Below is a summary of North Carolina Homeschool Laws to help you ensure your homeschool is compliant.
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Note: The information below is not to be considered legal advice. I’m a homeschool mom with an interest in helping you, not a lawyer. I strongly recommend that you contact your state education department if you have questions specific to your circumstances.
Homeschool
North Carolina has several requirements including instructor qualifications, notification, annual assessments, attendance, and immunizations.
Can I Teach?
You must possess a high school diploma or equivalent in order to teach your child.
Do I Have to Notify the State?
Yes. You must file a Notice of Intent to Establish a Home School upon starting your homeschool.
Annual Assessments
North Carolina requires an annual assessment covering English Grammar, Reading, Spelling, and Mathematics. Commonly used tests include:
- California Achievement Test (CAT)
- ACT with essay
- Basic Achievement Skills Inventory (BASI)
- Classic Learning Test (CLT 10)
- Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS)
- MAP Growth
- Personalized Achievement Summary System (PASS)
- Stanford
- Terra Nova
- Test Point
- Wechsler Individual Achievement Test (WIAT)
- Woodcock Johnson
- Wide Range Achievement Test (WRAT)
You must keep a copy of the test results for at least one year, but I’d strongly recommend keeping them indefinitely.
Attendance Records
You must keep attendance records, although there isn’t a requirement to submit them. More about North Carolina’s instruction time requirements below.
Immunization Records
North Carolina requires you to keep immunization records for your child. Details about North Carolina’s immunization schedule can be found at the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services website.
How Many Days a Year do I Have to Teach?
You must operate your homeschool on a regular schedule for 9 months of the year, excluding holidays and vacations.
Compulsory Attendance Age
The compulsory attendance age is the age range in which your child must be attending school of some type.
In North Carolina, your child must attend school between the ages of 7 and 16 years old.
Public School Sports
The North Carolina High School Athletic Association allows homeschoolers to participate in its activities, as long as they meet eligibility requirements. Contact your local school for more information.
Wrapping Up
Hopefully this summary of North Carolina Homeschool Laws gets you started on your homeschool journey with your family!
If you’re just getting started, you’re probably feeling a bit overwhelmed.
The Home Learning Kit can help!
It’s a package of handy learning tools to make your homeschool more fun and engaging, curated by yours truly. Check it out!
