Homeschooling in Delaware

Taking your child out of school in Delaware

First move: Register the homeschool and enroll the child in it first; once DOE approves, download the Acknowledgement Letter from the NPS application and give it to the public school, which will not withdraw the child without it.

Homeschool registration does not shield a family from existing truancy proceedings.

The legal routes

3 routes exist in Delaware. They carry different duties, and families often do not know the alternatives to the obvious one.

Single-family homeschool

A parent or guardian teaches their own children, mainly at home. Registered with the Delaware DOE as a nonpublic school.

Multi-family homeschool

Parents teach children from more than one family, at home or another facility; one person serves as liaison and reports enrollment and attendance for all families to DOE.

Single-family homeschool coordinated with the local district

Still in the statute (superintendent approves curriculum in writing), but DOE and secondary sources report it is no longer used/recognized in practice.

The notice, and who receives it

Goes to

Delaware Department of Education (online Nonpublic School (NPS) application via an EdAccess account)

Deadline

Register before homeschooling begins (for a new school year, after August 11). Then: enrollment report by September 30 each year (DOE window August 11-September 30, 2026); end-of-year attendance report by July 31.

Renews

annual

Form

Nonpublic School (NPS) online application and annual enrollment/attendance reports (EdAccess); DOE issues an Acknowledgement Letter — official form

Compulsory school age

5 to 16 (age 5 by August 31; parents may request a 1-year kindergarten delay after a readiness evaluation). DOE says children 16 and older do not need to be registered but encourages it.

Teaching time

None set by DOE (the annual report asks for total days open and days attended; many families follow a 180-day calendar voluntarily)

Who may teach

Delaware sets no qualification for the parent teaching at home: no teaching certificate, no college degree, and no requirement that you hold a high school diploma.

Testing and evaluation

No testing or evaluation required for single- or multi-family homeschools.

Records to keep

Must track attendance to file the July 31 report (days open, days attended per student, withdrawal/graduation dates). DOE recommends keeping a portfolio with grades, attendance and test scores; DOE keeps no student records.

High school, diplomas and transcripts

The homeschool (parent) issues the diploma and transcripts; DOE does not issue or validate diplomas. To be eligible for the state SEED or Inspire scholarships, a student must be registered in a public or nonpublic school (including a registered homeschool) at graduation.

Registered homeschool students may take one free driver education course through adult education (Reg. 540).

Public school classes, sports and activities

No statewide right to part-time classes (district discretion). Interscholastic sports: DIAA rules require full-time enrollment at a member school, so homeschoolers are generally not eligible.

Funding: education savings accounts, vouchers and tax credits

None known (no ESA, voucher or tax credit program; DOE provides no funding to nonpublic schools).

What changed recently

2023: the annual enrollment report deadline moved from October 5 to September 30 (14 Del. C. § 2704, amended by 84 Del.

Laws c. 81). Some DOE pages still mention October 5; follow September 30. Missing a reporting window causes DOE to close the homeschool and withdraw the students.

What we could not confirm

DOE's older annual-reporting page (2024) still lists an October 5 enrollment rule, conflicting with the statute's September 30 date and DOE's current homeschool page (Aug 11-Sep 30, 2026 window). Whether the coordinated-with-district option can still be used is not stated explicitly on DOE's pages (HSLDA says DOE does not recognize it; CRHE says it is no longer available).

Listed because a legal summary that hides its gaps is harder to trust than one that names them. How these pages are checked.

Statutes and sources

Statute and regulation

• 14 Del. C. § 2702
• 14 Del. C. § 2703
• 14 Del. C. § 2703A
• 14 Del. C. § 2704
• 14 DE Admin. Code 255

Statute text

• Delaware Code Title 14, Chapter 27, Subchapter I
• 14 Del. C. § 2703A (Justia, 2024)

State agency

• Delaware DOE - Homeschools and Private Schools
• Delaware DOE - Register for a Nonpublic School
• Delaware DOE - Annual Reporting
• Delaware DOE - Homeschool/Private School FAQs

Secondary sources

• HSLDA - How to comply with Delaware's homeschool law
• CRHE - Delaware homeschool law