NORTH CAROLINA
HOMESCHOOL REQUIREMENTS
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Beginning your homeschooling journey in North Carolina is easy as 1, 2, 3!
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1) Select your Chief Administrator
A parent, legal guardian, or another member of the household can become the "Chief Administrator."
The Chief Administrator will provide instruction to the children of their household
and can also homeschool the children from one other household.
*The Chief Administrator must hold a High School Diploma or its equivalent at minimum.
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2) Submit a Notice of Intent to Establish a Home School (NOI)
A NOI must be provided to The North Carolina Division of Non-Public Education (DNPE). It's recommended that you submit your notice at least 5 days before you plan to begin operating your Home School. A NOI is only required for students aged 7-17 and only needs to be submitted to DNPE once unless the school was previously terminated. Only one NOI is required per school, not per student. Home Schools continue to operate year to year without a need for "renewal." The notice must include the name and address of the Home School along with the name of the Chief Administrator and a copy of either their High School Diploma, G.E.D, College Diploma, or High School/College transcripts. Choose an appropriate name for your Home School as this name will be used on your child's diploma and cannot be changed later on. When filing the NOI you can decide to file as a religious or as a non-religious school.
A Notice of Intent may be submitted from July - April.
The NOI Portal is open Monday - Friday from 7:00 AM - 3:00 PM at this link,
https://www.dnpesys.nc.gov/NPEPublic/NOIHomeSchool.aspx
If you plan to operate your Home School for the Summer months only, a NOI is not required.
3) Withdraw your child from Public School
If your child is currently enrolled in Public School, do not withdraw them from their current school until you have received written acknowledgement from The North Carolina Division of Non-Public Education (DNPE) that your Notice of Intent to Establish a Home School has been received - typically provided as a Registration Approval e-mail and mailed letter. After receiving this acknowledgment, show the document to the appropriate staff member of your child's previously enrolled school and a Withdraw Letter if desired. If applicable, you may ask for a copy of test scores, transcripts, and your child's Individualized Education Program (IEP). If your child is under the age of 7, you do not need a NOI and can use the following letter provided at the link below to withdraw your child instead,
https://www.nche.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Withdrawing-5-6-Year-Olds-.pdf
Homeschooling your child in North Carolina is easy as 1, 2, 3!
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1) Attendance
The Chief Administrator must provide instruction for nine months out of the year, excluding holidays and vacations. No specific number of days or hours are required although 180 days (36 weeks) of instruction is recommended - this recommendation lines up with many curriculum schedules as well. Attendance Records must be maintained for each student, families can use this Attendance Form from the DNPE,
https://www.doa.nc.gov/documents/files/attendance-record/open
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2) Immunization Records and Exemptions
An Immunization Record, Medical Exemption, or Religious Exemption must be kept on file for each student.
Medical Exemptions can only be requested by a physician licensed to practice medicine in North Carolina. For Religious Exemptions there is no request form. To claim a religious exemption, the parent or guardian must write a statement of their religious objection to immunization. Include the name and date of birth of the person for whom the exemption is being requested. A separate statement should be prepared for each child. Statements of religious objection to immunization do not need to be notarized, signed by a religious leader, or prepared by an attorney. They do not need to be submitted to the state for review or approval. You are not required to disclose your religion and all religious beliefs are valid.
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Tips for locating your child's immunization record can be found at this link,
https://immunization.dph.ncdhhs.gov/family/locating_immnz_record.htm
Read more about Immunization Laws and locate a Medical Exemption Form here,
https://immunization.dph.ncdhhs.gov/schools/ncexemptions.htm
3. Complete Annual Testing
A nationally standardized achievement test must be administered during each academic year to each student. The test must involve the subject areas of English grammar, reading, spelling, and mathematics. Test results must be kept at the Home School for at least one year and made available to DNPE when requested - but it's recommended to store all test scores indefinitely. More test info can be found here,
https://www.doa.nc.gov/divisions/non-public-education/home-schools/standardized-testing
Closing Your Home School
Once all of your homeschooled students have graduated you must submit a Notice to Terminate Operation. You can do so by calling the DNPE office at (984) 236-0110 and request your home school
to be closed or you can log on to the DNPE Portal, click on "Home School Closure Notification Form,"
and follow the steps listed. When a Home School has no students enrolled, it may only remain legally active for no more than three consecutive calendar months.
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Helpful Links
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North Carolina Homeschool Guidebook
https://www.doa.nc.gov/home-school-guidebook-updated-5302023/open
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North Carolina Department of Administration
https://www.doa.nc.gov/divisions/non-public-education/home-schools
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North Carolina Non-Public Education Portal
https://www.dnpesys.nc.gov/NPEPublic/logon.aspx
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Home School Legal Defense Association
https://hslda.org/legal/north-carolina
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To contact the North Carolina Division of Non-Public Education, please call 984-236-0110.
Leave a message and your call will be returned within 24-hours. You may also send an email to DNPE.General.Inquiries@doa.nc.gov, and someone will respond within 24- hours
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Next step, choosing a curriculum.