Delaware homeschool law

This is general information, not legal advice; check your state's own page. Laws change, and Delaware's own statute and education department are the final word. The links below go straight to them.

Checked on October 27, 2026 against the sources linked on this page.

• This year's checklist
• Withdrawing from school

Who must attend school

Every person with legal custody of a child between 5 and 16 years of age must enroll the child in a public school, unless the child is enrolled in a private school or home-schooled as 14 Del. C. 2703A provides (14 Del. C. 2702, 2703). The Department of Education's registration page says children between 5 (by August 31) and 18 must be enrolled in a public or nonpublic school, which differs from the statute's 16; the same page says you do not have to open a homeschool if your child is 16 or older. Source: Delaware Code Title 14, Chapter 27, Subchapter I: School Attendance Requirements (General Assembly)

Education savings accounts and vouchers

No program foundWe did not find a state-funded education savings account or voucher open to homeschool families. The Department's school choice page covers only public schools (traditional, charter and vocational-technical), and its homeschool FAQ says there is no funding provided by the Department for Delaware nonpublic schools (checked 2026-10-27). Check the Department's school choice page for new programs. Source: Delaware Department of Education: Nonpublic school FAQs, Delaware Department of Education: School Choice

What to do first

1. Read Delaware's own pages, linked under each row below, so you know what applies to your situation.
2. Notice: Register before withdrawing from public school; report attendance by July 31 and enrollment by September 30 each year To: Delaware Department of Education, Nonpublic School system.
3. If your child is in school now: Open the homeschool and enroll your children before withdrawing from a Delaware public school, or the child is treated as truant. Give the public school the Acknowledgement Letter. To go back to public school, withdraw the student in the system, reprint the letter showing the withdrawal, and bring it with the student's academic portfolio; the public school decides the grade level.
4. Plan the year around the days or hours and the subjects below.
5. Start your records on day one: a simple attendance log, a list of books read and a work sample or two for each subject.

Other legal routes in Delaware

• Multi-family homeschool. Children not all related as brother or sister are educated mainly by their parents or legal guardians in one or more residences or other facilities. A liaison reports enrollment and attendance to the Department for all families.
• Single-family homeschool coordinated with the local school district. A parent or guardian educates the child mainly in their own residence using a curriculum approved by the local superintendent, who determines in writing that the child is or will be given regular and thorough instruction in the subjects prescribed for the public schools.
• Private school. A private school must be registered with the Department, have a physical location in Delaware, and report attendance and enrollment. The Department does not register online or digital private schools.

Records to keep

The only reports the law requires are the annual attendance report (by July 31) and enrollment statement (by September 30). The Department does not keep student records and does not require a portfolio, but recommends keeping one with grades, attendance and test scores, because the public school decides placement if the student returns. Whatever the law asks, many families also keep a simple attendance log, a list of books read and a few work samples for each subject; they cost nothing and help if you move or return to school.

Good to know

• A homeschool is considered a nonpublic school, and students in homeschools are deemed parentally-placed private school children for equitable services under the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (14 Del. C. 2703A).
• Using an online curriculum or virtual school does not remove the need to register: the Department says you must still register a Delaware homeschool, and an online school is not an open Delaware homeschool.
• Sports: Delaware Interscholastic Athletic Association regulations 1008 and 1009 require a student to be enrolled full time at a member school to represent it in interscholastic athletics.
• The Department does not issue diplomas or transcripts or validate credentials for nonpublic schools. A student enrolled in a Delaware homeschool is entitled to one free driver education course through an adult education program, and students need to be registered in a public or nonpublic school at graduation to use state programs like SEED and INSPIRE scholarships.
• Law change: the Department says a June 2023 change moved the enrollment deadline for nonpublic schools from October 5 to September 30.

Where this comes from

• Delaware Code Title 14, Chapter 27, Subchapter I: School Attendance Requirements (General Assembly) (the law)
• Delaware Department of Education: Homeschools and Private Schools (state education department)
• Delaware Department of Education: Register for a Nonpublic School (state education department)
• Delaware Department of Education: Nonpublic school FAQs (state education department)
• Delaware Department of Education: School Choice (state education department)

Checked on October 27, 2026. This is general information, not legal advice; check your state's own page, and confirm with your school district or the department before you rely on a date. Something out of date? Tell us and we will fix it.