Homeschooling in North Carolina is easier than other states because of North Carolina Homeschool Laws and Requirements. North Carolina Home School Requirements and Laws are less strict than other states, giving parents more freedom to teach and instruct their children.

Lets have a look at what is required to homeschool your children in NC. If you currently live in a strict home school state, you will be happy to learn about NC home school options. You may or may not still consider sending your children to schools in North Carolina or learn about teaching in North Carolina to your own children.

NC Home School Requirements

North Carolina has instituted a voluntary reporting program.  This means that homeschoolers in North Carolina are not legally obligated to report test scores or anything else to the state.  They do have to register with the state as homeschoolers then the state does have the right to inspect the parent’s homeschool records in their home if they choose to do so.

These records include attendance records, immunization records and tests scores.  It is important to note here that the state cannot enter your home but they can inspect your records.  However, you should also know that you are not legally required to voluntarily participate in the reporting program when homeschooling in North Carolina.

Voluntary Reporting In North Carolina Home School Requirements

Each year North Carolina will send homeschoolers voluntary reporting cards in the mail.  According to the Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) you are not legally required to send these back to the state though.  You may also receive a request for a voluntary meeting during the school year, during school hours.

This is something that you can respectfully decline by simply writing them a letter telling them that you are declining the meeting and stated that you are homeschooling in accordance with the North Carolina State homeschooling law.

A lot of people will tell you that you should cooperate so that when legislators ask the Division of Non-Public education how many homeschoolers are reporting, it looks like we are a cooperative group that is following the law.

However, there are also homeschoolers who do not believe that it is their place to make sure that the legislators think homeschoolers are cooperating with the law based upon false assumptions of some voluntary act.  Instead, these folks believe that the legislators should know the law themselves when homeschooling in NC.

They feel as though these legislators would make it mandatory for homeschoolers to participate if they were to voluntarily submit records without having a legal basis for doing so.  Therefore, by voluntarily participating so that they don’t cause waves, these homeschoolers feel as though it could backfire and they may end up with more regulations being forced upon them.

Requirements Of Homeschool Teachers In NC

In North Carolina it is required that the person who actually does the homeschooling have a high school diploma.  This is the only thing that you are required to turn into the state of North Carolina in order to be able to homeschool therein.  They don’t need to know anything about any possible college degrees you have.

Here is yet another issue that many homeschoolers in this state feel strongly about.  They believe that if homeschool parents provide too much information the legislators may someday say that there are a lot of homeschooling parents who have college degrees, therefore this should now be required.  Studies have also shown that homeschool children do well on standardized tests regardless of whether or not their parents hold college degrees.

In Conclusion To NC Homeschooling

Whenever you choose to homeschool in North Carolina, you should make sure that you are in accordance with the state’s homeschool laws.  This means that you should have your records ready and in order just in case anyone comes to your door.  However, you don’t have to participate in the voluntary program that North Carolina has in place for homeschoolers.