CURRENT GRADE: D
North Carolina does offer tax dollars to follow the student for a small number of students with disabilities to use in private schools, but not other students. There are also charter school options that have public government oversight.
Homeschooling does have requirements that must be met. A Parent’s Bill of Rights was adopted in 2023 that strengthens a parent’s abilities to be informed and opt-out of certain education programs in public schools.
Compulsory education is required for ages 7-16.
Education Options
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- Awarded based on income on a sliding scale and can be used to pay tuition and fees at an eligible private school.
- Examples of amounts awarded based on income:
- Family of 4 with income of $57,000 would receive ~$7,468
- Family of 4 with income of $259,000 would receive ~$4,480
- Must apply each year with priority given to past students awarded scholarships.
- 37,447 students were awarded scholarships for 2024-25. There are a total of apprx 1.7 million students in North Carolina.
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- Available to students with disabilities to pay tuition and fees for eligible private schools, part-time homeschool co-enrolled in a public school or private school. Also, can be used for speech therapy, tutoring services, and educational technology.
- Awards vary from $9,000-$17,000 depending on the disability.
- For school year 2023-24, 3,566 students were able to participate in the program totaling approx. $4 million.
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- Publicly funded.
- Oversight through state assessment and accountability system.
- Lottery method used for admission.
Homeschooling Laws
Here are state laws on the topic of homeschooling:
- 115C Part 3: defines “home school” as a nonpublic school consisting of the children of not more than two families or households where parents or guardians determine the scope and sequence of academic instruction.
- Qualifications to home school in NC:
- Instructors providing education must hold at least high school diploma or equivalent.
- Students shall be allowed to participate in SAT testing and advanced course exam offerings in the district.
- A notice of intent to home school must be sent to the district.
- Laws that apply to other non-public schools apply to home schools such as:
- Maintaining attendance records
- Maintaining immunization records
- Operating on a regular schedule
- Annually conduct a standardized test
- Records need not be submitted to education department unless requested.
- Athletics
- Homeschool students cannot participate in sports in public schools.
- There is a homeschool athletics organization: North Carolina Home Education Athletics Commission (NCHE).
Religious Exemptions
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There is no standard procedure by which a parent can receive a religious exemption to home school but new legislation adopted in 2023 provides:
- NC Parents Bill of Rights: A parent has the right to the following:
(1) To direct the education and care of his or her child.(2) To direct the upbringing and moral or religious training of his or her child.
- NC Parents Bill of Rights: A parent has the right to the following:
The First Amendment states “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” Many argue that a religious conviction to provide a home-based education is constitutionally protected and a state religious exemption law is not a requirement to be able to homeschool on religious grounds.
It should be noted that the U.S. Supreme Court in Wisconsin v. Yoder (1972) established that “Under the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment, a state law requiring that children attend school past eighth grade violates the parents’ constitutional right to direct the religious upbringing of their children.” (The case involved a challenge of a 16-year-old student to be exempt, so the scope was limited)
