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New Hampshire recognizes four ways to educate a child: public school, private school, home education, and an Education Freedom Account. This guide covers home education under RSA 193-A, the one-time notice you file, the records you keep, and how an accredited online school fits as its own pathway.
In New Hampshire, home education is a parent-directed program governed by RSA 193-A and administrative rule Ed 315. It is one of four ways a family can satisfy the state's compulsory attendance law, alongside public school, private school, and an Education Freedom Account. To begin, the parent sends a one-time notice to a participating agency, then teaches the required subjects, keeps a portfolio, and completes an annual evaluation.
Compulsory attendance applies to children who are 6 years old by September 30 through age 18. A "participating agency" can be your resident district superintendent, the New Hampshire Commissioner of Education, or a participating nonpublic or private school. Many families choose to notify a private school rather than their district, for privacy and convenience.
Four steps take you from decision to a compliant home education program.
Decide who receives your notice: your resident district superintendent, the New Hampshire Commissioner of Education, or a participating private or nonpublic school. This agency is your point of contact for the annual evaluation.
Send your notice within 5 business days of starting home education, including the child's name, date of birth, address, and the parent's name. You file this once. You do not renew each year unless you change agencies or move to a new district.
Maintain a log of the reading materials used plus samples of your child's work across the required subjects. Keep the portfolio for two years. It stays your property and is used for the annual evaluation.
Each year, document progress through one method: a certified teacher's portfolio review, a national achievement test, the state assessment, or another tool agreed with your agency. Results stay in your records and do not have to be submitted unless requested.
| Legal basis | Home education program under RSA 193-A and rule Ed 315 |
| Compulsory ages | 6 by September 30 of the school year, through age 18 |
| Notice to file | One-time notice to a participating agency within 5 business days of starting |
| Participating agency | District superintendent, the NH Commissioner of Education, or a participating private school |
| Required subjects | Science, math, language, government, history, health, reading, writing, spelling, the NH and US constitutions, plus art and music |
| Recordkeeping | Portfolio of reading log and work samples, kept 2 years |
| Annual evaluation | Required; several accepted methods, results kept private |
This summary is a starting point, not legal advice. Confirm current requirements with your participating agency or the New Hampshire Department of Education before you withdraw a child from school.
New Hampshire's Education Freedom Account (EFA), created under RSA 194-F and administered by the Children's Scholarship Fund New Hampshire, gives eligible families state funds they can direct to approved education expenses, including tuition at an approved nonpublic school, paid out through ClassWallet. The EFA is listed in state law as its own pathway to satisfy compulsory attendance, separate from home education.
An EFA is not the same as home education. A family that has already notified as home educating under RSA 193-A must terminate that home education program, under Ed 315.06 and RSA 193-A:5, before enrolling in the EFA. Eligibility rules have been expanding, so confirm the current income guidelines and award with the Children's Scholarship Fund New Hampshire. Our New Hampshire EFA guide has the detail.
Because New Hampshire treats private school as its own pathway, enrolling in an accredited online private school is a distinct route from home education. When your child is enrolled in a private school, you do not file a home education notice, keep the portfolio, or complete the annual evaluation. The school provides the instruction and records and issues the transcript.
Score Academy Online is an approved New Hampshire Education Freedom Account provider. It is a Cognia-accredited online private school offering NCAA-approved courses for grades K–12, with certified teachers and live, flexible learning. Eligible families can direct EFA funds toward tuition through ClassWallet. Explore the curriculum, review the New Hampshire EFA details, or read how online school compares to homeschool.
Yes, once. You send a one-time notice of intent to a participating agency, your district superintendent, the NH Commissioner of Education, or a participating private school, within 5 business days of starting. You do not renew it annually unless you change agencies or move districts.
Not specifically. New Hampshire requires an annual evaluation of progress, and a national achievement test is one accepted method, alongside a certified teacher's portfolio review, the state assessment, or another agreed tool. You keep the results; they are not submitted unless requested.
An Education Freedom Account (EFA) is a state-funded account, administered by the Children's Scholarship Fund New Hampshire, that eligible families can use for approved education expenses including tuition at an approved nonpublic school, paid through ClassWallet. It is a separate pathway from home education, with its own rules.
Yes, when eligible. EFA funds can be directed toward tuition at an approved nonpublic school, including an accredited online school. Score Academy Online is an approved New Hampshire EFA provider. Confirm current eligibility with the Children's Scholarship Fund New Hampshire.
No. Private school enrollment is its own pathway to satisfy compulsory attendance, separate from home education under RSA 193-A. When your child is enrolled in an accredited private school, you do not file a home education notice, keep the portfolio, or complete the annual evaluation.
Score Academy Online is an approved New Hampshire EFA provider: a Cognia-accredited online private school with certified teachers, NCAA-approved courses, and a transcript colleges recognize. Eligible families can put Education Freedom Account funds toward tuition. Talk to admissions about what fits your child.