2026–2027 Homeschool Laws and Requirements
How to Homeschool in South Carolina
Yes, you can homeschool your child in South Carolina. You do not need a teaching license; a parent with a high school diploma or a GED teaches, and you choose your books and your methods. South Carolina gives you three routes: approval by your school district's board, membership in the South Carolina Association of Independent Home Schools, or membership in a home school association of fifty or more families, the route most families take.
Updated 9 October 2026 · Sources read 9 October 2026
Free printable guide
The South Carolina homeschool quick reference, 2026–2027
Two pages to keep: what South Carolina requires, the dates, and the official links, checked for the 2026–2027 school year. Open it here first, then download it.
What South Carolina homeschool law requires
The whole list for the 2026–2027 school year, from the Code of Laws, Title 59, chapter 65, and the State Department of Education's home schooling pages:
| Requirement | What South Carolina asks | Where it says so |
|---|---|---|
| Route one: district approval | Apply to your school district's board of trustees, which must have an application process and tell you the date, place and time of the meeting. The teaching parent holds a high school diploma or a GED (or a bachelor's degree); at least four and a half hours a day, excluding lunch and recess, for 180 days; the subjects below; a plan book, diary or other written record, a portfolio of your child's work and a semiannual progress report with individualized assessments; access to library facilities; the annual statewide testing program, given by a certified district employee at the school or, at your option, at your place of instruction; and a written agreement to hold the district harmless. A denial may be appealed to the State Board within ten days, then to family court. | S.C. Code § 59-65-40; SCDE FAQ |
| Route two: SCAIHS | Membership in the South Carolina Association of Independent Home Schools: the parent holds a diploma or GED, teaches at least 180 days a year in the subjects below, and follows the association's standards, which the Department reviews each year; the association reports counts to the districts by January 30. | S.C. Code § 59-65-45 |
| Route three: an association of fifty or more | Membership in a home school association of at least fifty families that meets the law's standards: the parent holds a diploma or GED, teaches at least 180 days a year in the subjects below, and keeps a plan book, diary or other record, a portfolio of your child's work, and a semiannual progress report with attendance and progress in each basic area. No test. The Department lists the associations that file its yearly assurance form, and accredits, recommends and monitors none. | S.C. Code § 59-65-47; SCDE FAQ |
| Subjects | Reading, writing, mathematics, science and social studies on every route; grades 7 to 12 add composition and literature. Which books is yours; the state approves none. | S.C. Code §§ 59-65-40, 59-65-45 and 59-65-47 |
| Ages, tests, diplomas | Compulsory attendance from the school year in which a child is five before September 1 until 17 or graduation; a parent may waive kindergarten for a child not yet six by signing a document with the district. Only route one tests, and association students are not eligible for the state assessments. No state diploma: the parent or association issues one, and a district places a returning child itself. A co-op may supplement but not replace the parent's teaching; home-schooled students are not eligible for the ESTF scholarship; Act 203 opens school activities once its conditions are met. | S.C. Code § 59-65-10; SCDE FAQ |
SCDE: home schooling (the three options and the 2026–27 association lists) S.C. Code Title 59, chapter 65: compulsory attendance and home schooling
How to start homeschooling in South Carolina
- Choose your route: approval by your school district's board of trustees (the only route with the state tests), membership in the South Carolina Association of Independent Home Schools (SCAIHS), or membership in a home school association of at least fifty families that meets the law's standards. The Department lists the associations that file its yearly assurance form, and accredits, recommends and monitors none.
- District route: apply to the board, which must have an application process and tell you the date, place and time of the meeting, and sign the written agreement to hold the district harmless; a denial may be appealed to the State Board within ten days, then to family court. Association routes: join and follow the association's standards.
- Withdraw your child from the public school.
- Plan at least 180 days a year (four and a half hours a day, excluding lunch and recess, on the district route) in reading, writing, mathematics, science and social studies; grades 7 to 12 add composition and literature. Faith Schooling covers reading, writing and mathematics; you add science and social studies. The free Homeschool Rhythm Builder turns your week into a printable plan with its days counted.
- Keep a plan book, diary or other written record, a portfolio of your child's work, and a semiannual progress report with attendance and progress in each basic area; the district route adds access to library facilities and the annual statewide testing program, given by a certified district employee at the school or, at your option, at your place of instruction.
How Faith Schooling covers South Carolina's requirements
South Carolina asks for 180 days a year on every route, with no hour count on the two association routes: 36 weeks of five days, or 45 weeks of four. The district-approved route adds four and a half hours a day, 810 hours in all.
Three of South Carolina's five subjects are ours in full: reading is Phonics, Decoding, and Early Fluency, writing is 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 records every route asks for, a plan book, a portfolio and a semiannual progress report, are what the dated, finished pages become. Science and social studies are yours to choose.
South Carolina asks for on the association routes, a plan book or diary, a portfolio of your child's work and a semiannual progress report with attendance; the district route adds the state tests. The dated, finished pages of each program are that record, and a HARVEST report is a placement note for the file.
- Reading
- Phonics, Decoding, and Early Fluency K–5 reading textbooks in four quarterly volumes a year, with complete teaching guides
- Writing
- Grammar Garden K–5 language and writing coursebooks, four a year, with Preceptor Guides
- Mathematics
- Building Number Sense K–5 mathematics textbooks; Kindergarten to Grade 2 add practice workbooks and teaching guides
- Science and social studies
- Your choice Faith Schooling does not publish these subjects; choose what fits your family
- Bible
- The Apostolic Academy not something South Carolina 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 South Carolina
South Carolina's school activities, textbooks and the Education Scholarship Trust Fund, as the Department answers them:
- Act 203 opens school activities once its conditions are met; no textbooks are owed; home-schooled students are not eligible for the ESTF scholarship. Source: South Carolina Department of Education, Frequently Asked Home School Questions, read 9 October 2026.
What South Carolina does not require, and you should still do
- Place your child. Only the district route tests, and no association route does; HARVEST, the free placement check, names the grade and quarter to start in reading and math, and its report is the first entry in the portfolio.
- Plan the 180 days. The Homeschool Rhythm Builder turns your week into a printable plan with its days counted, which is the plan book's calendar written for you.
- Write the semiannual report from the pages. Set a few dated pages aside from each subject every month, and the report your association asks for in January and June is a paragraph per subject over a folder you already have.
HARVEST free placement Homeschool Rhythm Builder The Apostolic Academy
Common questions
- What is required to homeschool in South Carolina?
- One of three routes: district board approval, SCAIHS membership, or membership in an association of fifty or more families. On every route the teaching parent holds a high school diploma or GED, teaches at least 180 days a year in reading, writing, mathematics, science and social studies, and keeps a plan book, a portfolio and a semiannual progress report. Only the district route tests.
- How do I start homeschooling in South Carolina?
- Pick the route, apply to the board or join the association, withdraw your child, and plan 180 days in the five subjects.
- Are standardized tests required for South Carolina homeschoolers?
- Only on the district route: the annual statewide testing program, given by a certified district employee at the school or, at your option, at your place of instruction. Association students take none and are not eligible for the state assessments.
- How many instructional days does South Carolina require?
- At least 180 a year on every route; the district route adds at least four and a half hours a day, excluding lunch and recess.
- Can I homeschool kindergarten in South Carolina?
- Yes. Compulsory attendance begins with the school year in which a child is five before September 1; a parent may waive kindergarten for a child not yet six by signing a document with the district.
- Does South Carolina give a homeschool diploma?
- No state diploma: the parent or association issues one, and a district places a returning child itself.
Official South Carolina homeschool resources
Read from the state's own pages for the 2026–2027 school year on the date shown. The Code of Laws, your district and your association are the final word; this page is a plain-language guide, not legal advice.
- S.C. Code §§ 59-65-10, 59-65-40, 59-65-45 and 59-65-47 — compulsory attendance from the school year in which a child is five before September 1 to 17, the kindergarten waiver; the three home schooling routes: the district board's approval (the parent's diploma or GED, four and a half hours over 180 days, the subjects, the plan book, portfolio and semiannual reports, library access, the statewide tests, the appeal), the South Carolina Association of Independent Home Schools, and an association of fifty or more (the same diploma, days, subjects and records, no test) — checked 2026-10-09
- South Carolina Department of Education — Home Schooling: the three options, the 2026–27 option 2 and option 3 lists, equal access to interscholastic activities — checked 2026-10-09
- South Carolina Department of Education — Frequently Asked Home School Questions: no textbooks owed, Act 203 activities, the state tests for option one only, credits and diplomas, placement on a return, no accreditation or endorsement of associations, co-ops, online schools, the ESTF, who keeps the records — checked 2026-10-09