Extracurricular Activities

Home School Sponsored Sports and Extracurricular Activities

Larger cities and towns usually have sports and other extracurricular activities for home schoolers. These are usually organized by home schoolers in the area. Choices may be more limited in rural areas. Check with your local home school support group to find out what opportunities exist in your area. Check with a support group in a nearby larger city or town if you can’t find the activity your are looking for in your own community.

Many home school families utilize local sports and activity programs through their local Boy’s Club, Scouts, Y, or City sponsored activity programs.

Home School Participation in Public School Athletics

Home schoolers are not allowed to participate in interscholastic athletic competitions that are sanctioned by the Arkansas Activities Association. All public schools and many private schools are members of the Arkansas Activities Association. http://www.ahsaa.org/ The Arkansas Activities Association requires that eligible athletes be enrolled in at least 4 courses at the school and that they have at least a 2 point GPA in order to be eligible to play sports for a particular school. This means that all athletes must pass at least 4 subjects with at least a C average in the school that they play for. The same is true for cheerleading, band, choir and other activities sanctioned by the Arkansas Activities Association.

Home School Participation in Private School Athletics

Private schools that are members of AAA must treat home schoolers the same as public schools. A small number of private schools with athletic programs are not members of AAA. Home schoolers can play for those schools subject to the approval of the school.

Home School Participation in Public School Extracurricular Activities Such as Choir and Band

Home school students can attend band practice, choir, and other extracurricular activities in public schools as along as they are not part of the choir, band or group when it competes against other schools. For example, a home school student can practice with the public school choir and even sing in the school’s Christmas program. However, they cannot compete with the choir in competitions against other schools. The same is true with band. The home school student could practice with the school band, and play for school programs, but they could not play at a sporting event involving another school that is a member of AAA.

In order to enroll in public school choir or band, a home school student must have the approval of the local public school district. Public school districts are free to exclude home schoolers from any of their programs.