Do I have to notify anyone to homeschool in North Dakota?

Yes. Notice goes to Superintendent of the child's school district of residence (or the county superintendent if the district has none). Deadline: At least 5 days before starting home education, or within 14 days of establishing residence in the district; then once each year (NDCC 15.1-23-02). HSLDA notes the DPI form caption says 14 days before beginning. It renews annual.

Homeschooling in North Dakota

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

notice and review 5 sources Verified 12 October 2026

What North Dakota requires

Notify: Superintendent of the child's school district of residence (or the county superintendent if the district has none) — At least 5 days before starting home education, or within 14 days of establishing residence in the district; then once each year (NDCC 15.1-23-02). HSLDA notes the DPI form caption says 14 days before beginning. (annual)
Testing or evaluation: Required. Standardized achievement test in grades 4, 6, 8 and 10: the district's test or (at parent request and expense) a nationally normed test, given at home or at a public school by a state-licensed/approved teacher.
Subjects set by the state: Yes — 7 groups of required subjects, listed below
Teaching time: 4 hours, 175 days — in detail
Compulsory school age: 7 to 16 — in detail
Records: An annual record of courses taken and academic progress assessments, including standardized test results; provide it to the district on request if the child enrolls in public school.

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 Dakota

First move: File the statement of intent (with immunization record and proof of identity) with the district superintendent at least 5 days before starting home education, then notify the school the child is withdrawing.

If claiming a testing exemption, file that documentation with the statement.

The legal routes

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

Home education (NDCC ch. 15.1-23): A program supervised by the child's parent (choosing materials, philosophy and delivery of instruction) after filing an annual statement of intent with the school district; this exempts the child from public school attendance (NDCC 15.1-20-02).
Private school option: Compulsory attendance is also satisfied by attendance at an approved nonpublic school (NDCC 15.1-20-02). HSLDA describes a home-based private-school option available only when the parent is a North Dakota certified teacher who completes a criminal history record check; not verified against the statute.

The notice, and who receives it

Goes to: Superintendent of the child's school district of residence (or the county superintendent if the district has none)
Deadline: At least 5 days before starting home education, or within 14 days of establishing residence in the district; then once each year (NDCC 15.1-23-02). HSLDA notes the DPI form caption says 14 days before beginning.
Renews: annual
Form: Statement of intent to supervise home education. Must include child's name, address, birth date and grade; parent's name, address and qualifications; any public school courses or extracurriculars planned; plus a copy of the immunization record and proof of the child's identity. File any testing-exemption documents at the same time.

No official state form was found online for this route; the body above supplies it, or a letter serves.

Subjects North Dakota requires

The subjects required for public school students, including: English language arts (reading, composition, creative writing, grammar, spelling)
Mathematics
Social studies (U.S. Constitution, U.S. history, geography, government; North Dakota studies in grades 4 and 8)
Science (including agriculture)
Physical education
Health (physiology, hygiene, disease control, effects of alcohol, tobacco and narcotics)
Computer science (including cybersecurity)

See which courses here cover these subjects →

Compulsory school age

7 to 16. A 6-year-old enrolled in public school by a parent must finish that school year there (or may be withdrawn but not re-enrolled until the next year).

Teaching time

At least 4 hours per day for at least 175 days per year.

Who may teach

The supervising parent must have a high school diploma or GED. A parent without one may still homeschool but must be monitored for the first two years by a state-licensed/approved teacher (about 1 hour/week, two progress reports a year), longer if the child scores below the 50th percentile.

Testing and evaluation

Standardized achievement test in grades 4, 6, 8 and 10: the district's test or (at parent request and expense) a nationally normed test, given at home or at a public school by a state-licensed/approved teacher. Exempt if the parent files a philosophical, moral or religious objection, or if the parent is a licensed/approved teacher, has a bachelor's degree, or passed a national teacher exam.

A composite score below the 30th percentile triggers an evaluation for a learning problem and, if no disability, a parent-filed remediation plan (made with a licensed teacher's advice) until the child reaches the 30th percentile or shows a year of progress.

Deadline: File test results with the district superintendent (no specific date in statute).

Records to keep

An annual record of courses taken and academic progress assessments, including standardized test results; provide it to the district on request if the child enrolls in public school.

High school, diplomas and transcripts

Parents may issue their own diploma (state law does not prohibit it). Alternatively, the resident district, an approved private high school, or the state Center for Distance Education may issue a diploma if the student meets its graduation requirements, or completed at least 22 units of the state minimum curriculum; the parent submits course descriptions, objectives and a grades 9-12 transcript (the diploma may say home education was provided).

Public school classes, sports and activities

Yes. Homeschoolers may take public school courses (listed in the statement of intent) and may join extracurricular activities in the resident district, or at an approved private school if its administrator allows, meeting the same standards as full-time students; NDHSAA transfer rules apply once the school is chosen.

Children with disabilities may continue homeschooling under a filed services plan.

Funding: education savings accounts, vouchers and tax credits

A universal education savings account bill (HB 1540, 2025) that excluded homeschoolers was vetoed and the veto was sustained.

What changed recently

No 2023-2025 change to the home education chapter found. 2025: HB 1540 (ESA for non-public students, excluding homeschoolers) was vetoed April 24, 2025 and the veto was sustained.

Public school curriculum changes (computer science/cybersecurity; a presidential physical fitness test in PE after July 31, 2027) indirectly expand the 'public school subjects' homeschoolers must cover.

What we could not confirm

Could not load the ND Department of Public Instruction home education page or confirm an official statement-of-intent form (fetch errors; search budget exhausted), and could not cross-check with HSLDA/CRHE. Statute PDF has no 'current through' date (it appears to include 2025 session changes).

Whether the presidential fitness test requirement is meant to apply to homeschoolers is unclear.

Statutory basis for the certified-teacher private-school option not checked

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