What is required to homeschool in North Dakota?

A statement of intent to your district superintendent five days before you begin and once each year after, a parent with a high school diploma or GED (or two years monitored by a licensed teacher), four hours a day for 175 days in the public-school subjects, a yearly record of courses and progress, and a standardized test in grades 4, 6, 8 and 10 unless you claim an exemption. No curriculum approval.

How do I start homeschooling in North Dakota?

File SFN 16909 with the superintendent at least five days ahead, with the immunization record and proof of identity, withdraw your child, and plan the 175 days.

What qualifications do I need to homeschool in North Dakota?

A high school diploma or a GED. Without one you may still supervise, monitored for the first two years by a licensed teacher, assigned and paid by the district unless you choose and pay your own, who reports your child's progress twice a year.

Are standardized tests required for North Dakota homeschoolers?

In grades 4, 6, 8 and 10, unless you are exempt: a teaching license or bachelor's degree, a national teacher exam cutoff score, or a philosophical, moral or religious objection to standardized tests, stated with your statement of intent. A composite below the 30th percentile brings an assessment for a learning problem.

How many instructional hours does North Dakota require?

At least four hours a day for at least 175 days a year, on dates you choose.

Can I homeschool kindergarten in North Dakota?

Yes. Compulsory attendance runs from 7 to 16, so the statement of intent is due from the year your child is seven.

2026–2027 Homeschool Laws and Requirements

How to Homeschool in North Dakota

Yes, you can homeschool your child in North Dakota. You do not need a teaching license or an approved curriculum; a parent with a high school diploma or a GED supervises, choosing the materials, the philosophy and the method, and a parent without one may still teach with a licensed teacher's monitoring for two years. North Dakota asks for a yearly statement of intent, the public schools' subjects for four hours a day over 175 days, and a standardized test in four grades.

Updated 9 October 2026 · Sources read 8 October 2026

Free printable guide

The North Dakota homeschool quick reference, 2026–2027

Two pages to keep: what North Dakota requires, the dates, and the official links, checked for the 2026–2027 school year. Open it here first, then download it.

Download the PDF (320 KB)

What North Dakota homeschool law requires

The whole list for the 2026–2027 school year, from the Century Code (chapters 15.1-20, 15.1-21 and 15.1-23) and the Department of Public Instruction's parent guide:

North Dakota: homeschool requirements at a glance
Requirement	What North Dakota asks	Where it says so
Statement of intent	Filed with the superintendent of your school district (or the county superintendent where there is none) at least 5 days before you begin, within 14 days of moving into a district, and once each year after: each child's name, address, date of birth and grade; your name, address and qualifications; any public school courses or activities the child will join; with the child's immunization record (or exemption) and proof of identity. The Department's form is SFN 16909.	N.D.C.C. ch. 15.1-23; DPI parent guide
Qualifications	A high school diploma or a GED. Without one you may still supervise, monitored for the first two years by a licensed teacher, assigned and paid by the district unless you choose and pay your own, who reports your child's progress twice a year.	N.D.C.C. ch. 15.1-23
Subjects and hours	Those required of public school students: English language arts (reading, composition, creative writing, grammar and spelling), mathematics, social studies (the Constitution, United States history, geography, government, and North Dakota studies in grades 4 and 8), science including agriculture, physical education, health, and computer science including cybersecurity. At least four hours a day for at least 175 days a year; you choose the dates.	N.D.C.C. § 15.1-21-01; ch. 15.1-23
Testing	In grades 4, 6, 8 and 10: the district's standardized achievement test, free and given by a district teacher, or a nationally normed test at your cost, administered by a licensed teacher. The results go to the superintendent, and a composite below the 30th percentile brings an assessment for a learning problem. You are exempt if you tell the district, with your statement of intent, that you hold a teaching license or a bachelor's degree, met a national teacher exam's cutoff score, or have a philosophical, moral or religious objection to standardized tests.	N.D.C.C. ch. 15.1-23
Records and ages	A yearly record of the courses taken and your child's progress assessments, including any test results, to hand over if the child enters a public school. Compulsory attendance from 7 to 16.	N.D.C.C. ch. 15.1-23; ch. 15.1-20

DPI: Home Education parent guide Statement of Intent, form SFN 16909 (PDF)

How to start homeschooling in North Dakota

File the statement of intent (the Department's form SFN 16909) with the superintendent of your school district, or the county superintendent where there is none, at least five days before you begin, within 14 days of moving into a district, and once each year after: each child's name, address, date of birth and grade; your name, address and qualifications; any public school courses or activities the child will join; with the child's immunization record (or exemption) and proof of identity.
Withdraw your child from the public school.
Plan at least four hours a day for at least 175 days a year in the subjects required of public school students: English language arts (reading, composition, creative writing, grammar and spelling), mathematics, social studies (the Constitution, United States history, geography, government, and North Dakota studies in grades 4 and 8), science including agriculture, physical education, health, and computer science including cybersecurity. Faith Schooling covers English language arts and mathematics; you add the rest. The free Homeschool Rhythm Builder turns your week into a printable plan with an hour count.
Keep a yearly record of the courses taken and your child's progress assessments, including any test results, to hand over if the child enters a public school.
In grades 4, 6, 8 and 10, arrange the district's standardized achievement test (free, given by a district teacher) or a nationally normed test at your cost administered by a licensed teacher; the results go to the superintendent. You are exempt if you tell the district, with your statement of intent, that you hold a teaching license or a bachelor's degree, met a national teacher exam's cutoff score, or have a philosophical, moral or religious objection to standardized tests.

How Faith Schooling covers North Dakota's requirements

North Dakota asks for at least four hours a day for at least 175 days a year, 700 hours in all: 35 weeks of five days. You choose the dates.

North Dakota lets a family with a religious objection to standardized tests say so on the statement of intent and skip them. Two of its required subjects are ours in full: English language arts, which the code spells out as reading, composition, creative writing, grammar and spelling, is Phonics, Decoding, and Early Fluency and Grammar Garden; mathematics is Building Number Sense; each a sequenced textbook with a teaching guide for every grade from Kindergarten to Grade 5, and the lesson count printed in each book is how four hours a day become a schedule. Social studies, science, physical education, health and computer science are yours to choose.

North Dakota asks for a yearly record of the courses taken and your child's progress assessments, including any test results. The dated, finished pages of each program are that record, and a HARVEST report is a placement note for the file.

English language arts (reading, composition, creative writing, grammar and spelling): Phonics, Decoding, and Early Fluency and Grammar Garden spelling patterns are taught with the phonics; grammar and writing in Grammar Garden
Mathematics: Building Number Sense K–5 mathematics textbooks; Kindergarten to Grade 2 add practice workbooks and teaching guides
Social studies (the Constitution, United States history, geography, government, and North Dakota studies in grades 4 and 8), science, including agriculture, physical education, health and computer science, including cybersecurity: Your choice Faith Schooling does not publish these subjects; choose what fits your family
Bible: The Apostolic Academy not something North Dakota requires; free: Scripture memory, Bible study and printables for the family

The curriculum map Phonics, Decoding, and Early Fluency Grammar Garden Building Number Sense HARVEST placement Homeschool Rhythm Builder

Public school access and other opportunities in North Dakota

North Dakota's statement of intent is also the door to public school courses and activities:

The statement of intent lists any public school courses or activities the child will join. Source: N.D.C.C. chapter 15.1-23, Home Education, read 8 October 2026.

What North Dakota does not require, and you should still do

Place your child before grade 4. North Dakota's first test comes in fourth grade, and a family with a religious objection takes none; HARVEST, the free placement check, tells you at the start where your child stands in reading and math and names the grade and quarter to begin.
Plan the 175 days. The Homeschool Rhythm Builder turns your week into a printable plan with an hour count, so four hours a day is a schedule rather than a hope.
Keep the yearly record as you go. The courses taken and the progress assessments are a page per subject each quarter, kept with the dated pages, written before you forget.

HARVEST free placement Homeschool Rhythm Builder The Apostolic Academy

Common questions

What is required to homeschool in North Dakota?: A statement of intent to your district superintendent five days before you begin and once each year after, a parent with a high school diploma or GED (or two years monitored by a licensed teacher), four hours a day for 175 days in the public-school subjects, a yearly record of courses and progress, and a standardized test in grades 4, 6, 8 and 10 unless you claim an exemption. No curriculum approval.
How do I start homeschooling in North Dakota?: File SFN 16909 with the superintendent at least five days ahead, with the immunization record and proof of identity, withdraw your child, and plan the 175 days.
What qualifications do I need to homeschool in North Dakota?: A high school diploma or a GED. Without one you may still supervise, monitored for the first two years by a licensed teacher, assigned and paid by the district unless you choose and pay your own, who reports your child's progress twice a year.
Are standardized tests required for North Dakota homeschoolers?: In grades 4, 6, 8 and 10, unless you are exempt: a teaching license or bachelor's degree, a national teacher exam cutoff score, or a philosophical, moral or religious objection to standardized tests, stated with your statement of intent. A composite below the 30th percentile brings an assessment for a learning problem.
How many instructional hours does North Dakota require?: At least four hours a day for at least 175 days a year, on dates you choose.
Can I homeschool kindergarten in North Dakota?: Yes. Compulsory attendance runs from 7 to 16, so the statement of intent is due from the year your child is seven.

Official North Dakota homeschool resources

Read from the state's own pages for the 2026–2027 school year on the date shown. The Century Code and the Department of Public Instruction are the final word; this page is a plain-language guide, not legal advice.

Homeschool laws in nearby states

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