Quick Start: What you need to do
- Decide who will supervise your child’s education. The supervising adult must be the child’s legal parent or legal guardian.
- File a Statement of Intent to Supervise Home Education with the superintendent of your school district of residence or the county superintendent if your district has no superintendent. You may use the SFN 16909 form, or submit a written statement that covers all required items in the checklist below.
- Wait 5 days after you submit the Statement of Intent before beginning home education.
- Submit the Statement of Intent every school year for each child age 7 or older.
Who can supervise home education?
Only a child’s legal parent or legal guardian can supervise home education. Supervision includes choosing materials, setting your educational approach, and overseeing how instruction is delivered.
Notify your school district: Statement of Intent
Where to send it
Send your Statement of Intent to the superintendent of your child’s school district of residence. This applies even if your district does not have a high school or your child has open enrolled in another district. Always send it to the district of residence.
Required items checklist
- Child’s name, address, date of birth, and grade level
- Name, address, and qualifications of the supervising parent
- Any public school courses your child plans to take
- Any extracurricular activities your child plans to join
- Proof of immunization or documentation of exemption as described in ND Century Code
- Proof of identity for your child as described in ND Century Code
Important notes
- Districts cannot require you to register for Infinite Campus or another portal as a condition of accepting your Statement of Intent unless your child will take district courses.
- Districts cannot deny home education or ask for extra documentation beyond the Statement of Intent requirements.
Parent qualifications and responsibilities
A parent with a high school diploma or GED is qualified to supervise home education. A parent without either may still supervise, but a licensed teacher must monitor for the first two years. See Monitoring below.
- File the Statement of Intent every year for each student receiving home education
- Supervise the required courses and methods of instruction
- Provide at least 4 hours of instruction per day for at least 175 days per school year
- Maintain an academic record for each student
- Arrange required standardized testing as applicable
- If a student scores below the 30th percentile nationally, participate on a multidisciplinary team to evaluate for possible learning disabilities and plan remediation if needed
- Transfer the student’s record if your child enrolls in a public or nonpublic school
Academic records and graduation
Records to keep
Keep an annual list of courses taken and your child’s academic progress, including standardized test results when applicable.
Graduation requirements
Home educated students follow North Dakota’s minimum high school graduation requirements. These include credits in English, math, science, social studies, physical education or health, world language or arts or CTE, computer science or cybersecurity, and electives.
- English or language arts: 4 credits
- Math: 3 credits
- Science: 3 credits with approved course combinations
- Social studies: 3 credits including required courses
- Physical education or health: 1 credit or two one half credit courses
- World language, Indigenous language, Sign Language, Fine Arts, or Career and Technical Education: 3 credits in any combination
- Computer science or cybersecurity: 1 credit
- Electives: 5 credits
Computer science or cybersecurity
All home educated students must earn 1 credit in computer science or cybersecurity. Refer to NDDPI’s approved course lists for options.
North Dakota Civics Test
The civics exam is not required for most home educated students to graduate unless the local school district will issue the diploma or the student seeks the North Dakota Scholarship.
Monitoring if needed
- Monitoring applies only when the supervising parent does not have a high school diploma or GED.
- A licensed teacher monitors for the first two years.
- If a child scores below the 50th percentile on a standardized test during monitoring, monitoring continues for at least one more year until scores are above the 50th percentile.
- If monitoring is required, the school provides the monitor at the school’s expense with partial state reimbursement. Parents who choose their own monitor pay that cost.
- Once a parent completes monitoring successfully for one child, no additional monitoring is required for other children.
Testing and assessments
Required standardized testing
Students take a nationally normed standardized achievement test during grades 4, 6, 8, and 10.
If the child takes the district’s test, the district pays for testing and administration. If the child takes a different nationally normed test, the parent pays and a licensed teacher must administer it.
Opting out of testing
A parent may opt out of required testing if any of the following are true:
- The parent is licensed to teach by the North Dakota Education Standards and Practices Board
- The parent holds a baccalaureate degree
- The parent has met or exceeded the cutoff score of a national teacher exam in North Dakota or another state
- The parent has a philosophical, moral, or religious objection to standardized achievement tests
Opt-out notices and documentation must be filed at the same time as the Statement of Intent.
If a student scores below the 30th percentile nationally
- A multidisciplinary team assesses for potential learning issues.
- If the child is not disabled, the parent with advice and consent of a licensed or approved teacher files a remediation plan with the superintendent.
- The plan remains in effect until the student scores at or above the 30th percentile or shows one year of academic progress compared to the prior year.
- If the student later fails to show reasonable academic progress, the plan must be updated and implemented again.
- Failing to file a required remediation plan violates compulsory attendance provisions and home education may no longer continue.
Taking public school courses and extracurriculars
Home educated students may take one or more public school courses. Every child is entitled to a free and appropriate public education.
Students may participate in extracurricular activities through the resident public school or an approved nonpublic school if permitted. Students must meet the same participation standards as full time enrolled students and follow North Dakota High School Activities Association transfer rules.
Diplomas
Most home education diplomas are issued by the parent who supervises home education.
Locally, a school district of residence, an approved nonpublic high school, or the North Dakota Center for Distance Education may issue a diploma. This is a local decision and not required by state law.
District responsibilities
- Inform families about maintaining academic records
- Explain resources and support for students with learning difficulties and special education services
- Provide grade level expectations for required subjects
- Provide information about the district’s standardized achievement test and parent options
- Provide a copy of state law on home education
North Dakota Scholarship
Home educated students are eligible for the North Dakota Scholarship if they are residents and meet the scholarship requirements. The application window runs January through the first Friday in June. Refer to the North Dakota Scholarship page for current details and application steps for home educated students.
Frequently asked situations
- No high school in my district. Where do I submit the Statement of Intent? Submit to the district of residence.
- My child open enrolled elsewhere. Where do I submit? Submit to the district of residence.
- Can the district require me to use an online portal to accept my intent? No unless your child will take district courses.
- How soon can we start home education? Five days after you submit the Statement of Intent.
- Do I need to notify every year? Yes for each child age 7 or older.