Homeschooling in South Carolina
What the law requires, what you file and when, and what to keep — with the statute behind each rule.
What South Carolina requires
- Notify
- Depends on the option; there is no direct notice to the state. Options 2 and 3 (most families): enroll as a bona fide member of SCAIHS or of a homeschool association with 50+ members; the association, not the family, reports the number and grade levels of its members' children to each school district by January 30 (no names required by statute). Option 1: apply to and obtain approval from the local school district's board of trustees. — Join the association (Options 2/3) or obtain district approval (Option 1) before beginning; associations report to districts by January 30 each year. (annual)
- Testing or evaluation
- Not required.
- Subjects set by the state
- Yes — 6 required subjects, listed below
- Teaching time
- 180 days — in detail
- Compulsory school age
- 5 to 17 — in detail
- Records
- Option 1: plan book/diary, portfolio of work, records of evaluations, and semiannual progress reports (attendance and assessments in each subject) submitted to the district; records open to inspection on reasonable notice.
Taking your child out of school in South Carolina
First move: Enroll in your chosen option first (join SCAIHS or a 50+ member association, or obtain district approval under Option 1), then formally withdraw the child using the school's procedure or a written letter (certified mail recommended) so the child is not marked truant.
Keep copies.
The legal routes
3 routes exist in South Carolina. They carry different duties, and families often do not know the alternatives to the obvious one.
- Option 1: District-approved home school (S.C. Code 59-65-40)
- Apply to the local school board, which must approve if standards are met: parent has HS diploma/GED (or bachelor's), 180 days of 4.5 hours, required subjects, records, semiannual progress reports to the district, and annual state testing. Most regulated option.
- Option 2: SCAIHS (59-65-45)
- Bona fide membership in the South Carolina Association of Independent Home Schools and compliance with its standards (parent HS diploma/GED, 180 days, required subjects) exempts the family from Option 1.
- Option 3: Home school association with 50+ members (59-65-47)
- Membership in any homeschool association with at least 50 members that meets the statute (parent HS diploma/GED, 180 days, required subjects, plan book, portfolio, semiannual progress report kept by the parent) exempts the family from Option 1.
The notice, and who receives it
- Goes to
- Depends on the option; there is no direct notice to the state. Options 2 and 3 (most families): enroll as a bona fide member of SCAIHS or of a homeschool association with 50+ members; the association, not the family, reports the number and grade levels of its members' children to each school district by January 30 (no names required by statute). Option 1: apply to and obtain approval from the local school district's board of trustees.
- Deadline
- Join the association (Options 2/3) or obtain district approval (Option 1) before beginning; associations report to districts by January 30 each year.
- Renews
- annual
- Form
- None statewide. Option 1: district application form. Options 2/3: association membership. Kindergarten waiver uses a form prescribed by Department of Education regulation.
No official state form was found online for this route; the body above supplies it, or a letter serves.
Subjects South Carolina requires
- reading
- writing
- mathematics
- science
- social studies
- composition and literature (grades 7-12)
Compulsory school age
5 (by September 1) to 17, or until high school graduation. Parents of a child not yet 6 by September 1 may opt out of kindergarten by filing a written waiver (state-prescribed form) with the school district.
Teaching time
180 days per year (all options); Option 1 also requires at least 4.5 instructional hours per day, excluding lunch and recess.
Who may teach
High school diploma or GED (all options); a bachelor's degree also qualifies under Option 1. The statute's basic-skills exam for parents under Option 1 was struck down by the S.C.
Supreme Court and is not enforced.
Testing and evaluation
Required only under Option 1: the child takes the annual statewide tests and Basic Skills Assessment Program, given by a certified district employee (at a public school, or at home at parent expense); a first-grade readiness test within the first 15 days; if the child fails to meet promotion standards, the board can require public school placement, special services, or continued homeschooling with support at parent expense. No state testing under Options 2 and 3 (associations may set their own rules).
Records to keep
Option 1: plan book/diary, portfolio of work, records of evaluations, and semiannual progress reports (attendance and assessments in each subject) submitted to the district; records open to inspection on reasonable notice. Option 3: plan book or diary, portfolio of work, and semiannual progress report with attendance and progress in each subject (kept by parent/association).
Option 2: as required by SCAIHS.
High school, diplomas and transcripts
Parent (or the association, depending on its policies) issues the diploma/transcript; no state homeschool graduation requirements found.
Public school classes, sports and activities
Equal Access to Interscholastic Activities Act (S.C. Code 59-63-100, 2012): after one full year of homeschooling under any of the three options, a student may join interscholastic activities (sports, etc.) at the public school whose attendance zone they live in, by giving the superintendent written notice before the season and meeting district eligibility and conduct rules.
No statewide part-time class enrollment right found.
Funding: education savings accounts, vouchers and tax credits
Education Scholarship Trust Fund (ESTF): about $7,500 per student (2025-26) for private school tuition and other approved expenses, income-limited (300% of poverty in 2025-26, 500% from 2026-27) and capped in enrollment. Homeschooling families under 59-65-40/45/47 are NOT eligible: parents must attest annually that they will not participate in a home instruction program.
What changed recently
2023 Act 8 created the Education Scholarship Trust Fund; the S.C. Supreme Court ruled against part of it in Eidson (2024), and 2025 Act 11 (S.62, effective May 7, 2025) rewrote it with income limits and caps.
ESTF families may not homeschool under the homeschool statutes. No changes to the homeschool statutes themselves (59-65-40/45/47) found for 2023-2026.
What we could not confirm
Could not reach the S.C. Department of Education homeschool page (fetch error), so its list of qualifying 50+ member associations and any kindergarten-waiver form URL were not verified.
That the parent basic-skills exam was struck down comes from HSLDA (statute text still contains it); case name not confirmed. Which option most families use is not documented in sources reviewed (HSLDA recommends Options 2/3). Part-time public school class enrollment is district policy and was not confirmed.
- Share of families using each option not documented
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
- S.C. Code Ann. Sec. 59-65-10
- S.C. Code Ann. Sec. 59-65-40
- S.C. Code Ann. Sec. 59-65-45
- S.C. Code Ann. Sec. 59-65-46
- S.C. Code Ann. Sec. 59-65-47
- S.C. Code Ann. Sec. 59-63-100
- S.C. Code Ann. Title 59, Ch. 8 (Education Scholarship Trust Fund)
Statute text
- S.C. Code Title 59, Chapter 65 (Compulsory School Attendance)
- S.C. Code Title 59, Chapter 63 (incl. Sec. 59-63-100)
- S.C. Code Title 59, Chapter 8 (Education Scholarship Trust Fund)