North Carolina homeschool law for high school: graduation, diploma and records

Part 3 of Article 39 of Chapter 115C (G.S. 115C-563 to 115C-565) defines a home school and applies to it the requirements of Part 1 (G.S. 115C-547 to 115C-554) or Part 2 (G.S. 115C-555 to 115C-562), whichever it elects, except that safety and sanitation inspections are waived for a school in a private residence and testing is made annual. A home school that complies is subject to no other education law except immunization requirements, and the Division of Non-Public Education (DNPE) in the Department of Administration acts for the State.

N.C. Gen. Stat. § 115C-563; N.C. Gen. Stat. § 115C-564; N.C. Gen. Stat. § 115C-565

The law as of September 29, 2026.

North Carolina at a glance

As of September 29, 2026

Notice to the state: One-time notice
A new home school must send DNPE a notice of intent to operate giving the school's name and address and the name of its owner and chief administrator, and must notify DNPE when the school terminates. DNPE also asks for documentation that the instructor has a high school diploma or equivalent and asks that the notice be filed at least five business days before the school begins; the five-day lead time is DNPE practice, not statute.N.C. Gen. Stat. § 115C-552; N.C. Gen. Stat. § 115C-560; DNPE, How to Start a Home School in North Carolina
Records the law asks for: Required
The home school must keep annual attendance and immunization records for each student and operate on a regular schedule for at least nine calendar months a year, and must keep standardized test results available at the school for inspection by DNPE for one year after testing. DNPE recommends, but the law does not require, at least five hours of instruction a day, a daily log or lesson plans, and keeping records indefinitely.N.C. Gen. Stat. § 115C-548; N.C. Gen. Stat. § 115C-556; N.C. Gen. Stat. § 115C-549(b); N.C. Gen. Stat. § 115C-557(b); DNPE, How to Start a Home School in North Carolina
Testing or evaluation: Required
G.S. 115C-564 makes the nationally standardized testing requirement of G.S. 115C-549 and 115C-557 annual for home schools, and DNPE applies it to every enrolled student each academic year with a test measuring English grammar, reading, spelling and mathematics; DNPE says no minimum score is required. In grade 11 the school must also give a nationally standardized test of verbal and quantitative competencies (see graduation).N.C. Gen. Stat. § 115C-564; N.C. Gen. Stat. § 115C-549(a); N.C. Gen. Stat. § 115C-557(a); DNPE, Standardized Testing
Graduation requirements: Some set in state law
North Carolina sets no course or credit requirements for home school graduation; DNPE says the chief administrator sets the home school's graduation requirements. The one statutory condition is the grade 11 competency test in G.S. 115C-550 and 115C-558, which apply to home schools through G.S. 115C-564: the school must set a minimum score that a student must attain in order to be graduated.
Grade 11: take a nationally standardized test or equivalent measure of competencies in the verbal and quantitative areas, and attain the minimum score the home school has set for graduation (G.S. 115C-550 or 115C-558, applied to home schools by G.S. 115C-564)
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 115C-550; N.C. Gen. Stat. § 115C-558; N.C. Gen. Stat. § 115C-564; DNPE FAQ, Grade Level and Graduation
Diploma: Issued by: parent (as chief administrator of the home school)
DNPE says the State does not issue a diploma or transcript for home school students; the parent, as chief administrator, issues both, and the state seal may not be used. DNPE also says it keeps no student records and provides no graduation verification, and that the home school administrator may issue a diploma any time after the student turns 16 and meets the home school's graduation requirements.DNPE FAQ, Records Retention and Diplomas; DNPE FAQ, Grade Level and Graduation
Compulsory school ages: 7 to 16: a parent must cause a child between the ages of 7 and 16 to attend school, and a child under 7 who is enrolled in public school grades K-2 must attend unless withdrawn. DNPE says no notice of intent is needed for a child who will not turn 7 during the school year or for a student 18 or older.N.C. Gen. Stat. § 115C-378(a); DNPE, How to Start a Home School in North Carolina

How homeschooling is authorized in North Carolina

Home school (a nonpublic school of one or two households)A home school is a nonpublic school consisting of the children of not more than two families or households, where the parents or legal guardians or members of either household determine the scope and sequence of instruction, provide instruction and determine additional sources of instruction; it elects to operate under Part 1 (religious schools) or Part 2 (qualified nonpublic schools) of Article 39, and those providing instruction must hold at least a high school diploma or its equivalent. Basis: statuteN.C. Gen. Stat. § 115C-563(a); N.C. Gen. Stat. § 115C-564

What North Carolina law means for your transcript

DNPE says the chief administrator designs and keeps the transcript and lists what it should include: the school's name, address and phone, subjects completed by school year, the grade and unit credit for each, annual standardized test scores, the month and year of graduation, and the administrator's signature and date (agency guidance, not statute).
DNPE's list also includes the student's Social Security number and says a transcript used as identification at the DMV must contain every listed item (agency guidance).
DNPE advises merging transcripts from any high school or community college courses into the home school transcript (agency guidance).
No North Carolina statute defines a unit of credit for home schools; the 120-hour Carnegie unit is a common convention, not a requirement.

College admission and state aid for North Carolina homeschoolers

No North Carolina statute on home school graduates' admission to public colleges or state aid was found. DNPE states that no state or federal law requires colleges, the military or employers to recognize any diploma and that each sets its own policy, and that home school students may take college courses part-time subject to the college's policies.DNPE FAQ, Grade Level and Graduation; DNPE, How to Start a Home School in North Carolina

Recent changes to North Carolina homeschool law

No change to the definition of a home school or to the home school requirements (G.S. 115C-563 and 115C-564) was enacted in 2023 to 2026; the definition in G.S. 115C-563(a) was last amended by S.L. 2013-57. S.L. 2023-14 amended G.S. 115C-565 to add information DNPE must provide to home schools (preterm birth risks and the lawful surrender of a newborn). House Bill 746 of 2023 ("Oversight of Home Schools", which would have amended G.S. 115C-563 and 115C-564) was referred to the House Rules committee on April 19, 2023 and never enacted, and Senate Bill 866 of the 2025-2026 session (adding home schools to Opportunity Scholarships) was re-referred to the Senate Appropriations committee on May 6, 2026 and is not law.

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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 grade 11 minimum-score requirement applies to home schools by reading G.S. 115C-564's cross-reference to the elected Part; DNPE's testing page cites G.S. 115C-550 and 115C-558 among the home school testing statutes but does not describe the minimum-score step.
What S.L. 2013-57 changed in G.S. 115C-563(a) was not checked; only the session-law citation in the statute's history note was confirmed.
The status of Senate Bill 866 is as shown on the General Assembly's bill page (last action May 6, 2026); the 2026 session calendar was not checked for later action.

Sources

General information about North Carolina 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].