North Dakota
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North Dakota Homeschool Laws
Overview
- Students attend from age 7 through 16
- A parent may start a home education program at any time; before or during a school term, however, there is a waiting period after the Statement of Intent Form is submitted to the school superintendent. A parent must wait 14 days from the time the Statement of Intent is submitted before beginning home education.
- The statement must be submitted to the superintendent of the child’s school district of residence or if no superintendent is employed, the county superintendent of schools for the child’s county of residence.
- A parent is qualified to supervise a program of home education if the parent holds a high school diploma or general education diploma (GED).
- The responsibility of the parent to:
- File a Statement of Intent annually with the local superintendent for each student who is to receive home education.
- Supervise the courses required by statute, as well as methods of instruction.
- Conduct classes for the required length of time and number of days.
- Maintain a student academic record for each student receiving home education.
- Arrange for testing using a nationally normed standardized testing instrument required by statute.
- Transfer the student record, upon request of the local superintendent, if the student enrolls in a public or nonpublic school.
- A parent supervising home education shall maintain an annual record of courses taken by the child and the child’s academic progress assessments, including any standardized achievement test results.
- Monitoring is required if the parent has less than a high school diploma or GED. Additionally, monitoring is required if a child scores below the fiftieth (50% percentile on the nationally normed standardized assessment.
- North Dakota Century Code states, “While in grades four, six, eight, and ten, each child receiving home education shall take a standardized achievement test used by the school district in which the child resides (All school districts in North Dakota are required to take the NDSA which is a criterion-based test). The NWSA will fulfill the testing requirement for home educated students. If the parent does not wish to have their child take the NDSA, they will be required to take a nationally normed standardized achievement test of their choice and submit the test scores, including the composite score, to the superintendent or county superintendent if the district does not employ a superintendent.
- If a child receiving home education takes the standardized achievement test used by the school district in which the child resides, the school district is responsible for the cost of the test and for the cost of administering the test. However, if the child takes a nationally normed standardized achievement test not used by the school district in which the child resides, the child’s parent is responsible for the cost of the test.
- If the child takes a nationally normed standardized achievement test not used by the school district in which the child resides, the child’s parent is responsible for the cost of the test.
- The responsibilities of the local school district with regard to home education after receiving the Statement of Intent to Home Educate (SFN 16909), the local superintendent will:
- Inform the parent about parental responsibility to maintain the student’s academic record for each home-educated student.
- Explain resources and support for students who are experiencing learning difficulties and who may need special education and related services, as well as the responsibility of the local school district to identify and appropriately serve such students.
- Provide the local school district’s expectations for each student at the appropriate grade level in the subjects required by statute.
- Provide information regarding the standardized achievement test administered by the district and the parent’s options regarding the test.
- Provide a copy of the state law on home education.
- The local superintendent, determines reasonable academic process of the home educated child, also sees that a district academic record is maintained for each home-educated child.
- A child being home educated may obtain a high school diploma. Diplomas may be issued through a child’s school district of residence, an approved nonpublic high school, or the North Dakota Center for Distance Education. Policies regarding issuance of high school diplomas to home educated students are established by the local school boards.
- A home-educated student may take part in extra-curricular activities.
- Under the auspices of an approved nonpublic school, if permitted by the administration of the school.
* The child participating under the auspices of the child’s school district of residence is subject to the same standards for participation in extra-curricular activities as those required of full-time students enrolled in the school. The child is subject to the transfer rules as provided in the constitution and by-laws of the North Dakota High School Activities Association. - A home-educated student is eligible to apply for the Academic/CTE Scholarship.
The window for applications to be submitted is January through the first Friday in June. Home-educated students must file with the NDDPI the Home Education Transcript for the North Dakota Scholarship Program form. The form must be notarized and submitted with the supporting documentation requested in the form.
North Dakota Department of Education
600 East Boulevard Avenue, Dept 201
Bismark, ND 58505-0440
701-328-2260
Statewide Homeschool Groups
https://www.homeschool-life.com/nd/ndhsa
Conferences: