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South 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 South 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 South Carolina

File
Depends on the option: apply to the district board (Option 1) or join an association (Options 2 and 3). §
To
Option 1: the district board of trustees. Options 2 and 3: the association. §
By
Option 1: before starting. Associations report to districts by January 30. §
Keep
Option 1: a plan book, a portfolio and evaluations, plus a semiannual progress report to the district. 180 days. §
Test
Option 1: the statewide tests for the grade. None in the statute for Options 2 and 3. §

The law's number: 180 days. In its words: “at least 180 days”. Your Record Book offers it as a target; it is never filled in for you.

Starting this year
  • Before you start: Choose your option. Option 1: apply to your district board of trustees, which must approve the program. Options 2 and 3: join the South Carolina Association of Independent Home Schools or another association of at least 50 members, which reports to the district by January 30.

Open your attendance recordStart the Tap Clock

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

Checked . § = source: S.C. Code Title 59 Chapter 65 (South Carolina Legislature). Information, not legal advice.

Quick answers

Notice
Depends on the routeThere are three homeschool options. Option 1: apply to the school district board of trustees where you live. The application describes the program, the texts and materials, how you will evaluate, and where you will teach, and the board must approve it if you meet the standards. Options 2 and 3: join the South Carolina Association of Independent Home Schools, or another association of at least 50 members. The association reports the number and grade level of its children to the districts by January 30. Checked October 27, 2026. Source: S.C. Code Title 59 Chapter 65 (South Carolina Legislature)
Days or hours
Days and hoursOption 1: the instructional day is at least four and one-half hours, not counting lunch and recesses, and the year is at least 180 days. Options 2 and 3 (association standards): the law requires the instructional year to be at least 180 days. It sets no hours-per-day rule for them. Checked October 27, 2026. Source: S.C. Code Title 59 Chapter 65 (South Carolina Legislature)
Subjects
Reading, writing, mathematics, science and social studies, plus composition and literature in grades 7 through 12. The law says the curriculum includes, but is not limited to, these areas. Checked October 27, 2026. Source: S.C. Code Title 59 Chapter 65 (South Carolina Legislature)
Testing or evaluation
Depends on the routeOption 1: students take the annual statewide testing program and the Basic Skills Assessment Program for their grade, given by a certified school district employee, with public school students or at the place of instruction at the parent's option (the parent pays the test giver for a home test). First-grade-age students are tested for readiness in the first fifteen instructional days of the school year. The Department of Education says Option 1 students take part. The statute lists no state test for Options 2 and 3. Checked October 27, 2026. Source: S.C. Code Title 59 Chapter 65 (South Carolina Legislature)
Records
Option 1: keep a plan book, diary or other written record of subjects taught and activities, a portfolio of samples of the student's academic work, and a record of evaluations. The district may inspect them on reasonable notice. Send the district a semiannual progress report with attendance and an assessment in each basic subject. Option 3 associations require the same kinds of records. The Department says the parent-teacher keeps the records. Checked October 27, 2026. Source: S.C. Code Title 59 Chapter 65 (South Carolina Legislature)
Who must attend school
A child must attend school from the school year in which they turn five before September 1 until their 17th birthday or high school graduation. A parent whose child is not six by September 1 may sign a form to skip kindergarten (S.C. Code 59-65-10).
Education savings accounts and vouchers
A program exists, and taking the money changes your homeschool statusThe Department of Education runs the Education Scholarship Trust Fund ($7,634 per student for 2026-27). Students homeschooled under Option 1, 2 or 3 are not eligible. A family can instead educate at home with the scholarship, but cannot enroll in an Option 1-3 association or attend the resident public school, and the signed ESTF agreement then satisfies compulsory attendance. The department's program page says the 2026-27 application has closed at the 15,000-student limit. Education Scholarship Trust Fund (ESTF). What taking the money changes, in full. Source: SC Department of Education: ESTF FAQ, SC Department of Education: Education Scholarship Trust Fund Program, South Carolina ESTF program site (ClassWallet, linked by the Department of Education), SC Department of Education: Education Scholarship Trust Fund report

What to do first

  1. Read South Carolina's own pages, linked under each row below, so you know what applies to your situation.
  2. Notice: Option 1: apply to the district board before starting; associations report to districts by January 30 To: Option 1: district board of trustees. Options 2 and 3: the association.
  3. Plan the year around the days or hours and the subjects below.
  4. Start your records on day one: a simple attendance log, a list of books read and a work sample or two for each subject.
  5. Put the testing or evaluation date on your calendar.

Other legal routes in South Carolina

  • Private or church school. A child may instead attend a private school approved by the State Board of Education, a member school of the South Carolina Independent Schools' Association or the South Carolina Association of Christian Schools, or a parochial, denominational or church-related school (59-65-10). The Department of Education says a child taught by an online private school's staff is enrolled in private school, not homeschooling.

Records to keep

Option 1: keep a plan book, diary or other written record of subjects taught and activities, a portfolio of samples of the student's academic work, and a record of evaluations. The district may inspect them on reasonable notice. Send the district a semiannual progress report with attendance and an assessment in each basic subject. Option 3 associations require the same kinds of records. The Department says the parent-teacher keeps the records. 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: under Option 1 the parent has at least a high school diploma or GED (and passes the basic skills exam the State Department of Education has validated for home schooling parents) or has a bachelor's degree. Options 2 and 3 ask for at least a high school diploma or GED.
  • Option 1 also needs students to have access to library facilities, and parents must agree in writing to hold the district, its board and its employees harmless for any educational deficiencies from home instruction.
  • If a district finds an Option 1 program is not meeting the standards, it must tell the parent to fix it within thirty days, and may withdraw approval if not fixed. A denied family can appeal to the State Board of Education within ten days.
  • Sports and clubs: the Department of Education says Act 203, the Equal Access to Interscholastic Activities Act, lets home-schooled students take part in extracurricular and interscholastic activities once the legal conditions are met.
  • The Department of Education says it does not monitor home schooling and does not accredit home school associations. Co-ops are not one of the three options; they may supplement but not replace the parents' instruction.
  • If a child returns to public school, the Department says the district may place them in the classes or grade levels it finds appropriate, usually based on test results the district chooses.

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.