How to Start Homeschooling in North Dakota

Yes. Homeschooling is fully legal in North Dakota. NDCC Chapter 15.1-23 is a dedicated home education statute. It is not a loophole or a workaround. The law treats home education as a legitimate option for any family.

North Dakota does have more structure than many states. You file paperwork each year. Your child takes tests at certain grades. But your statement of intent is a filing, not an application. You tell the superintendent you are homeschooling, and the law does not set up an approval process for it.

North Dakota's compulsory attendance law covers children between the ages of seven and sixteen (NDCC 15.1-20-01).

There is no mandatory kindergarten. If your child is 5 or 6 and not enrolled in public school, you do not need to file anything yet. One note: if you enroll a 6-year-old in public school and then withdraw the child, the law says you may not re-enroll the child until the following school year (unless you are moving to another district).

Here is how to start homeschooling in North Dakota. Follow these steps and you will be in full compliance.

Step 1: Figure out your pathway. Your education level sets your oversight level. High school diploma or GED? You supervise home education with no monitoring required (NDCC 15.1-23-03). No diploma or GED? A licensed teacher monitors your program for the first two years (NDCC 15.1-23-06). Both pathways share the same teaching requirements.

Step 2: File your statement of intent. Send it to the superintendent of your child's school district of residence (or the county superintendent if the district has no superintendent). File at least 5 days before your child begins home education, or within 14 days of establishing residence in a school district (NDCC 15.1-23-02). Include your child's name, address, date of birth, and grade level. Include your name, address, and qualifications. List any public school courses or extracurricular activities your child intends to take part in. Attach a copy of your child's immunization record and proof of your child's identity.

Step 3: Arrange monitoring (if you need it). Only parents without a high school diploma or GED need monitoring (NDCC 15.1-23-06). The school district assigns and pays a monitor, unless you notify the district that you will select and pay for one yourself (NDCC 15.1-23-07). The monitor must be licensed or approved to teach by the Education Standards and Practices Board. For one child, the monitor spends an average of one hour per week in contact with your child and you, and reports your child's progress to the superintendent twice each school year.

Step 4: Withdraw from school (if enrolled). The statutes do not require a separate withdrawal letter. Your statement of intent, filed with the superintendent at least 5 days before home education begins, is the required filing.

Step 5: Teach the required subjects. Teach the subjects required by law for public school students (NDCC 15.1-23-04 and 15.1-21-01): English language arts, mathematics, social studies, science, physical education, health, and computer science. See the full list below.

Step 6: Meet the time requirements. Teach at least 4 hours each day for at least 175 days per year. That totals at least 700 hours annually (NDCC 15.1-23-04).

Step 7: Test at grades 4, 6, 8, and 10. Your child takes the standardized achievement test your district uses, or a nationally normed standardized achievement test if you request one (NDCC 15.1-23-09). A person licensed or approved to teach by the Education Standards and Practices Board must give the test. File the results with the superintendent (NDCC 15.1-23-11).

Step 8: Renew every year. File a new statement of intent once each year. Set a calendar reminder.

Your main document is the annual statement of intent. It goes to the superintendent of your child's school district of residence, or to the county superintendent if the district does not employ one.

What to include under NDCC 15.1-23-02: your child's name, address, date of birth, and grade level. Your name, address, and qualifications. Any public school courses your child intends to take and the district offering them. Any extracurricular activities your child intends to join and the district or approved nonpublic school offering them. Attach a copy of your child's immunization record and proof of your child's identity.

If you are claiming a testing exemption, file that notice and its documentation with the district at the same time (NDCC 15.1-23-09(2)). You also file standardized test results with the superintendent after each testing year: grades 4, 6, 8, and 10.

North Dakota requires you to teach the subjects required by law for public school students (NDCC 15.1-23-04, referring to NDCC 15.1-21-01):

• English language arts (reading, composition, creative writing, English grammar, spelling)
• Mathematics
• Social studies (U.S. Constitution, U.S. history, geography, government, and North Dakota studies in grades 4 and 8)
• Science (including agriculture)
• Physical education
• Health (physiology, hygiene, disease control, and the nature and effects of alcohol, tobacco, and narcotics)
• Computer science (including cybersecurity)

You choose your own curriculum. There is no approved textbook list.

A few subjects families can overlook: physical education, health, and computer science. Build them into your weekly routine. A nature hike can be part of PE. A nutrition unit can be part of health. Keep it practical.

Teach at least 4 hours each day for at least 175 days per year. That totals 700 hours minimum per year (NDCC 15.1-23-04).

One-on-one teaching can move faster than a classroom. A focused morning covers direct instruction. An afternoon project or reading session fills the rest.

A simple log of the date, hours, and subjects covered is an easy way to keep track. The records the law specifically requires are an annual record of courses taken and academic progress assessments, including test results (NDCC 15.1-23-05).

North Dakota requires standardized testing at grades 4, 6, 8, and 10 (NDCC 15.1-23-09). Your child takes the test your district uses, or a nationally normed standardized achievement test if you request one. The test is given in your child's learning environment, or in a public school if you ask. A person licensed or approved to teach by the Education Standards and Practices Board must give it. If your child takes the district's test, the district pays. If you choose a different nationally normed test, you pay for it (NDCC 15.1-23-10).

You file the results with your superintendent (NDCC 15.1-23-11). The key threshold is a basic composite score at the 30th percentile nationally. This is a composite score, not per-subject, and it is not pass/fail. A score below the 30th percentile triggers an assessment for a potential learning problem. If the child is not found disabled and you want to continue, you file a remediation plan prepared with the advice and consent of a licensed or approved teacher (NDCC 15.1-23-11, 15.1-23-12). The plan stays in effect until the child reaches the 30th percentile composite or shows one year of academic progress.

Testing exemptions exist under NDCC 15.1-23-09(2). Testing does not apply if you notify your district that you have a philosophical, moral, or religious objection to standardized tests. On the standard pathway, it also does not apply if you are licensed or approved to teach, hold a bachelor's degree, or met the cutoff score on a national teacher examination. File the notice and documentation with your statement of intent. The exemption does not change other requirements like notification, subjects, or instructional time.

North Dakota has two pathways for home education. Your education level determines which one applies.

Pathway 1: High school diploma or GED (NDCC 15.1-23-03). File your statement of intent annually. Teach the required subjects. Meet the 175-day, 4-hour minimum. Test at grades 4, 6, 8, and 10, unless you qualify for an exemption under NDCC 15.1-23-09(2). No monitoring required.

Pathway 2: No diploma or GED (NDCC 15.1-23-06). Same teaching, subject, and testing requirements as Pathway 1. A licensed teacher monitors your program for the first two years, spending an average of one hour per week with one child and reporting progress to the superintendent twice each school year (NDCC 15.1-23-07). The school district assigns and pays the monitor unless you choose to select and pay for one yourself. If your child scores below the 50th percentile composite, monitoring continues for at least one more school year and until the child reaches the 50th percentile. This pathway does not prevent you from homeschooling. You can still do this.

Here are the details that set North Dakota apart from other states.

Know the filing timeline. File your statement of intent at least 5 days before beginning home education, or within 14 days of establishing your child's residence in a school district, and once each year after that (NDCC 15.1-23-02).

Public school courses. Your statement of intent lists any public school courses your child intends to take and the district offering them (NDCC 15.1-23-02). Contact your local school to ask what is available.

Sports and activities. Under NDCC 15.1-23-16, a home-educated child may participate in extracurricular activities through the school district of residence, or through an approved nonpublic school if its administrator permits. The same participation standards that apply to full-time students apply to your child. Contact your school early to discuss participation.

Your monitor reports progress. If you need a monitor (only required for parents without a high school diploma or GED), the monitor reports your child's progress to the superintendent twice each school year (NDCC 15.1-23-07). The school district assigns and pays the monitor unless you notify the district that you will select and pay for one yourself.

Know what test scores mean. Below the 30th percentile composite triggers an assessment and, if the child is not disabled, a remediation plan (NDCC 15.1-23-11, 15.1-23-12). The plan stays in effect until the child reaches the 30th percentile composite or shows one year of academic progress. Separately, on the monitored pathway, a score below the 50th percentile composite extends monitoring (NDCC 15.1-23-06).

Special needs families. If an assessment team determines your child has a disability requiring special education, you can continue home education by filing a services plan with your superintendent, showing your child's needs are being addressed by qualified persons (NDCC 15.1-23-13). For a child with a developmental disability, progress reports are due on or before November 1, February 1, and May 1 (NDCC 15.1-23-14, 15.1-23-15). Your district must also identify and evaluate children suspected of having disabilities under federal Child Find.

No state ESA for homeschoolers. As of 2026, North Dakota does not have an education savings account program for homeschool families.

High school diplomas. Under NDCC 15.1-23-17, your school district, an approved nonpublic high school, or the Center for Distance Education may issue a diploma to a home-educated student who meets its graduation requirements. You provide course descriptions, course objectives, and a transcript for grades 9 through 12. Start keeping these records in 9th grade.

Connect with other families. The North Dakota Home School Association (ndhsa.org) is a statewide homeschool organization. You do not have to figure this out alone.