Since July 1, 2026, New Hampshire asks almost nothing of homeschool families. The yearly evaluation, the portfolio, and the notice to the state or district are all gone. A short written declaration is needed only when you withdraw from a public school or want to use public school classes and activities.
Verified against primary sources November 2026. Laws change; sources are linked at the bottom of this page.
Under RSA 193-A as rewritten by the Home Education Freedom Act (effective July 1, 2026), a parent may educate their own child at home with no notice, no approval, no portfolio, no annual evaluation, and no set hours. A written declaration of home education is required only when you withdraw your child from a public school or when your child wants to take part in public school courses or activities. The declaration gives your child's name, date of birth, and current address, and states that your child is home educated and meets the compulsory attendance law, signed by the parent.
Education provided, coordinated, or directed by a parent for their own child. A child receiving home education is exempt from the compulsory attendance law. This is what the rest of this page describes.
A separate state program. A student in it is not a home educated student under RSA 193-A, and starting it ends a home education program. Its own rules apply, and this page does not cover them.
A declaration of home education is not required, except when you withdraw your child from a public school or when your child seeks access to public school programs. The declaration is a written statement that your child is home educated and meets the compulsory attendance requirements. It is signed by the parent and identifies your child by name, date of birth, and current address. The statute does not say who receives it or set a deadline.
Home educated students may take curricular courses and join cocurricular programs (clubs, athletics, performing groups, service) offered by the district where they live, and may take the statewide assessment and PSAT. The school board's policy may not be more restrictive for them than for resident students. Use of this access is the other case that requires the declaration.
Compulsory attendance applies from age 6 to under 18, and a child receiving home education under RSA 193-A is exempt from attending public school. A child who turns 6 after September 30 need not start until the following school year.
Your dates and hours of instruction do not have to match the district calendar, and your academic year does not have to match the district's. The law sets no number of days or hours.
No superintendent, school board, principal, other district official, local official, or state official may propose, adopt, or enforce any policy governing home educated students, except policies about access to public school courses and programs. The superintendent must work with you on your program's goals if you ask.
Anything you submit to a state agency, school district, or government body about your home education program is confidential and may not be shared without your written consent. Unless your child is counted in district attendance or takes the statewide assessment, your child's data is not tracked in the statewide longitudinal data system.
A home education program ends when your child enrolls full time in a public school, public charter school, or nonpublic school, or starts the Education Freedom Account program. The old rule requiring a written termination notice within 15 days was removed in 2026.
A parent may certify that a child has completed a home education program. The certificate may list the child's name and date of birth, the parents' names, the completion date, and the parent's signature. If you submit it to the commissioner of education, the commissioner issues a certificate of completion within 30 days. Documenting completion of a high school level home program this way also ends the compulsory attendance requirement.
| When you withdraw from a public school | File the declaration of home education: your child's name, date of birth, and address, a statement that your child is home educated and meets the attendance law, and the parent's signature. |
| Before your child joins a public school class, team, or club | File the declaration and follow the district's participation policy, which may not be stricter than the one for its own students. |
| During the year | Nothing is due. New Hampshire sets no days, hours, testing, or evaluation. |
| When high school is finished (optional) | Sign a certificate of completion and, if you want a state certificate, submit it to the commissioner of education, who issues one within 30 days. |
No. The section that required a portfolio (a reading log plus work samples kept for two years) and a yearly evaluation by a teacher, a test, or another agreed method was RSA 193-A:6. It was repealed effective July 1, 2026. The current law also says the lack of notice, records, evaluations, or assessments may not be used as proof that a child is not being educated.
Only in two cases. The law requires a declaration of home education when you withdraw your child from a public school, and when your child wants to use public school courses or activities. Otherwise no declaration is required, and the earlier rule to notify the state, the district, or a private school within five business days no longer exists.
A written statement that your child is home educated and meets New Hampshire's compulsory attendance requirements, signed by the parent, naming your child with date of birth and current address. The statute does not name a form or say who must receive it.
Yes. Home educated students have access to curricular courses and cocurricular programs, including athletics, clubs, and performing groups, offered by the district where they live. The local school board sets the participation policy, and it may not be stricter for home educated students than for the district's own students. Your child can also take the statewide assessment and the PSAT through the district. You file the declaration to use this access.
No. No superintendent, school board, principal, or local or state official may propose, adopt, or enforce any policy governing home educated students, except policies about access to public school courses and programs.
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Make a free parent accountReference information reviewed August 2026 against primary sources (statutes, NCAA and Common App published requirements). This is general information, not legal advice; requirements change, so verify anything load-bearing for your family against your state's current law.