North Carolina homeschool requirements and record-keeping, 2026-27
In North Carolina a home school is a nonpublic school run by the parents of no more than two families. You send a notice of intent to operate to the Division of Non-Public Education (DNPE), and the person teaching needs at least a high school diploma or its equivalent. The school keeps attendance and immunization records, operates on a regular schedule for at least nine calendar months a year, and gives a nationally standardized test every year. Test records must be available for inspection for one year after testing.
What you file and when
- Notice of intent to operate, with the school's name and address and the owner's and chief administrator's names
To: Division of Non-Public Education (the State's duly authorized representative). When: When the new home school begins; DNPE accepts it through its online portal - Notice of termination
To: Division of Non-Public Education. When: When the home school closes
What you keep
- Annual attendance records for each child
- Disease immunization records for each child
- Annual nationally standardized test results (available for inspection for one year after testing)
How long to keep it. 1 year. Test records must be available for inspection for one year after the testing.
Testing. Every year, a nationally standardized test chosen by the school's chief administrator. In grades 3 and 6 it must cover English grammar, reading, spelling and math; grade 9 may instead measure verbal and quantitative competencies; grade 11 measures verbal and quantitative competencies.
Hours, days and subjects
- No fixed number of hours or days found in the sources we read.
- Compulsory attendance ages: 7 to 16
A regular schedule, excluding reasonable holidays and vacations, for at least nine calendar months of the year.
The home school statutes do not list required subjects.
Work out your hours for North Carolina with the free calculator.
Things people miss
- For home schools the standardized test is every year, not only in grades 3, 6 and 9.
- A home school can serve the children of no more than two families or households.
- Records are made available at the school's principal office (your home) for annual inspection, not mailed in.
- The statute does not give a deadline for the notice of intent; DNPE's guidance on timing was not confirmed in this check.
Official sources
- G.S. 115C-563 Definitions (home school) (N.C. Gen. Stat. § 115C-563)
Verified checked on 2026-10-18 - G.S. 115C-564 Qualifications and requirements (N.C. Gen. Stat. § 115C-564)
Verified checked on 2026-10-18 - G.S. 115C-548 Attendance; health and safety (N.C. Gen. Stat. § 115C-548)
Verified checked on 2026-10-18 - G.S. 115C-549 Standardized testing requirements (N.C. Gen. Stat. § 115C-549)
Verified checked on 2026-10-18 - G.S. 115C-552 New school notice requirements (N.C. Gen. Stat. § 115C-552)
Verified checked on 2026-10-18 - G.S. 115C-378 Children required to attend (N.C. Gen. Stat. § 115C-378)
Verified checked on 2026-10-18
How Schoolkeeper helps
A twenty-second daily log, and then an export in the shape North Carolina asks for:
- An attendance record showing the days you taught.
- Minutes by subject, totalled for the year.
- A portfolio of work samples, photos and what they read, in date order.
Questions parents ask
What do I have to file to homeschool in North Carolina?
Notice of intent to operate, with the school's name and address and the owner's and chief administrator's names, to Division of Non-Public Education (the State's duly authorized representative). When: When the new home school begins; DNPE accepts it through its online portal. Notice of termination, to Division of Non-Public Education. When: When the home school closes.
What records do I keep for homeschooling in North Carolina?
Annual attendance records for each child; Disease immunization records for each child; Annual nationally standardized test results (available for inspection for one year after testing). Keep them for 1 year.
How many hours or days does North Carolina ask for?
North Carolina does not set a minimum number of hours or days in what we found.
Does North Carolina require testing or an evaluation?
Every year, a nationally standardized test chosen by the school's chief administrator. In grades 3 and 6 it must cover English grammar, reading, spelling and math; grade 9 may instead measure verbal and quantitative competencies; grade 11 measures verbal and quantitative competencies.
This is a plain-English summary with its sources, not legal advice. Tell us if this is wrong.