Skip to the content
Peabody HomeschoolEvery homeschool law, plan, record and tool, free

New Hampshire homeschool law

Notice, days or hours, subjects, testing and records, in plain words, with the source for each.

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

Checked on against the sources linked on this page.

What to file in New Hampshire

File
Optional. No declaration of home education is required, except to get access to public school programs under RSA 193:1-c or when withdrawing from a public school. §
To
Resident school district, only when a declaration is needed §
By
No date. §
Keep
The chapter requires no records. §
Test
The home education chapter requires no test, evaluation or portfolio review. §
Leaving a school mid-year
  • When you withdraw your child from a public school: A declaration of home education is required when you withdraw from a public school (and to use public school programs). Otherwise none is required.

A declaration of home education is required upon withdrawal from a public school (RSA 193-A:3).

Open your attendance recordStart the Tap Clock, if you want to

Checked (quoted from the record below). § = source: RSA 193-A (Home Education), General Court of New Hampshire. Information, not legal advice.

Quick answers

Notice
Notice is optionalNo declaration of home education is required, except to get access to public school programs under RSA 193:1-c or when withdrawing from a public school. A signed optional declaration gives the child's name, date of birth and address. This is the law as rewritten by 2026 chapter 297, effective July 1, 2026; sections 193-A:6, 193-A:10 and 193-A:11 of the old chapter were repealed that day. Checked October 27, 2026. Source: RSA 193-A (Home Education), General Court of New Hampshire
Days or hours
None setThe home education law sets no number of days or hours. It says dates and hours of instruction do not have to match the district calendar, and the academic term does not have to match the district school year. Checked October 27, 2026. Source: RSA 193-A (Home Education), General Court of New Hampshire
Subjects
The home education chapter lists no required subjects. It says no school official or state official may propose, adopt or enforce a policy governing home educated students, other than policies on public school courses and programs a family chooses to use under RSA 193:1-c. Checked October 27, 2026. Source: RSA 193-A (Home Education), General Court of New Hampshire
Testing or evaluation
No testing requiredThe home education chapter requires no test, evaluation or portfolio review. It says the state may not treat the lack of notice, records, evaluations or assessments in a home education program run under the chapter as a failure to provide education. Checked October 27, 2026. Source: RSA 193-A (Home Education), General Court of New Hampshire
Records
The chapter requires no records. It says the state may not use the lack of notice, records, evaluations or assessments as a failure to provide education. Anything a family sends to a state agency, district or government entity about its program is confidential and cannot be shared without the parent's written consent. Checked October 27, 2026. Source: RSA 193-A (Home Education), General Court of New Hampshire
Who must attend school
A child at least 6 years of age and under 18 years of age must attend the assigned public school unless an exception applies, and receiving home education under RSA 193-A is one of the exceptions (RSA 193:1). Source: RSA 193:1 (compulsory attendance)
Education savings accounts and vouchers
A program exists, and taking the money changes your homeschool statusNew Hampshire's Education Freedom Account program (RSA 194-F) is open to a resident who is eligible to enroll in a public school. Taking part ends the home education program. The parent signs an agreement to teach the core knowledge domains and to give a yearly record of educational attainment: a standardized test, the statewide assessment, or a portfolio reviewed by a teacher. Funds pay for things like curriculum, tutoring and test fees. Enrollment may be capped; check current rules. Education Freedom Account (EFA). What taking the money changes, in full. Source: RSA 194-F (Education Freedom Accounts), Children's Scholarship Fund NH: EFA questions, September 2025 (PDF), NH Department of Education: Education Freedom Accounts, NH Department of Education: EFA fact sheet, November 2025 (PDF), Children's Scholarship Fund NH (EFA scholarship organization): apply, Children's Scholarship Fund NH: EFA parent handbook 2026 (PDF)

What to do first

  1. Read New Hampshire's own pages, linked under each row below, so you know what applies to your situation.
  2. Notice: it is optional. Read the notice row below before you decide.
  3. If your child is in school now: A declaration of home education is required upon withdrawal from a public school (RSA 193-A:3).
  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.

Records to keep

The chapter requires no records. It says the state may not use the lack of notice, records, evaluations or assessments as a failure to provide education. Anything a family sends to a state agency, district or government entity about its program is confidential and cannot be shared without the parent's written consent. 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

  • Who may teach: a home educated student is one receiving an education provided, coordinated, or directed by a parent for his or her own child.
  • Public-school access: home educated pupils have access to the district's curricular courses and cocurricular programs, including athletics, the statewide assessment and the PSAT. The local policy cannot be more restrictive for them than for the district's own pupils (RSA 193:1-c).
  • Optional certificate of completion: a parent may certify that a program is complete, and if the parent sends it to the commissioner of education, the commissioner issues a certificate within 30 days (RSA 193-A:5).
  • Recent change: the home education chapter was rewritten by 2026, chapter 297, effective July 1, 2026. Sections 193-A:6, 193-A:10 and 193-A:11 were repealed that day, so older guides may describe rules that no longer apply.
  • Data: a home educated child is not tracked in the statewide longitudinal data system unless counted in the district's attendance membership or taking the statewide assessment (RSA 193-A:4).
  • A home education program ends when the student enrolls full time in a public school, a public charter school, a nonpublic school, or the education freedom account program.

Where this comes from

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.