North Carolina Homeschool Requirements Checklist
Everything you need to do to homeschool legally in North Carolina, based on N.C.G.S. 115C-547 through 115C-565. North Carolina is classified as Moderate regulation.
This is the general checklist for Home School (DNPE Filing), the most common of North Carolina's 2 pathways. Our free wizard customizes this for your family, including grade, pathway, enrollment status, and IEP.
Your compliance checklist
Do first
File your Notice of Intent
Submit to Division of Non-Public Education (DNPE). Deadline: At least five business days before you plan to begin your home school; do not withdraw your child or begin until DNPE acknowledges receipt of your Notice of Intent. Conditions: G.S. 115C-552(a) sets no filing deadline; the five-business-day lead time is DNPE guidance. The notice also gives the school's name and the name of the school's owner and chief administrator; DNPE asks the parent to list his or her own name in those roles.
Deadline: At least five business days before you plan to begin your home school; do not withdraw your child or begin until DNPE acknowledges receipt of your Notice of Intent
More details
Include: address where instruction takes place. Conditions: G.S. 115C-552(a) sets no filing deadline; the five-business-day lead time is DNPE guidance..
Confirm your qualification
This pathway requires a high school diploma or GED. Alternatives: Obtain a GED or Adult High School Diploma; Enroll the child in an existing legal home school (with its chief administrator's agreement).
Deadline: Before you start
Ongoing
Review curriculum requirements
Check the cited source for curriculum requirements that may be described without a subject-by-subject list. Conditions: No subjects are prescribed for instruction. Separately, the annual nationally standardized test must measure achievement in English grammar, reading, spelling and mathematics (see assessment requirements).
Review instructional-time requirements
Check the cited source for the school-term or instructional-time rule that applies to your pathway.
Show your child's progress
Standardized test — annually. Conditions: No state minimum score. A home school operating under Part 1 sets its own minimum grade-11 score for graduation under G.S. 115C-550.
Keep basic records
You must maintain: attendance records. Records may be reviewed by the district.
Good news
Education savings: Opportunity Scholarship
Opportunity Scholarship: Up to 100%, 90%, 60% or 45% of the prior year's average State per pupil allocation, depending on household income, and no more than the nonpublic school's required tuition and fees (N.C.G.S. 115C-562.2(b2), (b4)). — A North Carolina resident who has not received a high school diploma, is eligible to attend a North Carolina public school, is not a full-time postsecondary student, and was not placed in a nonpublic school by a public agency at public expense (N.C.G.S. 115C-562.1(3a)). Grants pay tuition and fees at a participating nonpublic school. Not available for a home school: the State Education Assistance Authority, which runs the program, states that a student enrolled in a home school cannot use Opportunity Scholarship funds.
Filing requirements
- What to file
- simple notice
- Send to
- Division of Non-Public Education (DNPE)
- Deadline
- At least five business days before you plan to begin your home school; do not withdraw your child or begin until DNPE acknowledges receipt of your Notice of Intent
- G.S. 115C-552(a) sets no filing deadline; the five-business-day lead time is DNPE guidance.
- How often
- one time
- Official form
- Download / access form
Your notice must include:
- •address where instruction takes place
N.C.G.S. 115C-552; N.C.G.S. 115C-560 (via 115C-564)
Ongoing requirements
Testing and assessment
Varies by pathway. Home School (DNPE Filing): null; Private Church School / School of Religious Charter: [3,6,9,11]
- Accepted types
- Standardized test
- Frequency
- annually
See our full assessment guide for North Carolina for details.
N.C.G.S. 115C-549; N.C.G.S. 115C-557 (via 115C-564)
Recordkeeping
Varies by pathway. Home School (DNPE Filing): "Test results available for inspection for one year after testing"; Private Church School / School of Religious Charter: null
- ✓Attendance records
Records may be reviewed by the district.
N.C.G.S. 115C-548; N.C.G.S. 115C-556 (via 115C-564)
Instructor qualifications
Varies by pathway. Home School (DNPE Filing): ["Obtain a GED or Adult High School Diploma","Enroll the child in an existing legal home school (with its chief administrator's agreement)"]; Private Church School / School of Religious Charter: []
The instructor must have a high school diploma or GED.
Alternatives: Obtain a GED or Adult High School Diploma; Enroll the child in an existing legal home school (with its chief administrator's agreement)
What you don't need to worry about
Education savings: Opportunity Scholarship
Opportunity Scholarship: Up to 100%, 90%, 60% or 45% of the prior year's average State per pupil allocation, depending on household income, and no more than the nonpublic school's required tuition and fees (N.C.G.S. 115C-562.2(b2), (b4)). — A North Carolina resident who has not received a high school diploma, is eligible to attend a North Carolina public school, is not a full-time postsecondary student, and was not placed in a nonpublic school by a public agency at public expense (N.C.G.S. 115C-562.1(3a)). Grants pay tuition and fees at a participating nonpublic school. Not available for a home school: the State Education Assistance Authority, which runs the program, states that a student enrolled in a home school cannot use Opportunity Scholarship funds.
Other ways to homeschool in North Carolina
This checklist covers Home School (DNPE Filing), the most common pathway. North Carolina offers 2 different ways to homeschool, each with different requirements:
- •Home School (DNPE Filing)(this checklist) : You file a one-time Notice of Intent with the Division of Non-Public Education (DNPE) before you start. DNPE asks for it at least five business days ahead and says not to withdraw your child or begin until it acknowledges your notice. You teach on a regular schedule for at least nine calendar months, keep attendance and immunization records, and give a nationally standardized test each year that measures English grammar, reading, spelling and mathematics. The person teaching must hold at least a high school diploma or its equivalent. There is no state minimum score; you keep test results for one year and make them available to DNPE on request.
- •Private Church School / School of Religious Charter : Your child enrolls in a private church school or school of religious charter (often called an umbrella school) that operates under Part 1 of Article 39. The school keeps attendance and immunization records, operates on a regular schedule for at least nine calendar months, and gives nationally standardized tests in grades 3, 6 and 9 and a competency test in grade 11 (N.C.G.S. 115C-548 to 115C-550). Part 1 sets no instructor credential or subject list. Each umbrella school sets its own additional rules, so ask about them before you enroll.
Our wizard helps you choose the right one. Compare all pathways for North Carolina
Education savings available
North Carolina offers Opportunity Scholarship. Learn about ESA programs
Get your personalized checklist
This is the general checklist for the most common pathway. The wizard customizes it for your family's specific situation, including grade, pathway, and IEP status.
Get your North Carolina checklistRequirements sourced from N.C.G.S. 115C-547 through 115C-565. Last reviewed October 2026