North Carolina home schools file a Notice of Intent with the Division of Non-Public Education (DNPE) before they begin, and the teacher must hold at least a high school diploma or equivalent. The home school must teach on a regular schedule for at least nine calendar months a year (excluding holidays and vacations), keep annual attendance and immunization records for each student, and give each student a nationally standardized achievement test every year, keeping the results for at least one year.
What the official sources say
- Notice of intent
Before operating, submit a Notice of Intent to Operate a Home School to DNPE with the school’s name and address, the chief administrator’s name, and documentation that the teacher has a high school diploma or its equivalent. DNPE does not accept notices in May or June.
Source: NC DNPE - How to Start a Home School in North Carolina - Who needs to file
DNPE says a notice is not needed if the child is under 7 and will not turn 7 during the current school year, the student is 18 or older, or the home school operates only in the summer.
Source: NC DNPE - How to Start a Home School in North Carolina - Teacher qualification
G.S. 115C-564 says the persons providing academic instruction in a home school must hold at least a high school diploma or its equivalent, and that testing requirements apply on an annual basis.
Source: N.C. General Statutes § 115C-564 - Qualifications and requirements - Schedule and records
Home schools must provide instruction on a regular schedule for at least nine calendar months of the year, excluding holidays and vacations, and maintain immunization records and annual attendance records for each student.
Source: NC DNPE - How to Start a Home School in North Carolina - Annual test
Each student takes a nationally standardized achievement test each academic year that measures English grammar, reading, spelling, and mathematics. No minimum score is required.
Source: NC DNPE - Standardized Testing Required for Home Schools - Keeping test results
Test results must be kept on file at the home school for at least one year and made available for inspection on request by DNPE.
Source: NC DNPE - Standardized Testing Required for Home Schools
Records worth keeping in North Carolina
The list below mixes what the sources above require with habits that make the year easier to show later. Only the facts above are legal requirements.
- The DNPE acknowledgment of your Notice of Intent.
- An annual attendance record for each student covering at least nine calendar months.
- Each student’s immunization record or exemption.
- Each year’s standardized test results, kept for at least one year. DNPE also suggests entering the test name and date in your online home school record as a backup.
- For high school: a transcript. DNPE strongly encourages keeping graduates’ transcripts permanently.
Where TeachKeep fits
TeachKeep is an iPhone app for recording completed learning. It keeps each child’s records separate by school year.
- Every record is dated, so a month with no entries stands out before it becomes a gap in your nine months.
- Attach a scanned test score report to a record as a local evidence file.
- Keep each child’s records separate by school year.
- Pair the log with the free printable attendance tracker if you want a one-page attendance sheet.
Keep the North Carolina record as the year happens.
Log what was done, by child and subject, in under a minute.
Official sources and last check
- NC DNPE - How to Start a Home School in North Carolina
- NC DNPE - Standardized Testing Required for Home Schools
- NC DNPE - Home School Records Retention & Diplomas FAQs
- N.C. General Statutes § 115C-564 - Qualifications and requirements
Retrieved and last checked October 18, 2026. The date records when the linked material was read. It does not guarantee that no rule changed afterward.
Frequently asked questions
How many days do North Carolina homeschools have to teach?
DNPE describes the requirement as instruction on a regular schedule for at least nine calendar months of the year, excluding holidays and vacations. It is stated in months, not as a day count.
What records does North Carolina require homeschools to keep?
Attendance records, immunization records, and the results of the annual nationally standardized test for each student.
Do I have to send test scores to DNPE?
DNPE says test results must be kept on file at the home school for at least one year and made available for inspection on request.