North Carolina Homeschool Laws (2026): Notice of Intent, Records and Testing
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Updated
The year at a glance
- July to April: Notice of intent window, new schools only
No set date
- A nationally standardized test every year
North Carolina home schools file a notice of intent once, not every year, run on a regular schedule for at least nine calendar months, keep attendance and immunization records, and give a nationally standardized test every year, keeping the results for one year.
- File
- Notice of intent window, new schools only, July to April Notice
- Count
- At least 9 calendar months a year, with no day or hour count Days and hours
- Keep
- Attendance and immunization records; the results of the annual standardized test for 1 year Records
- Test
- Every year for every student: section 115C-564 puts a home school's testing on an annual basis rather than the grades three, six and nine schedule Testing and evaluation
On this page
In North Carolina, a home school is a small private school in the eyes of the law. You open it once, run it through the school year, keep a few records, and test every child every year. The rules are in Part 3 of Article 39 of Chapter 115C, §§ 115C-563 to 115C-565, which borrow most of their detail from the rules for other nonpublic schools.
How to start
The statute defines the school you're opening. Under § 115C-563(a), a home school "means a nonpublic school consisting of the children of not more than two families or households, where the parents or legal guardians or members of either household determine the scope and sequence of academic instruction, provide academic instruction, and determine additional sources of academic instruction."
Every home school picks which set of nonpublic-school rules it follows. Section 115C-564 says: "A home school shall make the election to operate under the qualifications of either Part 1 or Part 2 of this Article and shall meet the requirements of the Part elected" with two exceptions: safety and sanitation inspections are waived for a school run in a private residence, and testing is yearly. Part 1 covers church schools and Part 2 covers qualified nonpublic schools. The notice, attendance and records rules read the same in both Parts.
The same section sets the one qualification for the teacher: "The persons providing academic instruction in a home school shall hold at least a high school diploma or its equivalent."
Notice
Opening the school means sending a notice to the state. The statute lists what it contains: the school "shall send to a duly authorized representative of the State of North Carolina a notice of intent to operate, name and address of the school, and name of the school's owner and chief administrator." When you stop, a second rule applies: the school "shall notify a duly authorized representative of the State of North Carolina upon termination of the school."
The statute sets no deadline for the notice. The timing comes from the Division of Non-Public Education, part of the Department of Administration, and is agency practice rather than statute. Its page says: "Notice of Intents may be submitted or filed July-April, Monday through Friday between the hours of 7 a.m. and 3 p.m." It also says: "You do not need to renew the Notice of Intent every year – operation continues until the school is officially closed."
There's no form in the statute. The Division takes the notice through its online system, and it confirms by email. If you've had a home school before, the Division asks you to reopen that school rather than file a new notice.
Required subjects
No part of Article 39 lists required subjects for home schools. The choice of curriculum belongs to the family, which matches the definition above: the household decides the scope and sequence of instruction.
Days and hours
North Carolina doesn't count days or hours. The attendance rule asks for a regular schedule, allowing for reasonable holidays and vacations, across at least nine calendar months. The statute gives no hour figure and no day figure.
So the useful question is how many months your school has been running, not how many days you've logged. The attendance tracker shows North Carolina as a count of months covered, out of nine, rather than a day total. The Division's page treats the reporting year as July 1 to June 30. If you'd like to see your nine months on a calendar before you start, sketch them in the year planner.
Records
Two kinds of records are required. Each school keeps annual attendance and disease immunization records for every enrolled student; the statute doesn't say for how long.
Test results are the second kind. Under § 115C-557(b), schools keep records of the results, and the section goes on: "For one year after the testing, all records shall be made available, subject to G.S. 115C-174.13, at the principal office of such school, at all reasonable times, for annual inspection by a duly authorized representative of the State of North Carolina."
Testing and evaluation
Other nonpublic schools test in grades 3, 6 and 9. Home schools test every year. Section 115C-564 applies the testing rules to home schools with one change: they "shall be on an annual basis." Every home-schooled student takes a nationally standardized test, or an equivalent standardized measure, at least once each school year.
The school's chief administrator picks the test. Under Part 2, § 115C-557(a), the test for grades three and six "must measure achievement in the areas of English grammar, reading, spelling and mathematics." Keep the score reports with your records for inspection.
Records checklist
- The emailed confirmation that your notice of intent was received and the school is open.
- An attendance record for each child, each school year.
- Each child's immunization records.
- Every year's standardized test results, kept at least one year after the test.
- A copy of your closing notice, if you close the school.
Sources (2)
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