NORTH DAKOTA HOMESCHOOL LAW

Compulsory School Age: 7 - 16

North Dakota state law offers two legal homeschooling options: 1) establish and operate a homeschool or 2) operate a homeschool as a state-approved private school.

1. The first legal option under North Dakota state law is to establish and operate a homeschool.  Under this option, parents must file an annual notice of intent with the local school superintendent 14 days before starting the homeschool program or within 14 days of establishing residency in a district.  Attendance is required for 175 days per year for four hours a day.  Homeschool students are required to study the following subjects: English language arts (including reading, composition, creative writing, grammar, and spelling), math, social studies (including U.S. Constitution, U.S. history, geography, and government), science (including agriculture), physical education, and health (including physiology, hygiene, disease control, and alcohol, tobacco, and narcotics education).  In order to meet the minimum teacher qualifications, a parent/teacher must:
    

   1. possess a teaching certificate,
       

   2. possess a bachelor's degree,
       

   3. hold a high school diploma or GED and be under the supervision of a certified teacher during the first two years of homeschooling (supervision must continue if the child does not score above the 50th percentile on required standardized testing), or
       

   4. meet or exceed the minimum required passing score on the national teacher exam.

   Parents must keep and maintain annual records of courses studied, assessments of the child's academic progress, and standardized test scores.  Required testing involves a standardized achievement test in grades 4, 6, 8, and 10.  Tests must be administered by a certified teacher and the results must be made available to the local school superintendent.
    

2. The second option is to operate a homeschool as a state-approved private school.  Children schooling under this option are required to attend instruction for as many days as required for public school students.  Parents/teachers must be teacher certified and are required to instruct on the following subjects: English language arts (including reading, composition, creative writing, grammar, and spelling), math, social studies (including U.S. Constitution, U.S. history, geography, and government), science (including agriculture), physical education, and health (including physiology, hygiene, disease control, and alcohol, tobacco, and narcotics education).  Notice to the school board is included as a part of the approval process.  There are no regulations requiring recordkeeping or testing under this option.

View these websites for more information about North Dakota homeschool laws:

• Home School Legal Defense Association

• National Home Education Network

• North Dakota Education Code for Homeschooling

• North Dakota Department of Education

Please note: This is a brief summary of North Dakota homeschool law and is presented for informative purposes only and not as legal advice.