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

North Carolina 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 North Carolina'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 North Carolina

File
A Notice of Intent, once per home school (not per child), through the DNPE online portal. §
To
Division of Non-Public Education (DNPE), NC Department of Administration. §
By
At least five business days before you begin. DNPE takes no notices in May or June. §
Keep
Annual attendance and immunization records for each student, and test results for at least one year. §
Test
A nationally standardized test every year: English grammar, reading, spelling and math. No minimum score. §
Starting this year
  • At least five business days before you begin: File a Notice of Intent with the Division of Non-Public Education through its online portal (one per home school).
  • Each school year: Give each student a nationally standardized test and keep the results for at least one year.
Already homeschooling
  • Each school year: Give each student a nationally standardized test and keep the results for at least one year.
Leaving a school mid-year
  • Before your child leaves school: Do not withdraw your child or start the home school until DNPE has acknowledged your completed Notice of Intent.

DNPE says not to withdraw your child from their current school or start the home school until DNPE has acknowledged your completed Notice of Intent.

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

What North Carolina's law asks you to keep, as tools: Attendance · Reading log. The same rows for every state: what to file, by state.

Checked . § = source: DNPE: How to start a home school; DNPE: Standardized testing required for home schools. Information, not legal advice.

Quick answers

Notice
One-time noticeBefore starting, file a Notice of Intent with the state Division of Non-Public Education (DNPE) through its online portal, at least five business days before you begin. It gives the school's name and address, the chief administrator's name, and proof the teacher has a high school diploma or equivalent. File one per home school, not per child. DNPE does not take notices in May or June. Tell DNPE when the school closes. Checked October 27, 2026. Source: DNPE: How to start a home school
Days or hours
No number givenThe law sets no number of days or hours. A home school must operate on a regular schedule, excluding reasonable holidays and vacations, during at least nine calendar months of the year. DNPE recommends, but does not require, five hours of instruction each school day. Checked October 27, 2026. Source: NC General Statutes Chapter 115C, Article 39 (private and home schools)
Subjects
The home school law does not list required subjects, and it says a school that follows it is not subject to other education laws except immunization. The yearly test must cover English grammar, reading, spelling and mathematics. Checked October 27, 2026. Source: NC General Statutes Chapter 115C, Article 39 (private and home schools)
Testing or evaluation
A testEvery year the chief administrator must give each student a nationally standardized test (or equivalent measure) covering English grammar, reading, spelling and mathematics. There is no minimum score. Results stay in the home school's files for at least one year and are shown to DNPE if it asks. The state does not provide or pay for the test. Checked October 27, 2026. Source: DNPE: Standardized testing required for home schools
Records
Keep annual attendance records and immunization records for each student, and keep the test results for at least one year. DNPE may ask to see them. DNPE recommends, but does not require, keeping a daily log and keeping records until the student graduates. Checked October 27, 2026. Source: DNPE: How to start a home school, DNPE: Standardized testing required for home schools
Who must attend school
A child between the ages of seven and 16 must attend school (G.S. 115C-378). A home school registered with the state counts as a school. Source: G.S. 115C-378 (children required to attend)
Education savings accounts and vouchers
A program is open to homeschool familiesNorth Carolina's Personal Education Student Accounts (ESA+) are for children with a disability. Funds may pay for things like curricula, tutoring and standardized test fees, but not tuition and fees for a home school. The state's Opportunity Scholarship tuition grants go to schools that meet the private-school parts of the law, which the law defines to leave out home schools. We could not load the scholarship agency's own pages; check them for current details. Personal Education Student Accounts for Children with Disabilities (ESA+). What taking the money changes, in full. Source: NC General Statutes Chapter 115C, Article 41 (Personal Education Student Accounts), NC General Statutes Chapter 115C, Article 39 (private and home schools), NC State Education Assistance Authority: ESA+ new student application guide, January 2026 (PDF), NC State Education Assistance Authority: ESA+ for home schools, January 2025 (PDF)

What to do first

  1. Read North Carolina's own pages, linked under each row below, so you know what applies to your situation.
  2. Notice: At least five business days before starting To: Division of Non-Public Education, NC Department of Administration.
  3. If your child is in school now: DNPE says not to withdraw your child from their current school or start the home school until DNPE has acknowledged your completed Notice of Intent.
  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.
  6. Put the testing or evaluation date on your calendar.

The state's own form or page: doa.nc.gov/divisions/non-public-education/home-schools/file-notice-intent-operate-home-school

Other legal routes in North Carolina

  • Private church school or qualified nonpublic school. A home school must elect to operate under the rules for either a private church school (Part 1) or a qualified nonpublic school (Part 2) of the same law. Both parts set the same nine-month schedule and test rules (G.S. 115C-564).

Records to keep

Keep annual attendance records and immunization records for each student, and keep the test results for at least one year. DNPE may ask to see them. DNPE recommends, but does not require, keeping a daily log and keeping records until the student graduates. 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: the persons providing academic instruction in a home school must hold at least a high school diploma or its equivalent (G.S. 115C-564).
  • A home school means a nonpublic school made up of the children of not more than two families or households (G.S. 115C-563).
  • Immunization: home schools must keep immunization records, and the law still applies to them (G.S. 115C-565).
  • No state law gives home-schooled students a right to join public school classes or activities; each school or district decides (DNPE FAQ).
  • The Driving Eligibility Certificate requirement for teen drivers is eliminated effective October 1, 2026, per DNPE, citing S.L. 2026-46.
  • Home-schooled students may take the PSAT/NMSQT or PreACT and advanced course exams at their assigned public school, paying the cost (G.S. 115C-565.1).

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.