Home School Grade Level & Graduation FAQs

While a child is enrolled in your home school, you may place the student on any grade level you desire and promote him/her as you wish at any time of the school year.

However, if at some point in the future the student enrolls in a conventional school, the principal of that school will then determine what grade level the student will be assigned in that school and whether the student's home school transfer credits will be accepted.

Conventional school authorities are usually reluctant to advance a student:

• More than one grade level above his/her age peers; or,
• To the next grade level if the student was removed during the latter part of the previous school year with failing grades in one or more subjects and then presented for re-enrollment at the beginning of the next school term.  A North Carolina conventional school (public or non-public) principal has no legal obligation to accept home school credit for students presented for enrollment in his/her school -- especially when the student is entering grades 10-12.

If the student will receive his/her high school diploma from the home school in which he/she is enrolled, the home school administrator may issue a high school diploma any time after the student turns age 16 (when North Carolina's compulsory attendance age ends) and has met the home school's graduation requirements

However, if the student will later transfer in to a conventional public or non-public high school to earn a diploma there, the parent should especially require additional courses which would be transferable to that conventional public or non-public high school.
 

The North Carolina home school laws apply only to schools enrolling students of compulsory attendance age. Post high school age persons (anyone 18 and over) may, however, obtain their high school diplomas either through the North Carolina Community College adult high school diploma program or through its GED program.

No. The state seal is used only by government agencies of the State of North Carolina.

Public schools and state government agencies are funded by the State of North Carolina. Private K-12 schools and home schools are not. Private sector schools (both conventional and home) design and use their own school seals on official school transcripts and high school diplomas.
 

The State of North Carolina does not issue a diploma for home schooled students. Each non-public school student receives his/hers from the chief administrator of the school in which the student is enrolled which, in a home school setting, would be from the parent/guardian.

Individual colleges, the various branches of the United States military and the business community each determine for themselves to what extent a home school diploma will be officially recognized by these entities. 
 

The records should be kept for a lifetime.

The Chief Administrator and the student(s) should keep a copy of their records.

1. A copy of your home school registration/verification record.
2. A copy of the diploma.
3. A copy of the transcripts (for transcript details - review the home school guidebook, page 17).
4. A copy of the nationally standardized test scores.

Not by the State of North Carolina; however, privately sponsored events are held. North Carolinians for Home Education maintains information about such events. North Carolinians for Home Education can be reached at (919) 790-1100.

There are no state or federal laws requiring them to recognize any type of diploma from public schools, private schools or home schools.  Each college, each branch of the military and each business follows its own policies on this issue.

However, if the home school is meeting all state requirements for its operation they are usually recognized.