Starting a Home School in North Carolina – Requirements & Recommendations

North Carolina law defines a home school as a non-public school consisting of the children of not more than two families or households, where the parents or legal guardians or members of either household determine the scope and sequence of the academic instruction, provide academic instruction, and determine additional sources of academic instruction. General Statute 115C-563(a) as amended changes the definition of a home school to allow parents to hire tutors, let their children participate in group settings where they receive instruction (co-ops, 4-H classroom instruction, etc.) and be instructed by an expert that is not a part of the household in the established homeschool (apprenticeships, a homeschool doctor teaching biology, etc.) This will allow homeschool parents more freedom to choose what is best for the education of their children.

The NC Division of Non-Public Education (DNPE) is authorized by state law to receive home school notices of intent to begin initial operation and to terminate operation, and to annually inspect the school’s student attendance and nationally standardized achievement test result records. Chief Administrators of home schools should anticipate receiving a request(s) to meet virtually with a DNPE representative while the home school is in operation. The virtual meeting could include requesting documents via email to be shared with the division, or via video chat.

The North Carolina Division of Non-Public Education does not provide the educational curricula or textbooks for home education. The chief administrator is responsible for selecting and acquiring all resources.

Requirements

Parents/guardians residing in North Carolina and desiring to home school their school-age children must:

• Hold at least a high school diploma or its equivalent. Proof of military and/or college enrollment or completion will suffice.
• Send to DNPE a Notice of Intent to Operate a Home School. The notice must include the name and address of the school along with the chief administrator.​
  • Instructions for Selecting a Home School Name
    • ​When selecting your school name, choose an academic name appropriate for inclusion on the student’s future high school diploma (which would be provided by your school).
      • Keep in mind that DNPE will not be able to accommodate requests for a change of school name in the division’s files.
    • School name length should not exceed 30 characters (including spaces and punctuation).
    • To avoid duplication and confusion, do not use the following words in the name: charter, college, elementary, grade, grammar, high, incorporated (or Inc.), junior, kindergarten, lower, middle, primary, public, residence, schooling, secondary, seminary, senior, the, university, or upper.
    • Please avoid using names of public or private schools in your area, or using the name of the instructional program/online service you are using.
    • Any school submitting its Notice of Intent without providing a school name will automatically be assigned a school name beginning with the last name of the chief administrator followed by the word “School.”
    • Click here to find more information and the link to submit a Notice of Intent
• Elect to operate under either Part 1 or Part 2 of Article 39 of the North Carolina General Statutes as a religious or as a non-religious school.
• Operate (conduct instruction in) the home school on a regular schedule for at least nine calendar months of the year, excluding holidays and vacations.
• Maintain disease immunization and annual attendance records for each student at the school.
• Have a nationally standardized achievement test administered during each academic year to each student. The test must involve the subject areas of English grammar, reading, spelling and mathematics. Records of the test results must be retained at the home school for at least one year and made available to DNPE when requested. The first standardized test must be administered within the academic year of the home school start date, and then annually thereafter.
• Notify DNPE when the school is no longer in operation.

Reminders

1. To avoid needless delays, always check for the latest updates to the Notice of Intent sending your notice.
2. Please do not send a Notice of Intent to DNPE for the present school year if the only students to be enrolled in your home school:
   • are currently under age 7 and will not turn age 7 in the present/current school year, or
   • are currently 18 years of age or older.
3. Please send your Notice of Intent five days prior of your home school’s initial opening date. If any of your children will turn age 7 before this coming June 1, please send your Notice of Intent at least 5 days before the child’s 7th birthday. One notice per school — not per student.
4. No Notices of Intent are accepted in May and June (no exceptions). If your home school will operate only during the summer months, do not send a Notice of Intent to DNPE.
5. The State of North Carolina home school statistical year begins each July 1 and concludes the following June 30. Therefore, do not file your Notice of Intent until after July 1 of the home school statistical year in which your home school will begin initial operation.
6. In continuing your school from year to year, do not send a Notice of Intent to DNPE unless you have previously notified DNPE that your school was terminated. If it was previously terminated and you are now re-opening it, answer “Yes” to question 1 and then, on that same line, give the former county if it will now be in a different one. Give the current county on line 2.
7. The State of North Carolina has no legal authority outside of its geographical borders. If the student is living outside of the geographical borders of the State of North Carolina, do not send a Notice of Intent form to DNPE.
8. If a home school does not meet all its legal requirements, DNPE will notify the local public school superintendent that the North Carolina compulsory school attendance law is not being satisfied. The local public school superintendent will then take appropriate action.
9. A home school that has met its legal requirements is a non-public school. A photocopy of the student’s cumulative record from his/her previous school may be obtained and kept at the site of the home school if the parent so desires. The last public or private educational institution which the student attended should retain the original record.
10. DNPE suggests that before finalizing plans for establishing a home school, you first consult with the chief administrator of the local conventional school (public or private) which your child would otherwise be attending. Ask how that administrator would handle the grade placement of your child should you decide later to terminate your home school and enroll your child in that school. The initial point of student entry into the North Carolina public school system is the kindergarten level.
11. When sending your Notice of Intent to DNPE, always include diploma documentation or an official high school/GED or college transcript certifying the graduation date for all persons named as a provider of academic instruction.
12. Do not withdraw your child from his/her present school or begin your school until you have received written acknowledgment from DNPE that your completed Notice of Intent to Operate a School form has been received.

Recommendations

While not mandated by law, home schools are encouraged to:

1. Offer instruction of at least similar quality, scope and duration as local conventional schools.
2. Maintain at least five hours of instruction with the student(s) each school day.
3. Maintain a current daily log, journal or lesson plan book throughout the entire school year detailing time period for each subject each day and information covered during the specified time period.
4. Retain records at your school until the student has enrolled in a conventional school or has graduated. It is a good idea to keep this information indefinitely.
5. Annually update your homeschool information, enrollment and/or make any changes, if necessary in your homeschool portal. See our Annual Reporting Guidance for NC Homeschools document for more information.

Home School Academics