For founders

How can I run a microschool in Kansas?

Kansas recognizes 7 canonical operator models. Each has different legal compliance pathways, capital requirements, and family relationships. Choose the one that fits your team. You can change later, but the legal mechanics differ enough that the choice shapes facility planning and scholarship eligibility.

Independent Private School

Viable

The simplest and most common model for a Kansas microschool. Form an entity with the Kansas Secretary of State, register as a Non-Accredited Private School (NAPS) with KSDE via a one-time online filing, and operate. No state accreditation is required, no teacher certification is mandated, and no annual renewal is needed. Your school assumes full legal responsibility for enrolled students and families satisfy compulsory attendance by enrolling with you.

Top requirements

Form business entity with Kansas Secretary of State at https://sos.ks.gov/businesses/register-a-business.html ($85 online / $90 by mail for domestic LLC Articles of Organization).
Register as a Non-Accredited Private School with KSDE at https://apps.ksde.gov/naps_form/default.aspx — provide school name, address, and records custodian name/address. No fee, one-time filing.
Operate for substantially equivalent instructional hours: 465/year K, 1,116/year grades 1–11, 1,086/year grade 12.

Watch for

Accredited private schools (those accredited by KSDE or recognized agencies) have additional oversight; non-accredited status is the default and unlocks the light-touch regime.
Without accreditation, public schools are NOT required to accept credit transfer or grade-level placement for students leaving your school. Plan transcript and diploma handling accordingly.

Homeschool Cooperative

Viable

A shared-resource model where each family registers its own Non-Accredited Private School (NAPS) under K.S.A. 72-4345 and retains legal responsibility for competent instruction and substantially-equivalent hours. Your organization provides space, programming, and curriculum support but is NOT the child's school of record. Because Kansas treats all homeschools as private schools, the legal separation between a co-op and its participating families must be documented carefully.

Top requirements

Form business entity (LLC recommended) with Kansas Secretary of State.
Structure operations as a shared homeschool resource — each participating family independently registers its own NAPS with KSDE.
Maintain written agreements with families documenting that each family holds its own NAPS registration, its own attendance records, and its own compliance responsibility.

Watch for

Because Kansas has no separate home-education statute, the legal line between "co-op" and "private school" is thin. If you direct curriculum, issue report cards, or hold attendance as the responsible party, you may be reclassified as operating an unregistered private school.
Do not market as an "enrollment" arrangement; use cooperative, learning community, or shared resource language.

Certified Tutor Practice

Not viable

Kansas does NOT provide a standalone certified-tutor exemption from compulsory attendance. K.S.A. 72-3120 requires attendance at a public school or a private, denominational, or parochial school taught by a competent instructor — there is no separate tutor pathway. A tutor who instructs a single family would register as a Non-Accredited Private School for that family rather than under a tutor exemption. If you want to operate a one-instructor tuition-based program, use the Independent Private School (NAPS) model instead.

Religious Community School

Viable

A faith-integrated model operates under the same Non-Accredited Private School pathway as a secular independent school. Kansas does not have a religious-exemption-to-compulsory-attendance statute separate from private-school enrollment. Denominational and parochial schools register as NAPS (or as accredited private schools if they pursue accreditation through a recognized agency). There is no state curriculum review, so religious content integration is unrestricted.

Top requirements

Form business entity (often a nonprofit religious corporation) with Kansas Secretary of State.
Register as a Non-Accredited Private School with KSDE (same process as Independent Private School).
Provide substantially-equivalent hours and subjects; religious content may be integrated throughout.

Watch for

Kansas does NOT have a religious-exemption pathway separate from private-school registration. Families cannot individually claim a religious exemption from compulsory attendance — they must enroll in a private/parochial school or register their own NAPS.
Kansas does not regulate curriculum content for NAPS; however, if you seek participation in the Tax Credit for Low Income Students Scholarship Program, school-qualification criteria apply.

Childcare Preschool Program

Viable

A pre-compulsory-age program for children under age 7 operates under Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) child care licensing rather than KSDE private-school rules. Licensing categories include family child care home, group day care home, child care center, preschool, and school-age program. The regulations were substantially revised effective August 2, 2024, with updated staff training, health, and safety requirements under K.A.R. Chapter 28, Article 4.

Top requirements

Determine your licensure category under K.A.R. 28-4-113 et seq. — thresholds depend on the number of unrelated children, ages, and daily hours.
Apply for KDHE child care license via https://www.kdhe.ks.gov/280/Child-Care-Licensing (family child care home, group day care home, preschool, or child care center).
Comply with updated K.A.R. 28-4 child care regulations effective August 2, 2024 — staff training (orientation, health/safety, child maltreatment prevention, cognitive/social/emotional/physical development, medication administration), ratios, background checks.

Watch for

Child care licensing is an entirely separate regulatory universe from K-12 NAPS registration. Licensing fees, background checks, staff training, ratios, and inspections are far more intensive.
Short-term or part-day programs may qualify for exemption under K.A.R. 28-4-113; verify your exact structure with KDHE Child Care Licensing before opening.

Hybrid University Model

Viable

A part-time program where families each hold their own Non-Accredited Private School registration and the program provides core instruction 2–3 days per week. Because Kansas has no dedicated home-education statute, the legal structure mirrors the homeschool cooperative: families are the legally responsible private schools; your organization is a shared resource. Operating 4+ days per week with the same children begins to resemble a full private school and may require reclassifying as Independent Private School.

Top requirements

Form business entity (LLC recommended) with Kansas Secretary of State.
Verify each family has an active NAPS registration with KSDE before enrollment.
Operate on-site 2–3 days per week; families handle remaining instructional days under their own NAPS.

Watch for

If you operate 4–5 days per week and direct the full curriculum, Kansas may treat your program as the private school of record — requiring you to register as NAPS instead of each family.
Attendance-equivalent-hours requirements (1,116/year for grades 1–11) apply to the families, not to your program. Families must document sufficient total hours counting both on-site and at-home days.

Umbrella School Satellite

Not viable

Kansas does not have a statutory or regulatory framework for umbrella-school satellite arrangements. Because every private school simply registers as a Non-Accredited Private School with KSDE on a one-time filing, there is no practical benefit or precedent for operating under another school's "umbrella" the way umbrella registrations function in states like Texas or Tennessee. If you want to affiliate loosely with an established school for branding, accreditation assistance, or curriculum, you would still register your own NAPS.

For families

What programs help families pay for tuition?

Kansas funds private school tuition through 1 state program.

Tax-Credit Scholarships

70%

$10M annual cap

Tax Credit for Low Income Students Scholarship Program

lowIncomeScholarshipTaxCredit

Kansas's only private-school tax-credit scholarship program. Enacted in 2014 and codified at K.S.A. 72-4351 through 72-4357. Donors receive a 70% nonrefundable Kansas state income tax credit for contributions to Scholarship Granting Organizations (SGOs), which then award scholarships to eligible low-income students to attend qualified schools. The 2014 cap of $10M aggregate credits remains in effect: HB 2468 (2026 session) would have doubled the cap to $20M beginning in tax year 2026 AND opted Kansas into the federal FSTC program, but Gov. Kelly vetoed it April 6, 2026 and the veto was NOT overridden during the April 2026 veto session. Verify the current cap with the Kansas Department of Revenue before relying on expanded amounts.

Family eligibility (4 criteria)

Student household income at or below 250% of federal poverty guidelines.
Student must have been enrolled in a public school in the prior school year (K or grades 1–8), OR be age 7 or under and eligible to enroll in public school.
Donor contribution maximum: $500,000 per tax year per contributor.
Scholarship maximum: $8,000 per eligible student per school year.

School eligibility (4 criteria)

School must be registered with KSDE (either accredited or as an NAPS).
School must be a "qualified school" under the statute — notifies KSDE of intent to participate, provides evidence of compliance with state/federal anti-discrimination and civil rights laws, provides evidence of compliance with local health and safety codes.
School accepts scholarship payments from an SGO on behalf of eligible students.
School provides academic accountability information to the SGO as required by statute.

Family-side compliance

How families satisfy compulsory attendance

Kansas recognizes 2 legal pathways for families to satisfy compulsory attendance. The pathway determines who's legally on the hook (your microschool, the parent, or both) and shapes the operator model you should use.

Private School

K.S.A. 72-3120

A child who has reached age 7 and is under age 18 must attend either a public school OR a private, denominational, or parochial school taught by a competent instructor for a period of time substantially equivalent to the time public school is maintained. Kansas does NOT have a separate home-education statute; homeschools and private schools are both classified as Non-Accredited Private Schools (NAPS) unless accredited. All NAPS must register with KSDE under K.S.A. 72-4345.

Home Instruction

K.S.A. 72-3120 + K.S.A. 72-4345 (homeschool classified as NAPS)

Kansas has NO dedicated home-education statute. Homeschooling is accomplished by registering as a Non-Accredited Private School (NAPS). A family educating their own children simply picks a name, registers with KSDE, and operates as an NAPS. This differs from most states that have a separate "notice of intent" home-instruction pathway — in Kansas, the homeschool IS a private school legally.

Licensing triggers

When does Kansas require a state license?

Kansas imposes 2 state license requirements that may apply to your microschool. Most general microschools never trigger them.

Operating a child care facility — preschool, group day care home, family child care home, child care center, or school-age program serving children under compulsory attendance age or before/after school

K.A.R. Chapter 28, Article 4 (child care licensing); updated regulations effective August 2, 2024

Licensure by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE). Category (family child care home, group day care home, preschool, child care center, school-age program) depends on number of unrelated children, ages, and daily hours. Requirements include pre-service orientation, health/safety training, staff/child ratios, background checks, facility inspection, medication administration training, and child maltreatment prevention training. Short-term or part-day programs may be exempt — verify under K.A.R. 28-4-113.

Operating a private school primarily serving students with disabilities

K.S.A. 72-3429 et seq. (Special Education for Exceptional Children Act); KSDE Special Education and Title Services oversight

Private schools serving students with disabilities as a primary focus must coordinate with KSDE Special Education and Title Services for placement approvals, IDEA compliance, and — if accepting students whose services are funded through Individuals with Disabilities Education Act pass-through — meet state special-education program standards. Verify specific licensing or approval pathway with KSDE before marketing as a specialized-needs school.

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Verification

Primary sources

Every claim on this page traces to a primary source. The full list of state code sections, regulatory citations, and government program pages cited:

All sources cited (24)

Microschool laws in Kansas

How can I run a microschool in Kansas?

Independent Private School

Top requirements

Watch for

Homeschool Cooperative

Top requirements

Watch for

Certified Tutor Practice

Religious Community School

Top requirements

Watch for

Childcare Preschool Program

Top requirements

Watch for

Hybrid University Model

Top requirements

Watch for

Umbrella School Satellite

What programs help families pay for tuition?

Tax Credit for Low Income Students Scholarship Program

How families satisfy compulsory attendance

Private School

Home Instruction

When does Kansas require a state license?

Operating a child care facility — preschool, group day care home, family child care home, child care center, or school-age program serving children under compulsory attendance age or before/after school

Operating a private school primarily serving students with disabilities

Ready to plan your Kansas microschool?

Primary sources