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⚖️ North Carolina Homeschool Laws & Requirements

What North Carolina law asks of homeschool families — notice or registration, school days and subjects, testing, records and diplomas — summarized from our North Carolina guide with links to the official sources.

Homeschooling in North Carolina: the basics

Who must register: children from age 7 until age 16 must attend a public, private or registered home school (G.S. 115C-378). A home school must be registered with DNPE when a child turns 7. Session Law 2026-46 ended the Driving Eligibility Certificate on October 1, 2026, so ask DNPE how it now handles registration for 16- and 17-year-olds.
What counts as a home school: a nonpublic school with the children of no more than two families or households, where the parents or household members decide the scope and sequence of instruction, teach, and choose other sources of instruction such as tutors and online programs (G.S. 115C-563(a)). Online and correspondence programs serve as curriculum and don't replace your own registration.
Notice of Intent: file it with DNPE online at least five business days before you start. Give the school's name and address, the chief administrator's name, and proof that each teacher has a high school diploma or equivalent (G.S. 115C-564). You choose whether the school operates as religious (Part 1) or non-religious (Part 2). DNPE accepts new notices July 1 – April 30, not in May or June. There is no approval process. DNPE simply acknowledges the notice, and you shouldn't withdraw your child from school until it does.
Running the school: teach on a regular schedule for at least nine calendar months a year, excluding reasonable holidays and vacations, and keep attendance and immunization records for each student (G.S. 115C-548, -556).
Testing: every student takes a nationally standardized achievement test each school year covering English grammar, reading, spelling and math. There is no minimum score, and the state end-of-grade tests aren't required. Keep the results on file for at least a year and show them to DNPE if asked. You don't send scores in, but DNPE asks you to record the test name and date in its portal.
Ongoing: DNPE may contact a home school and ask for records by email or video meeting. Close the school in the DNPE portal when you stop. DNPE also recommends (but doesn't require) about five hours of instruction a day and a daily log.
Diplomas and records: the parent, as chief administrator, issues the diploma and transcript, and the state doesn't issue or seal home school diplomas. DNPE recommends keeping records for life. When a student enters a conventional school, that school's principal decides grade placement and whether to accept home school credits.

Read the full section in our North Carolina guide

Official sources

Summarized from our North Carolina guide (as of October 2026) and articles. Rules change — confirm on the official pages before you act.

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