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State of North Carolina
HOME SCHOOL INFORMATION

North Carolina law defines a home school as a non-public school in which the student receives academic instruction from his/her parent, legal guardian, or a member of the household in which the student resides. Two household schools are permitted. The home school academic instructional setting must always meet the home school legal definition of G.S. 115C-563(a) and is limited to students from no more than two households. Academic instructional settings involving students from three or more households must satisfy instead the conventional non-public school requirements. Also, see Professional Educators’ Role in Home Schools.

The North Carolina 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. Anticipate a meeting with a DNPE representative.

REQUIREMENTS

Parents/guardians residing in North Carolina and desiring, in lieu of conventional school attendance, to home school their children who are at least age 7 but not yet age 16 must:

Send to the Division of Non-Public Education (DNPE) a Notice of Intent to Operate a School. The notice must include the name and address of the school along with the name of the school's owner and chief administrator;
Hold at least a high school diploma or its equivalent;
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 the school "on a regular schedule, excluding reasonable holidays and vacations, during at least nine calendar months of the year'';
Maintain at the school disease immunization and annual attendance records for each student;
Have a nationally standardized achievement test administered annually 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 school for at least one year and made available to DNPE when requested. Also, see testing FAQS;
Notify DNPE when the school is no longer in operation.

REMINDERS

To avoid needless delays, always use this Notice of Intent form when sending your notice of intent.
Please DO NOT send a Notice of Intent to the Division of Non-Public Education (DNPE) for the present school year if the only students to be enrolled in your home school: (a) Are currently under age 7 and will not turn age 7 before this coming June 1; or, (b) Are currently 18 years of age or older.
Please send your Notice of Intent a month in advance 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 by four weeks before the child's 7th birthday. One Notice of Intent per school, please -- not per student.
If you are considering initially opening your home school during April or May, please be aware that there will be considerable delay in processing your Notice of Intent during those months. For your legal protection, it is suggested that you send your Notice of Intent BEFORE April 1. None are accepted in or for June. If your home school will operate only during the summer months, DO NOT send a Notice of Intent to DNPE.
If your home school will begin initial operation in the 2009-2010 school term, please send between July 1, 2009 and August 15, 2009. Notice of Intents for new 2009-2010 home schools should not be sent before July 1, 2009.
In continuing your school from year to year, do not again 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, please write the word RE-OPEN in the top right corner of the Notice of Intent form.

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 and keep in mind that DNPE will NOT be able to accommodate requests later for a change of school name in the division's files.
A reminder that the State of North Carolina has no legal authority outside of its geographical borders. Consequently, if the student is living or traveling outside of the geographical borders of the State of North Carolina, DO NOT send a Notice of Intent form to DNPE.
Before sending a Notice of Intent, be sure to read very carefully the legal definition of a home school to be certain that your proposed instructional arrangement can legally qualify as a home school. See top of page l of this publication. Also, your child must be capable of taking a nationally standardized achievement test annually.
In order to expedite the processing of Notices of Intent, please do not submit your Notice of Intent until you are certain that your home school will definitely begin operation. Sending a Notice of Intent and then withdrawing it several days/weeks later creates an unnecessary additional workload for our office staff.
Every age 15-17 student enrolled in a home school must obtain a Driving Eligibility Certificate from his /her home school chief administrator within 30 days before the student attempts to obtain his/her North Carolina Learner's Permit or Driver's License. Click here for a publication entitled North Carolina Non-Public School Student Driving Eligibility Certificate Requirements for further details.
A DNPE representative periodically inspects the records of home schools to verify each school's continuing compliance to state law.
If a home school does not meet all legal requirements for such a school, DNPE notifies the local public school superintendent that the North Carolina compulsory school attendance law is not being satisfied. The local public school superintendent then takes appropriate action.
A home school that has met the legal requirements for such a school qualifies as a private school. Consequently, 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.
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 him/her how he/she 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 NC public school system is the kindergarten level.
When sending your Notice of Intent to DNPE, please attach to it diploma documentation for all persons named on lines numbered 6 and 7 of the form. Be sure to include on line 7 the name of the parent/legal guardian who is usually with the student during the day while other area children are normally attending local schools.
Do not withdraw your child from his/her present school or begin your school until you have received acknowledgment from DNPE that your completed Notice of Intent to Operate a School form has been received.
Keep in mind that when ordering textbooks and curriculum materials from a publishing company, you should allow from six to ten weeks for delivery.

RECOMMENDATIONS

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

  I. Offer instruction of at least similar quality, scope and duration as local conventional schools.
       A. Five clock hours of instruction with the student each school day should consist of:
             1. Formal academic instruction in the home;
             2. Directed educational activities appropriate to the age of the student.
       B. Conduct instruction each school year for 180 days.
       C. Remember that minds are usually more receptive to formal academic instruction
             in the morning hours after an adequate amount of sleep.

II. Maintain a current daily log, journal or lesson plan book throughout the entire school year.
       A. It should contain:
             1. Time devoted to the formal study of each subject each day;
             2. Page numbers, chapters or units of the textbooks (or very brief descriptions
                  of concepts) covered during various time periods each day.
       B. It should be retained at your school until the student has enrolled in a conventional
             school or has graduated.

III. Be certain that nationally standardized testing:
       A. Is ordered by each February 1. Click here for a list of testing companies;
       B. Is administered each year during the same week of your choice between March 1 and April 15;
       C. Is not administered or scored by relatives, guardians, or anyone living in the same
             household as the student.
             1. An educational institution/organization is preferred.
             2. Machine-scoring is most ideal. (Always allow at least eight weeks to receive test results
                  if the test is machine scored.)
       D. Includes the subject areas of social studies and science, whenever applicable.

This document is updated each July. Last updated: July, 2008

Click here for Frequently Asked Home School Questions

Click below for the following form to register a home school:
Notice of Intent to Operate A Home School in North Carolina