Homeschool funding & ESAs in New Jersey

Can I get paid to homeschool in New Jersey?

No. New Jersey has no ESA or voucher that independent homeschooling families can use. Nationwide grants are listed below, each with its own eligibility rules. Romeschool tracks and organizes what you spend, so a receipt is ready the moment a program asks for one — it never files or submits anything on your behalf. New Jersey's homeschool rules require no test or evaluation of their own, so there is nothing on that side to arrange.

What does New Jersey require of homeschoolers — and what should I plan for?

New Jersey does not require a test or an evaluation, so there is no assessment to arrange. What New Jersey asks for — notice, instruction time, testing and records — is set out below, straight from the reviewed rules.

Notice

No. New Jersey does not require homeschooling families to file a notice. No statutory requirement to notify and no homeschool registration, but two situations do call for paperwork. To take a child out of a high school they are already enrolled in, the Department of Education's guidance says the school will have the parent complete a transfer form recording the intent to provide instruction elsewhere than at school, so that high-school enrollment data stays accurate. And where a district refuses to enroll a child on residency grounds and the parent does not appeal, N.J.A.C. 6A:22-4.2(b)9 looks for a written statement that the child will attend school elsewhere or receive instruction elsewhere than at school; without one, district staff must refer the family to the district where they actually live, or to the Department of Children and Families, as a possible case of neglect. In any other situation the Department encourages, but does not require, a letter telling the local board you intend to homeschool. Local boards cannot review or approve your curriculum.

Testing or evaluation

No. New Jersey does not require standardized testing for homeschooled students. No state or district testing; local boards cannot test homeschooled students.

Days and hours

None. New Jersey does not set a minimum number of instructional days or hours for homeschoolers. No attendance record requirement.

Records

New Jersey does not require homeschooling families to keep specific records. If a parent is charged under the compulsory education law (N.J.S.A. 18A:38-25, with the penalty at 18A:38-31), the parent must come forward with evidence that the child is receiving equivalent instruction elsewhere than at school; once that evidence is in the case, the burden of persuasion stays with the State (State v. Vaughn, 44 N.J. 142 (1965)). A log of what was taught and samples of the child's work are how a family produces that evidence, in that court or wherever else the question is raised. The Department of Education's guidance says a local board may request documentation, such as a letter of intent, where it has credible evidence that a child is not being educated, and that withdrawing a child to homeschool is not by itself such evidence; that guidance is not a state directive, and it does not replace the paperwork a high-school withdrawal or a residency denial calls for.

Full New Jersey homeschool requirements →

Nationwide grants

• ACT Today! Grant · Autism Care Today
  For U.S. families of a child with an autism diagnosis (priority to household income under $100k).
  Open to any family of a child with autism — not homeschool-specific, but useful for therapy costs.
• Dyslexia Services Foundation Grant · Dyslexia Services Foundation
  For low-income U.S. children with dyslexia who cannot otherwise afford treatment (need shown via free/reduced lunch, Medicaid, or SNAP).
  Typically identified through a teacher or provider; not homeschool-specific.
• HSLDA Compassion Curriculum Grant · Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA)
  For HSLDA members with significant financial need (legal custody of a child 6-19, homeschooling 3+ months).
  You must privately fund your homeschool (not receiving ESA or other public funds).
• HSLDA Disaster Relief Grant · Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA)
  For homeschooling families (child 6-19) with physical disaster damage in the past 18 months.
• MyGOAL Autism Grant · MyGOAL Inc.
  For the primary caregiver of a child under 18 with autism, with demonstrated financial need.
  Open to any family of a child with autism — not homeschool-specific.
• Our Military Kids Grant · Our Military Kids
  For children (1-18) of deployed National Guard/Reserve members (60+ days) or of post-9/11 combat-injured service members and veterans.
  Funds organized, provider-led activities (not parent-taught core instruction).
• UnitedHealthcare Children's Foundation Grant · UnitedHealthcare Children's Foundation
  For U.S. children aged 16 or under with commercial (non-public) health insurance, subject to income guidelines.
  Medical (not education) funding — useful for special-needs homeschoolers' therapy costs.

Full details, amounts and deadlines for every program →