Frequently Asked Home School Questions - School Name

Any suggestions for choosing a school name?

Yes. 

1. Because of DNPE database size limitations, your school name length should not exceed 30 characters (including spaces and punctuation);
2. Select a school name with an academic sound to it -- one appropriate for possible ultimate placement on your student's high school diploma (and one which he/she would consider appropriate 20 or more years from now);
3. Avoid including your, your student or any of your family member's first or last names in it. If you do use your last name in your school name, be aware that if you later divorce or re-marry, the school name of the existing school cannot be changed in the DNPE database. However, the names of the chief administrator of an existing school can be changed in certain cases;
4. Do not use the following words in the name: "Charter, college, elementary, family, grade, grammar, high, home, incorporated (or inc.), junior, kindergarten, lower, middle, primary, public, residence, schooling, secondary, seminary, senior, the, university or upper;"
5. If you anticipate changing your location address in the future, it might be wise not to include your current street or road name within your school name;
6. Any school submitting its Notice of Intent without providing a school name will automatically be assigned a school name beginning with the last name of the chief administrator followed by the word "school";
7. Read carefully the answer to the last question below -- "May I Change It."

How are duplicate school names handled?

All school names are separated according to North Carolina counties.   If a new (or re-opening) home school selects the same name as another "already listed" home school in any given county, DNPE will add a hyphen after the school name submitted; and, then add to it the last name of the chief administrator.

The database is then able to distinguish between the otherwise duplicate school names.  If there is already a school in that county with that school name and a chief administrator with the same last name as well, DNPE will then also add the initial of the first name of the chief administrator to the last name immediately after the hyphen.

In contacting (or submitting forms to) DNPE, always reference the school name exactly as it appears in the mailing address area of DNPE's mailing to you each August.  This will expedite DNPE's handling of your request or submitted form.

May I change a school name?

From a legal standpoint -- Yes.

However, the school name you give to DNPE on your school's initial Notice of Intent will be the only name retained and used officially by the division for state record keeping, all future filing, correspondence, identification, mailing, etc. purposes.

If you change your school name after initial registration with DNPE, when corresponding or completing DNPE forms thereafter, always use your new school name first followed by, in parentheses, the word "formerly" and then the school name submitted on your initial Notice of Intent to DNPE.