Delaware homeschool requirements

Delaware treats home schools as nonpublic schools: register with the Department of Education, then file the annual enrollment statement and the annual attendance report. No testing, and no required subjects — unless you choose the third option in the statute, a single-family home school coordinated with your district, which uses a curriculum the local superintendent approves.

Last reviewed June 5, 2026 · corrected September 23, 2026 · Sources below

Minimal regulation Notice required Attendance reports

Another state:

Delaware homeschool requirements at a glance

Notice: RequiredWhere it goes: Delaware Department of Education (DDOE). When: Register the home school and enroll the child with DDOE before instruction begins — a Delaware public school will not release a student without the Department's acknowledgement letter, and the Department closes its application system from August 1 to August 11 each year while it rolls to the new school year. Two filings follow every year: the statement of pupil enrollment no later than September 30, and the end-of-year attendance report on or before July 31 (14 Del. C. § 2704). October 5 was the old enrollment date; the General Assembly moved it to September 30 in June 2023, so a page still naming October 5 is out of date.
Required subjects: No set list
Instruction time: Attendance reportsAnnual attendance report (average daily membership and average daily attendance) to DDOE on or before July 31, and the statement of pupil enrollment (student name, address, date of birth, grade) no later than September 30 — not October 5, which the 2023 amendment replaced (14 Del. C. § 2704). The Department's own reporting page carries the same two dates and describes the enrollment count as of the last school day in September.
Testing or evaluation: NoNo standardized testing, portfolio reviews, or evaluations required.
Records: Yes — enrollment records, attendance
Parent qualifications: Not required
Compulsory attendance ages: 5–16For this requirement Delaware counts a child as 5 only if the child's fifth birthday falls on or before August 31 of that school year, and local school authorities may grant an exception to that schedule for entry into school if they decide the exception is in the child's best interest (14 Del. C. § 2702(b)). A parent whose child was a Delaware resident when the child became eligible for kindergarten at age 5 may ask school authorities to evaluate the child's readiness and may request a delay of one year — the statute gives the parent the right to ask, not to decide — and admission to first grade comes only after school authorities evaluate readiness (§ 2702(c)(1)). Both are public school routes: a student home-schooled under § 2703A is exempt from § 2702 (§ 2703).
Ways to homeschool: Nonpublic home-school registration with DDOE (single-family / multi-family / coordinated)
Law: 14 Del. C. §§ 2702, 2703, 2703A, 2704
Official source: education.delaware.gov ↗

Do I have to notify anyone to homeschool in Delaware?

Yes. Delaware requires homeschooling families to file a notice. Where it goes: Delaware Department of Education (DDOE). How: Register as a nonpublic home school via the DDOE online portal (Single-Family, Multi-Family, or Single-Family Coordinated). When: Register the home school and enroll the child with DDOE before instruction begins — a Delaware public school will not release a student without the Department's acknowledgement letter, and the Department closes its application system from August 1 to August 11 each year while it rolls to the new school year. Two filings follow every year: the statement of pupil enrollment no later than September 30, and the end-of-year attendance report on or before July 31 (14 Del. C. § 2704). October 5 was the old enrollment date; the General Assembly moved it to September 30 in June 2023, so a page still naming October 5 is out of date. Registration is not approval. Failure to file the annual reports closes the school and withdraws the enrolled students.

What subjects does Delaware require homeschoolers to teach?

Delaware does not spell out a list of required subjects for homeschoolers. Delaware sets no subject list and no instruction standard for the two ordinary home schools. Section 2703 exempts from compulsory attendance 'any student who is home-schooled in any manner provided for in § 2703A of this title', and § 2703A(b)(1)-(2) define the multi-family and single-family home school with no curriculum, subject or hours condition attached; what Delaware asks of them is registration and the annual enrollment and attendance reports under § 2704, not a course of study. The 'regular and thorough instruction in the subjects prescribed for the public schools' phrase in § 2703 is the condition on a student enrolled in a private school, not on a home school. It reaches one home-school route: a single-family home school coordinated with the local school district (§ 2703A(b)(3)) uses a curriculum approved by the local superintendent, who must determine in writing that the child is or will be given regular and thorough instruction in the subjects prescribed for the public schools. The Department's own nonpublic-schools materials describe two types, single-family and multi-family, and state that the Department does not provide, endorse, accredit, approve or monitor curriculum for any home school, so a family wanting the coordinated route arranges it with the district superintendent.

How many days or hours of instruction does Delaware require?

Delaware's rule: Annual attendance report (average daily membership and average daily attendance) to DDOE on or before July 31, and the statement of pupil enrollment (student name, address, date of birth, grade) no later than September 30 — not October 5, which the 2023 amendment replaced (14 Del. C. § 2704). The Department's own reporting page carries the same two dates and describes the enrollment count as of the last school day in September.

Is standardized testing required to homeschool in Delaware?

No. Delaware does not require standardized testing for homeschooled students. No standardized testing, portfolio reviews, or evaluations required.

What records do I need to keep to homeschool in Delaware?

Delaware requires these records: enrollment records (name, address, DOB, grade) and attendance records (ADM/ADA). Submitted annually to DDOE.

Do parents need a teaching certificate or other qualification to homeschool in Delaware?

No. Delaware does not set a general qualification for homeschooling parents.

What ages does Delaware's compulsory attendance law cover?

Delaware's compulsory attendance law covers children from age 5 to age 16. For this requirement Delaware counts a child as 5 only if the child's fifth birthday falls on or before August 31 of that school year, and local school authorities may grant an exception to that schedule for entry into school if they decide the exception is in the child's best interest (14 Del. C. § 2702(b)). A parent whose child was a Delaware resident when the child became eligible for kindergarten at age 5 may ask school authorities to evaluate the child's readiness and may request a delay of one year — the statute gives the parent the right to ask, not to decide — and admission to first grade comes only after school authorities evaluate readiness (§ 2702(c)(1)). Both are public school routes: a student home-schooled under § 2703A is exempt from § 2702 (§ 2703).

What are the ways to homeschool in Delaware?

In Delaware, families homeschool under this pathway: nonpublic home-school registration with DDOE (single-family / multi-family / coordinated).

Is homeschooling legal in Delaware?

Yes. Homeschooling is legal in Delaware, as it is in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. Delaware treats home schools as nonpublic schools: register with the Department of Education, then file the annual enrollment statement and the annual attendance report. No testing, and no required subjects — unless you choose the third option in the statute, a single-family home school coordinated with your district, which uses a curriculum the local superintendent approves.

How to get started in Delaware

Register your homeschool and enroll your child with the Department before instruction begins, through the Department's online portal, as a single-family, multi-family, or single-family coordinated homeschool. Registration is not an approval process. A Delaware public school will not release a student without the Department's acknowledgement letter, and the Department closes its application system from August 1 to August 11 each year while it rolls to the new school year, so plan around those dates.

Official resource (education.delaware.gov) →

File your statement of pupil enrollment by September 30

Each year, report the students enrolled in your homeschool (name, address, date of birth, and grade) to the Department, which counts enrollment as of the last school day in September. This deadline used to be October 5; Delaware moved it to September 30 in 2023 (14 Del. C. § 2704), so an older page or checklist may still show the wrong date.

File your attendance report by July 31

Each year, report your homeschool's attendance (average daily membership and average daily attendance) to the Department. Keep a simple attendance record through the year so the numbers are ready. The report is a count, not a target — Delaware sets no minimum number of days or hours for a single-family or multi-family homeschool.

Don't miss a report

If the annual reports aren't filed, your homeschool is closed and its enrolled students are withdrawn. Put September 30 and July 31 on your calendar.

Choose your subjects — unless you take the coordinated route

Delaware sets no subject list and no instruction standard for the two ordinary homeschools, the single-family and the multi-family (14 Del. C. § 2703A(b)(1)–(2)); what the state asks of them is registration and the two annual reports. The 'regular and thorough instruction in the subjects prescribed for the public schools' language belongs to a student enrolled in a private school, and to one homeschool route only: the single-family homeschool coordinated with your school district (§ 2703A(b)(3)), which uses a curriculum the local superintendent approves and requires the superintendent to determine in writing that your child is or will be given that instruction. The Department's own materials say it does not provide, endorse, accredit, approve, or monitor curriculum for any homeschool, so a family that wants the coordinated route arranges it with the district superintendent.

No testing, evaluation, or teaching credential

Delaware requires no standardized testing, portfolio review, or evaluation of a homeschooled student, and a parent needs no teaching qualification.

What Romeschool tracks for you: Activity log and portfolio.

Get set up for Delaware →Delaware funding & ESAs Find field trips in Delaware

Sources for Delaware

Official source (education.delaware.gov) ↗HSLDA's Delaware summary ↗

Statute: 14 Del. C. §§ 2702, 2703, 2703A, 2704

Last reviewed: June 5, 2026

Corrected: September 23, 2026, after re-reading the official source for what changed

Every requirement above comes from our review of Delaware’s rules, checked against these sources on June 5, 2026 and corrected on September 23, 2026 after re-reading the official source for what changed. Homeschool law changes, and a state can amend its rules between our reviews — read the official source before you file anything or rely on a date here. How we review state requirements.

Nearby states

States that share a border with Delaware:

Maryland New Jersey Pennsylvania

All 50 states & D.C. →