South Carolina homeschool requirements

To homeschool in South Carolina, choose one of three accountability pathways — the local district, SCAIHS, or a qualifying association. All three require at least 180 instructional days; the 4.5-hour instructional day applies to the district option only. Testing applies under the district option; the associations set their own.

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

Moderate regulation Notice required Instruction time by pathway Testing or evaluation by pathway

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South Carolina homeschool requirements at a glance

Notice: RequiredWhere it goes: One of three accountability bodies: the local school district board, SCAIHS, or a qualifying association (50+ members). When: Annually, and before you begin. Option 1 needs the district board's approval first (§ 59-65-40(A), (B)); Options 2 and 3 need your membership in place. No section of Chapter 65 sets a filing date, and the widely quoted '10th day after school starts' is a membership cutoff individual associations set for themselves — the dates differ, so confirm yours with the body you choose.
Required subjects: Reading, Writing, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies/History
Instruction time: Set by pathway180 instructional days under all three options. The 4.5-hour instructional day, excluding lunch and recesses, is Option 1 (the district) only — § 59-65-40(A)(2); §§ 59-65-45 and -47 set no daily hours. An association may set standards beyond that statutory floor, and it is membership in good standing that keeps an Option 2 or Option 3 family out of Option 1's rules, so follow your association's own calendar requirements.
Testing or evaluation: Yes — annualOption 1 (school district) — statewide testing; Options 2 and 3 (SCAIHS / association) set their own. Option 1 requires the public-school statewide assessments (SC READY in grades 3–8, SCPASS science, end-of-course exams in high school), administered by a certified employee rather than the parent. A first-grade readiness test also applies under Option 1, given within the first fifteen instructional days of the public-school year (§ 59-65-40(C)). If an Option 1 student scores below the public-school promotion standard for one year, § 59-65-40(D) lets the district board decide the placement: public school, special services, or home schooling with an instructional support system at the parent's expense. Options 2 and 3 provide their own accountability; no state test is required.
Records: Yes — activity log, portfolio, progress reports
Parent qualifications: Required
Compulsory attendance ages: 5–17The duty begins with the school year in which the child is five before September 1 — not on the fifth birthday — and runs until the seventeenth birthday or high-school graduation, whichever comes first (§ 59-65-10(A)). A parent whose child is not six on or before September 1 may elect for that child not to attend kindergarten that year, by signing a written election with the school district.
Ways to homeschool: Three pathways
Law: S.C. Code §§ 59-65-40, -45, -47
Official source: ed.sc.gov ↗

Do I have to notify anyone to homeschool in South Carolina?

Yes. South Carolina requires homeschooling families to file a notice. Where it goes: One of three accountability bodies: the local school district board, SCAIHS, or a qualifying association (50+ members). How: Enrollment/registration with the chosen body. When: Annually, and before you begin. Option 1 needs the district board's approval first (§ 59-65-40(A), (B)); Options 2 and 3 need your membership in place. No section of Chapter 65 sets a filing date, and the widely quoted '10th day after school starts' is a membership cutoff individual associations set for themselves — the dates differ, so confirm yours with the body you choose. Families enroll with one of three accountability options annually; each has its own process and requirements. Until your option is in place the child is not in an approved program: § 59-65-10 requires regular attendance from the start of the school year and § 59-65-20 makes each day's absence a separate offense, and State Board Regulation 43-274 counts three consecutive or five total unlawful absences as truancy.

What subjects does South Carolina require homeschoolers to teach?

South Carolina requires instruction in Reading, Writing, Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies/History. All three pathways carry the same statutory list, plus composition and literature in grades 7–12. § 59-65-40(A)(3) sets it for Option 1; under §§ 59-65-45 and -47 the Department of Education reviews each association's standards every year to confirm they include at least that curriculum, so an association may ask for more, never less.

How many days or hours of instruction does South Carolina require?

South Carolina's rule: 180 instructional days under all three options. The 4.5-hour instructional day, excluding lunch and recesses, is Option 1 (the district) only — § 59-65-40(A)(2); §§ 59-65-45 and -47 set no daily hours. An association may set standards beyond that statutory floor, and it is membership in good standing that keeps an Option 2 or Option 3 family out of Option 1's rules, so follow your association's own calendar requirements.

Is standardized testing required to homeschool in South Carolina?

Yes. South Carolina requires a test or another accepted form of evaluation. How often: Annual (Option 1); varies (Options 2/3). Who this applies to: Option 1 (school district) — statewide testing; Options 2 and 3 (SCAIHS / association) set their own. Accepted options: Option 1 (district): the statewide testing program (SC READY grades 3–8; SC PASS science; End-of-Course exams), administered by a certified school-district employee — not the parent and Options 2 and 3: assessment at the association's/parent's discretion (private tests), not state-administered. Option 1 requires the public-school statewide assessments (SC READY in grades 3–8, SCPASS science, end-of-course exams in high school), administered by a certified employee rather than the parent. A first-grade readiness test also applies under Option 1, given within the first fifteen instructional days of the public-school year (§ 59-65-40(C)). If an Option 1 student scores below the public-school promotion standard for one year, § 59-65-40(D) lets the district board decide the placement: public school, special services, or home schooling with an instructional support system at the parent's expense. Options 2 and 3 provide their own accountability; no state test is required.

What records do I need to keep to homeschool in South Carolina?

South Carolina requires these records: plan book or diary of subjects and activities, portfolio of student work, and semiannual progress reports with attendance and assessments. How long, or where they go: Maintained and made available on request. Records are kept by the parent and shown to the accountability body, not the state — with one exception: under Option 1 the semiannual progress report, with attendance records and individualized assessments in each required subject, must be submitted to the school district (§ 59-65-40(A)(4)). Option 1 adds two duties that are not records: the student must have access to library facilities (§ 59-65-40(A)(5)), and the parent must agree in writing to hold the district harmless for any educational deficiencies (§ 59-65-40(A)(7)). § 59-65-47 sets the same three records for Option 3; § 59-65-45 lists none for Option 2, so ask SCAIHS what it keeps.

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

Yes. South Carolina sets a qualification for the parent who teaches. Option 1 (the district): a high-school diploma or GED, or a baccalaureate degree. § 59-65-40(A)(1) also names a basic-skills examination, but it applies only after the State Department of Education has validated that test for use with home-schooling parents, and the South Carolina Supreme Court held that validation unreasonable, and the requirement unenforceable, in Lawrence v. S.C. State Board of Education (December 9, 1991). Options 2 and 3 (§§ 59-65-45, -47): a high-school diploma or GED.

What ages does South Carolina's compulsory attendance law cover?

South Carolina's compulsory attendance law covers children from age 5 to age 17. The duty begins with the school year in which the child is five before September 1 — not on the fifth birthday — and runs until the seventeenth birthday or high-school graduation, whichever comes first (§ 59-65-10(A)). A parent whose child is not six on or before September 1 may elect for that child not to attend kindergarten that year, by signing a written election with the school district.

What are the ways to homeschool in South Carolina?

In South Carolina, families homeschool under one of three pathways: Option 1 (local school district); Option 2 (SCAIHS); and Option 3 (association of 50+ members).

Is homeschooling legal in South Carolina?

Yes. Homeschooling is legal in South Carolina, as it is in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. To homeschool in South Carolina, choose one of three accountability pathways — the local district, SCAIHS, or a qualifying association. All three require at least 180 instructional days; the 4.5-hour instructional day applies to the district option only. Testing applies under the district option; the associations set their own.

How to get started in South Carolina

Choose an accountability option and enroll each year

Option 1: register with your local school district board, which has to approve your program first (§ 59-65-40(A), (B)). Option 2: join the South Carolina Association of Independent Home Schools (SCAIHS). Option 3: join a homeschool association with at least 50 members. Enrolling with your chosen option is how you give notice, and each option has its own process. Do it every year, and have it in place before you begin. No section of Chapter 65 sets a filing date, and the 10th-day-after-school-starts date you will see quoted is a membership cutoff individual associations set for themselves — the dates differ, so confirm yours with the body you choose. Until your option is in place your child is not in an approved program: § 59-65-10 requires regular attendance from the start of the school year, and § 59-65-20 makes each day's absence a separate offense.

Official resource (ed.sc.gov) →

Teach at least 180 days

All three options require at least 180 instructional days a year. Under Option 1 the school day must also be at least 4.5 hours, not counting lunch and recesses; §§ 59-65-45 and -47 set no daily hours for the association options, though an association may set calendar standards of its own, so follow the ones yours publishes. Attendance is part of the semiannual progress report under Options 1 and 3 — see the records step below.

Teach the required subjects

Reading, writing, mathematics, science, and social studies/history, plus composition and literature in grades 7–12. All three options carry the same list: § 59-65-40(A)(3) sets it for Option 1, and under §§ 59-65-45 and -47 the Department of Education reviews each association's standards every year to confirm they include at least that curriculum — so an association may ask for more, never less.

Meet the parent qualification

The teaching parent needs a high-school diploma or GED under any of the three options; Option 1 also accepts a baccalaureate degree in its place. Option 1's statute names a basic-skills examination as well, but it applies only after the State Department of Education has validated such a test for use with home-schooling parents, and the South Carolina Supreme Court held that validation unreasonable, and the requirement unenforceable, in Lawrence v. S.C. State Board of Education (1991).

Keep your records

Keep a plan book or diary of subjects and activities, a portfolio of your child's work, and semiannual progress reports with attendance and individualized assessments in each required subject. You hold them and make them available to your accountability option on request — with one exception: under Option 1 the semiannual progress report goes to the school district (§ 59-65-40(A)(4)). Option 3's statute sets the same three records; § 59-65-45 lists none for Option 2, so ask SCAIHS what it keeps. Option 1 also requires that your child have access to library facilities and that you agree in writing to hold the district harmless for any educational deficiencies.

Testing applies to Option 1 only

Options 2 and 3 require no state test; any assessment is up to your association and you. Under Option 1, your child takes the annual statewide tests (SC READY in grades 3–8, SC PASS science, and end-of-course exams in high school), given by a certified school-district employee rather than by you, plus a first-grade readiness test within the first fifteen instructional days of the public-school year. If an Option 1 student scores below the public-school promotion standard for a year, the district board decides the placement: public school, special services, or home schooling with an instructional support system at your expense.

What Romeschool tracks for you: Attendance, testing reminders.

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

If you take an ESA, your homeschool status changes: An ESTF participant CANNOT be in an Option 1-3 SC homeschool association; the signed agreement itself satisfies compulsory attendance + adds annual norm-referenced testing.

Sources for South Carolina

Official source (ed.sc.gov) ↗HSLDA's South Carolina summary ↗

Statute: S.C. Code §§ 59-65-40, -45, -47

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 South Carolina’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.

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