File an Intent to Operate a Home School

Definition of a Home School

In order to legally provide for their child’s education at home and meet North Carolina compulsory attendance laws parents must file a Notice of Intent to Home School (General Statute 115C-563(a)).

Notice of Intents may be submitted or filed July-April, Monday through Friday between the hours of 7 a.m. and 3 p.m. Home schools may not be opened ONLY for the summer term or for “grade recovery." A Notice legally opens a school, which must remain in continuous operation with enrolled students until the Chief Administrator closes the home school.

It is important to note that the NC Division of Non-Public Education does not provide a prescribed instructional program, textbooks nor curriculum resources for homeschools, that is the responsibility of the homeschool parent(s).  

The home school must meet the following requirements:

• Consist of the children of not more than two families or households
  • The parents or legal guardians or members of either household will:
    • Determine the scope and sequence of the academic instruction,
    • Provide academic instruction,
    • And determine additional sources of academic instruction.
• Follow the legal requirements to operate a home school.
• Notify the Division at any time the home school address or enrollment changes.
• Respond to communications from the Division in a timely manner to confirm continued operations.

To File a Notice of Intent to Operate a Home School

• When to file: The State of North Carolina home school academic year for reporting purposes begins each July 1 and concludes the following June 30. Schools may open during the months of July–April and must document attendance and instruction for 9 calendar months of that academic year (including any time spent in a traditional school). If you plan to begin school in the fall you would open no earlier than July.
• Only ONE school: Each household may have only ONE Notice of Intent on file (or one open home school). You do not need to renew the Notice of Intent every year – operation continues until the school is officially closed.
• Reopen a school: If at any time in the past you have had a home school, you will need to “re-open” that school rather than complete a new Notice of Intent. Your information is already in our file and only needs updating.

Opening a New Home School

You will be directed to the online system. After you establish a username and password you will be able to complete the Notice of Intent. All confirmation will be sent through email; please remember to check your spam folder for these important documents.

This helpful one-page document explains the process.

Re-Opening a Home School

If you have had a home school open in the past, you will need to re-open that school. If you never properly closed the school, you must update your record.

If your home school was created prior to July 10, 2017, use the System Menu to log into your account and request a re-open.

If your school is closed you will have the opportunity to update the information, upload additional diploma evidence if necessary and then click “re-open” to activate your school. This information will be reviewed by a staff member and you will receive an email confirmation once you are officially open again. Only the previous chief administrator can submit a request to re-open or update a home school record.