Delaware homeschool law for high school: graduation, diploma and records

14 Del. C. § 2703 exempts from compulsory public school enrollment any student 'home-schooled in any manner provided for in § 2703A', and § 2703A defines a homeschool as a nonpublic school of one of three types. Section 2704 requires every nonpublic school, including a homeschool, to file an annual enrollment statement and an annual attendance report with the Department of Education.

14 Del. C. § 2703; 14 Del. C. § 2703A; 14 Del. C. § 2704

The law as of September 29, 2026.

Delaware at a glance

As of September 29, 2026

Notice to the state: Notice every year
Every year the homeschool must submit a statement of pupil enrollment no later than September 30 and report end-of-year attendance on or before July 31, on forms the Department of Education prescribes. For a multi-family homeschool the designated liaison files for all families; the coordinated option also requires the superintendent's written determination.14 Del. C. § 2704(a)-(b); 14 Del. C. § 2703A(b)(1), (3); Delaware DOE, Homeschools and Private Schools: Annual Reporting (text not confirmed)
Records the law asks for: Required
The law requires the annual enrollment statement and end-of-year attendance report to be filed with the Department; it does not require a portfolio, test results or other academic records to be kept or submitted. Keeping attendance and coursework records to support the July 31 report is practice, not a separate legal duty.14 Del. C. § 2704
Testing or evaluation: None required by law
No Delaware statute requires testing or evaluation of homeschool students under any of the three options.14 Del. C. §§ 2703, 2703A, 2704
Graduation requirements: None set by the state
Delaware sets no graduation or credit requirements for homeschools. Only the coordinated option ties instruction to 'the subjects prescribed for the public schools of the State', through the superintendent's curriculum approval.14 Del. C. § 2703A(b)(3)
Diploma: Issued by: parent (as the homeschool) or the multi-family homeschool
No statute provides for a state homeschool diploma. The Department of Education's guidance says it does not issue diplomas for any nonpublic school or validate their credentials, and that the diploma comes from the nonpublic school, which for a homeschool is the parent or the multi-family homeschool.Delaware DOE, Homeschools and Private Schools: FAQs (text not confirmed)
Compulsory school ages: Between 5 and 16; a child is 5 for the school year if the fifth birthday falls on or before August 31. Local school authorities may grant exceptions to the entry schedule, and a parent may request a readiness evaluation and a one-year delay of kindergarten attendance.14 Del. C. § 2702(a)-(c)

The legal options for homeschooling in Delaware

Single-family homeschoolThe education of a parent's own child, primarily by the parent or legal guardian, mainly in their own residence; it is treated as a nonpublic school and must file the annual enrollment and attendance reports. Basis: statute14 Del. C. § 2703A(b)(2); 14 Del. C. § 2704
Multi-family homeschoolThe education of children who are not all siblings, primarily by their parents or legal guardians, mainly in one or more residences or other facilities; one person acts as liaison to the Department of Education and reports enrollment and attendance for all families involved. Basis: statute14 Del. C. § 2703A(b)(1)
Single-family homeschool coordinated with the local school districtHome education using a curriculum approved by the local superintendent (or designee), who must determine in writing that the child is or will be given regular and thorough instruction in the subjects prescribed for the public schools, in a manner suitable to children of the same age and stage of advancement. Basis: statute14 Del. C. § 2703A(b)(3)

What Delaware law means for your transcript

No Delaware law sets homeschool credit or course requirements; recording a full-year course as one credit is convention, not law.
For SEED or Inspire scholarships, the college sets its own equivalency standard for a homeschooled applicant's graduation and grade average (14 Del. C. §§ 3404A(a)(7), 3412A(a)(7)), so ask the college what it accepts in place of a GPA from an official transcript.
The Department does not validate homeschool credentials, so a transcript and diploma issued by the parent as the homeschool are the custom, and the annual enrollment and attendance filings are useful evidence that the homeschool operated under § 2703A.
Families using the coordinated option can list the superintendent-approved curriculum on the transcript; this is practice, not a requirement.

College admission and state aid for Delaware homeschoolers

For the SEED (Student Excellence Equals Degree) scholarship and the Inspire scholarship (Delaware State University), each institution 'shall create and implement its own equivalency standards' for the high school graduation and grade requirements when establishing the eligibility of Delaware home schooled students.14 Del. C. § 3404A(a)(7); 14 Del. C. § 3412A(a)(7)

Recent changes to Delaware homeschool law

The fiscal year 2024 budget act (84 Del. Laws c. 81, § 376, approved June 30, 2023) amended § 2704(b): the annual enrollment statement, previously due by October 5 and stated as of the last school day in September, is now due no later than September 30. No other change to the homeschool provisions (§§ 2703, 2703A, 2704) in 2023 to 2026 was found; § 2703A was last amended by 83 Del. Laws c. 87.

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What we could not confirm

These points could not be checked against the statute or regulation text, so treat them with care:

The Delaware Department of Education website (education.delaware.gov) blocked automated access; its statements that homeschools must register with the Department, that it does not issue or validate nonpublic school diplomas, and its reporting instructions come from search-result excerpts of its FAQ and annual reporting pages.
HSLDA says the Department does not recognize the 'coordinated with the local school district' option in practice; we could not confirm this from a Department source.
The Delaware Advance Scholarship (14 Del. C. ch. 34, subch. XVI) requires graduation from 'a public or nonpublic high school in this State'; § 2703A treats a homeschool as a nonpublic school only 'for purposes of this chapter' (ch. 27), so we could not confirm whether homeschool graduates qualify.
We confirmed the 2023 change to § 2704(b) by comparing an archived 2022 copy of the Delaware Code with the current text; we did not open the text of section 376 of the budget act itself.

Sources

General information about Delaware law as of September 29, 2026, not legal advice. Laws change, so check the statute before you rely on it. Found an error? Email [email protected].