New Hampshire Homeschool Laws and Requirements
Aug 14, 2026New Hampshire homeschooling begins with a single written notice and stays in your hands from there. You choose which participating agency receives the notice, teach the subject areas the statute names, keep a portfolio, and arrange one evaluation each year. No one approves your program, and the evaluation result is not filed anywhere. You keep it.
Last Reviewed: August 15, 2026. Reviewed by the Modern Homeschools Editorial Team. Next scheduled review: August 15, 2027.
New Hampshire Homeschool Requirements at a Glance
| Topic | What applies in New Hampshire |
|---|---|
| Compulsory attendance ages | A parent may establish a home education program for a child between 6 and 18 years of age |
| Notification or registration | Written notice to the participating agency you select, within 5 business days of commencing the program |
| Legal pathway or homeschool definition | A home education program provided, coordinated, or directed by a parent for his or her own child, under RSA chapter 193-A |
| Parent or instructor qualifications | None. No license or degree is required to direct your own child's program |
| Required subjects | Science, mathematics, language, government, history, health, reading, writing, spelling, the history of the constitutions of New Hampshire and the United States, and an exposure to and appreciation of art and music |
| Instructional time | No number of days or hours is set for a home education program |
| Testing or evaluation | One annual educational evaluation, chosen from several permitted options. No percentile score is required |
| Required records | A portfolio each year, including a log of reading materials by title and samples of writings, worksheets, workbooks, or creative materials, preserved for two years |
| Responsible government agency | The participating agency you choose receives your notice. The New Hampshire Department of Education publishes the rules and sample forms |
You Choose the Participating Agency
This is the piece newcomers find surprising. New Hampshire lets you pick who receives your notice from three options: the commissioner, your resident district superintendent, or the head of a nonpublic school that has agreed to serve in that role.
The notice is due in writing within 5 business days of commencing your home education program, and you update your contact information as needed. What follows is acknowledgment rather than approval. Nothing in the process asks a participating agency to review or accept your curriculum before you begin.
When you finish, you notify the commissioner and your participating agency in writing within 15 days of terminating the program.
Required Versus Optional
Required. The written notice, the subject areas, the yearly portfolio with its reading log and work samples preserved for two years, and one annual educational evaluation.
Yours to control. The portfolio is the property of the parent, and access to it is at the parent's discretion. You keep a copy of the annual evaluation rather than filing it, and the statute is clear that evaluation results are not a basis for terminating a program. Any form an agency offers beyond the statutory notice is a convenience, not an additional legal requirement.
Ways to Meet the Annual Evaluation
You may have a certified teacher, or a teacher currently teaching in a nonpublic school, review a portfolio of your child's work. You may use a national student achievement test or the state assessment. You may also use any other valid measurement tool mutually agreed upon by the parent and the commissioner.
The standard is educational progress at a level commensurate with the child's age, ability, and disability if any. There is no minimum percentile to clear, so older guidance describing a required score no longer reflects the statute.
How to Start Homeschooling in New Hampshire
- Pick your participating agency. The commissioner, your resident district superintendent, or the head of a nonpublic school.
- Send the written notice within 5 business days. The department publishes a sample notification form you may use.
- Plan the statutory subject areas. They are broad rather than prescriptive about materials.
- Start the portfolio on day one. A reading log by title plus samples of work, kept for two years.
- Line up your evaluation method. Decide early, since teacher reviewers and test dates both need scheduling.
Official New Hampshire Homeschool Resources
Beginning Your Homeschool Journey?
Your First 30 Days of Homeschooling provides a practical path for establishing your priorities, planning your next steps, and creating a rhythm that works for your family.
Modern Homeschools provides educational information to help families understand and navigate homeschooling requirements. Because requirements may change, families should confirm current details with the official state sources linked within this guide.