NORTH DAKOTA HOMESCHOOL LAW SUMMARY
Chapter 15.1-23 ND Century Code

This summary is for information only and is not intended to be a legal opinion.
Click here for the full text of the North Dakota Home Education Law:

ND Home Education Law - Full Text

Compulsory Attendance Ages: 7 - 16

The annual statement of intent to home school must be filed with the local or county superintendent of schools at least 14 days prior to the beginning of home education or within 14 days of the establishment of residency within the district. The statement must include: the names, addresses, ages, and grade levels of the children, and the qualifications of the parent who will supervise the instruction. It must include proof of the child's birth identity and copy of an immunization record.

The parent must meet qualification requirements:
1. certified to teach in North Dakota; or,
2. has a baccalaureate degree; or,
3. has met or exceeded the cut-off score of a national teacher exam; or,
4. has a high school diploma or GED certificate and monitored by a ND certified teacher during the first two years of home instruction or until the child being instructed completes the third grade, whichever is later, and thereafter in succeeding years unless the composite score on the required standardized achievement test is at least at the 50th percentile (if testing is not required in either of the first two years of monitoring, the monitoring may not be extended without the mutual consent of the parents and the monitor.)

Any certified teacher monitoring home education shall spend a minimum monthly "average of one hour per week in contact with the first student and in conjunction with the parent. With two or more children under supervision, the teacher shall monitor a minimum additional one-half hour per month for each child." The time may be reduced proportionately if the child is in attendance in a public school or an approved private school on a part-time basis. The teacher shall evaluate and report on the student's progress at least twice annually to the local superintendent.

Required days of instruction: at least four hours a day for at least 175 days per year

Required Subjects:
1. English language arts, including reading, composition, creative writing, English grammar, and spelling.
2. Mathematics.
3. Social studies, including the United States Constitution, and United States history, geography, and government.
4. Science, including agriculture.
5. Physical education.
6. Health, including physiology, hygiene, disease control, and the nature and effects of alcohol, tobacco, and narcotics.

Records Required: an annual record of courses and the child's academic progress assessments to be shown when child transfers out of the home education program

Achievement test required in grades 4, 6, 8 and 10. A certified teacher must administer the test, and it must be given in the child's learning environment or the public school at the option of the parent. In certain conditions the school will pay for the test and the administration. Results must be provided to the local public school superintendent or county superintendent of schools. If the child's composite score falls below the 30th percentile, the child must be professionally evaluated for a potential learning problem by a multidisciplinary assessment team.

A parent may choose to operate their home school as a private school under certain conditions.

Any child with any developmental disability may be homeschooled.

REACH - PO Box 85, Moorhead, MN 56561
www.reachhomeschool.org - info@reachhomeschool.org