over time, and that requires knowing when each piece of work was completed. Write the date on everything, even if it seems obvious in the moment.
Always make copies of documents you submit to your school district. If your notice of intent gets lost in the mail, your copy is proof that you filed it. Keep originals of assessment results and submitted reports.
You do not need to save every worksheet. Quality beats quantity. Two or three strong samples per subject per month is more than enough for any state's requirements. Over-documenting creates clutter that makes it harder to find what matters.
If you have multiple children, keep separate records for each. Do not combine attendance logs or work samples. When evaluation time comes, you will need to present records individually.
Do not throw away records at the end of the school year. Most states require retaining records for at least 1-2 years, and high school records should be kept permanently for college applications and transcripts.
Most states require keeping records for at least 1-2 years. However, many homeschool families keep records indefinitely. High school transcripts and diplomas should be kept permanently, as colleges and employers may request them years later.
At minimum, most states require attendance logs, a list of curriculum and materials used, and some form of assessment records. Many families also keep work samples, lesson plans, field trip documentation, and copies of any paperwork filed with their state or district. Use our Binder Checklist Generator for a state-specific list.
Most states do not require daily lesson plans. However, states like New York and Pennsylvania require detailed instructional logs or quarterly reports. Even in states that don't require them, keeping a simple weekly log of activities and subjects covered is a helpful best practice.
Yes, digital records are accepted in most states. Photos of work samples, scanned documents, and digital attendance logs are all valid. However, it is smart to keep backup copies and, if your state requires submitting physical documents, have a way to print them.