Alden House. Parent Center

Homeschooling in North Carolina

What the law requires, what you file and when, and what to keep — with the statute behind each rule.

notice and review 8 sources Verified 12 October 2026

What North Carolina requires

Notify
NC Division of Non-Public Education (DNPE), NC Department of Administration - online Notice of Intent through the DNPE home school portal — At least 5 business days before starting the home school (or before the child's 7th birthday). DNPE accepts new notices online July through April only (not in May or June). Do not withdraw from school until DNPE acknowledges receipt. No yearly renewal, but update enrollment/address in the portal each year and when it changes, and respond to DNPE contacts confirming the school still operates. (one-time)
Testing or evaluation
Required. Every student, every school year (starting the first year), takes a nationally standardized achievement test covering English grammar, reading, spelling and mathematics.
Subjects set by the state
No subject list.
Teaching time
5 hours — in detail
Compulsory school age
7 to 16 — in detail
Records
Annual attendance records, immunization records (or exemption), and annual standardized test results, kept at the home school and available to DNPE on request (DNPE may ask by email or video).

Confidence in this record: medium. The facts below come from the sources listed, but at least one could not be confirmed against a primary source.

Taking your child out of school in North Carolina

First move: File the Notice of Intent with DNPE online and wait for DNPE's acknowledgment (usually 3-5 business days) before withdrawing the child or starting home instruction.

Then notify the school that the child is withdrawing to a registered home school. When the home school stops operating, close it in the DNPE portal or notify DNPE.

The legal routes

2 routes exist in North Carolina. They carry different duties, and families often do not know the alternatives to the obvious one.

Home school under G.S. Chapter 115C, Article 39, Part 3
A nonpublic school of the children of not more than two families or households, where parents determine the scope and sequence of instruction. The home school elects to operate under the rules for religious schools (Part 1) or non-religious private schools (Part 2); the practical requirements are the same.
Private or church school
Enrolling in a registered nonpublic school (Article 39, Parts 1-2) is a separate route; distance-learning/online programs do not replace registering a home school for compulsory-age students.

The notice, and who receives it

Goes to
NC Division of Non-Public Education (DNPE), NC Department of Administration - online Notice of Intent through the DNPE home school portal
Deadline
At least 5 business days before starting the home school (or before the child's 7th birthday). DNPE accepts new notices online July through April only (not in May or June). Do not withdraw from school until DNPE acknowledges receipt. No yearly renewal, but update enrollment/address in the portal each year and when it changes, and respond to DNPE contacts confirming the school still operates.
Renews
one-time
Form
Notice of Intent to Operate a Home School (DNPE online portal); one notice per home school, not per child — official form

Compulsory school age

7 to 16 (G.S. 115C-378); a child under 7 enrolled in public school grades K-2 is also covered unless withdrawn.

A child who turns 7 during the school year needs a home school registered at least 5 business days before the 7th birthday. Ages 16-17 matter only for driver's permit/license eligibility certificates.

Teaching time

Operate on a regular schedule for at least nine calendar months a year, excluding reasonable holidays and vacations. (DNPE recommends, but does not require, about 5 hours per day.)

Who may teach

The person(s) providing instruction must have at least a high school diploma or equivalent; proof is submitted with the Notice of Intent. In a two-household home school, the chief administrator and all instructors must meet this.

Tutors and outside instructors may teach some subjects.

Testing and evaluation

Every student, every school year (starting the first year), takes a nationally standardized achievement test covering English grammar, reading, spelling and mathematics. No minimum score.

Parents may give the test themselves if the publisher allows; some tests require a certified administrator. Examples: CAT, Iowa (ITBS), Stanford, Woodcock-Johnson, TerraNova, CLT. PSAT/PreACT and End-of-Grade tests do not count.

Deadline: No filing deadline; keep results at the home school for at least one year and provide them to DNPE if requested.

Records to keep

Annual attendance records, immunization records (or exemption), and annual standardized test results, kept at the home school and available to DNPE on request (DNPE may ask by email or video). DNPE recommends keeping records permanently and keeping transcripts.

High school, diplomas and transcripts

The home school's chief administrator issues the diploma and transcripts; DNPE does not keep or issue them. The school name (registered with DNPE, 30 characters or fewer) appears on the diploma.

High schoolers can use Career and College Promise (tuition-free dual enrollment at NC community colleges/UNC) if eligible; NC Virtual Public School courses are available for a fee. DNPE issues driver eligibility certificates for students under 18.

Public school classes, sports and activities

No statewide right found. Part-time enrollment in a public school or college depends on local policy (students 16+ may enroll part-time locally; under-16 needs local approval).

No statute giving homeschoolers access to public school sports was found.

Funding: education savings accounts, vouchers and tax credits

ESA+ (Education Student Accounts, run by NCSEAA) for students with disabilities can be used by home school families for allowable expenses; apply the first Monday in February through the first Monday in March. Otherwise no funding: DNPE says governments do not fund home schools, and the Opportunity Scholarship (expanded to all income levels in 2023) pays private school tuition, not home school costs.

What changed recently

No substantive change to home school requirements found for 2023-2026. S.L.

2023-14 amended 115C-548/-565 only to have DNPE give home schools certain health information. 2023 legislation opened the Opportunity Scholarship to all income levels, but it covers private school tuition only. Pending, not enacted: S.B. 866 (filed Apr 28, 2026) would open Opportunity Scholarships to home school students; last action May 6, 2026 (re-referred to Senate Appropriations/Base Budget), no votes. DNPE's process is online-only and new notices are accepted July-April.

What we could not confirm

Could not verify whether any other 2024-2026 bill changed home school law. The 2023 Opportunity Scholarship expansion is from background knowledge, not verified from a primary source.

Final disposition of S.B. 866 after May 2026 not confirmed (still in committee per the legislature site).

  • Final status of S.B. 866 beyond May 2026 committee referral
  • Opportunity Scholarship 2023 expansion not checked against session law

Listed because a legal summary that hides its gaps is harder to trust than one that names them. How these pages are checked.

Statutes and sources

Statute and regulation

  • N.C. Gen. Stat. § 115C-378
  • N.C. Gen. Stat. § 115C-563
  • N.C. Gen. Stat. § 115C-564
  • N.C. Gen. Stat. § 115C-565
  • N.C. Gen. Stat. § 115C-548
  • N.C. Gen. Stat. § 115C-549
  • N.C. Gen. Stat. § 115C-552
  • N.C. Gen. Stat. § 115C-566

Statute text

State agency