What the Law Requires
Hours, days, subjects, and what you have to file, quoted from the regulation.
- 900 hours a year, grades 1–6
- 990 hours a year, grades 7–12
- 180 days of instruction a year
8 NYCRR §100.10 — hours at (f)(2), days at (f)(1) read the full text at Cornell LII archived copy verified 2026-08-05
Where this text comes from
Cornell's Legal Information Institute is a verified mirror, not the official compilation. Title 8 NYCRR is published for the state by Thomson Reuters, whose copy answers an error to anything but a browser — which is why the link goes where it does. Every figure on this page was checked against the regulation body, and against a 2020 capture of the Education Department's own former copy of it.
What you have to file
Quarterly reports
A quarterly report four times a year, each giving hours of instruction completed, material covered in each subject, and either grades or a written narrative of progress. A written explanation is owed whenever less than 80 percent of the planned material was covered in ANY subject — the trigger is per subject, not an overall average.
Annual assessment
An annual assessment filed with the fourth quarterly report. A commercially published norm-referenced test always qualifies. An alternative evaluation, written by someone the parent chooses with the superintendent's consent, is allowed only in grades 1 through 3, and in grades 4 through 8 no more often than every other year. There is no alternative for grades 9 through 12.
Subjects you have to cover
The regulation lists subjects per grade band, in its own words. It says what to cover, not what a child must be able to do — that is what the skills pages are for.
For purposes of this subdivision, a unit means 6,480 minutes of instruction per school year. (e)(1)
Grades 1–6 — 900 hours a year
- arithmetic
- reading
- spelling
- writing
- the English language
- geography
- United States history
- science
- health education
- music
- visual arts
- physical education
- bilingual education and/or English as a second language where the need is indicated
§100.10(e)(2)(i)
Grades 7–8 — 990 hours a year
- English (two units)
- history and geography (two units)
- science (two units)
- mathematics (two units)
- physical education (on a regular basis)
- health education (on a regular basis)
- art (one-half unit)
- music (one-half unit)
- practical arts (on a regular basis)
- library skills (on a regular basis)
§100.10(e)(2)(ii) · unit counts are cumulative across the band, not per year
Grades 9–12 — 990 hours a year
- English (four units)
- social studies (four units), which includes one unit of American history, one-half unit in participation in government, and one-half unit of economics
- mathematics (two units)
- science (two units)
- art and/or music (one unit)
- health education (one-half unit)
- physical education (two units)
- three units of electives
§100.10(e)(2)(iv) · unit counts are cumulative across the band, not per year
Required on top of the lists above
The following courses shall be taught at least once during the first eight grades: United States history, New York State history, and the Constitutions of the United States and New York State.
§100.10(e)(2)(iii)
Patriotism and citizenship; substance abuse; traffic safety and, for students who are old enough, highway safety; and fire and arson prevention, as required by Education Law sections 801, 804, 806 and 808.
§100.10(e)(2)(v)
Where you actually live
Almost certainly not New York, and almost certainly less than this. We use §100.10 as the ceiling because it counts hours, counts days, names subjects, and asks for quarterly reports and an annual assessment, which is about as much as any state asks — not because it applies to you. Requirements vary enormously by state, from annual portfolio review to nothing at all. Check your own state's department of education before you plan a year around this page.