Homeschooling in North Carolina

Hi, my name is Marleene, and I am the North Carolina state representative for Time4Learning!

I am a part time employee and a full-time mom!  I enjoy baking, sewing, and reading to my daughter.  Homeschooling has been a part of our lives for over five years.  Watching our little student succeed in all areas of her education has been a very rewarding experience.  Time4Learning has helped keep us on track, made our lessons more animated, and as my daughter would say, "school is now so much fun!"

If you have questions or comments about homeschooling in North Carolina, contact the North Carolina Parent Forum.

North Carolina Homeschool Regulations

Legal disclaimer - This section is one family’s story and how they meet the mandatory homeschooling requirements in North Carolina. It is not intended and should not be used as definitive legal advice. In most states, parents find a variety of legal methods to pursue the educational approach that they prefer for their child.



The state of North Carolina requires that all homeschoolers send to the Department of Non-Public Education a Notice of Intent to Operate a School (a copy of this form can be found on their website www.ncdnpe.org/homeschool.asp) They also require that you keep yearly attendance, as well as administer a yearly nationally standardized achievement test. Both of these must be submitted to the DNPE yearly. I have chosen to administer the California Achievement Test each year, and I turn this in along with our attendance record on or before the 30th of June of each year.

I was a little intimidated when we moved to North Carolina and found out how different the requirements were for homeschoolers; however, after three years, I have learned what's required and feel more relaxed in regards to our curriculum choices and what's expected of me. What I love about homeschooling in North Carolina is that our most favorite subject, which is science, can be more hands-on in a state with so many parks and wildlife.

To find out more about the legal requirements of homeschooling in North Carolina, visit one of these sites: North Carolina Homeschool Legal Requirement by HSDLA (Homeschool Legal Defense Association); Home-Ed Magazine’s NC resource page -with information, articles, and state-specific resources; and info on Home Education in North Carolina by Ann Zeise; North Carolina Department of Non-Public Education Page.

A Day In Our Homeschool

You might wonder what an average day in our homeschool looks like. Our homeschool schedule varies from day to day, but basically, this is what we strive for:


20 min. of Bible reading (it takes my daughter a little while to "get going" in the morning, so we found this works best for us -- she relaxes in her jammies while we cuddle and read together)

(At this point, it's time to get ready head to toe -- brush hair, wash face, brush teeth, get dressed, eat breakfast, etc.)

30-40 min. of Math (this includes instruction, then daily bookwork/worksheets -- sometimes this includes using marshmallows or M&M's as manipulatives, other times it means using a jumping rope while counting by twos, fives, and tens, etc. -- anything to keep it fun and interesting) I have found that getting math done first helps the rest of the day run so much smoother as math is her most challenging subject.

25 min. - Either Science or Geography (Three science lessons per week, two of Geography per week) Science is her favorite subject, so we try to do some during school time, but we also read through different science books at night "just for fun". Her school time science book contains information on all different science concepts; however, since she loves animals, we read through her Exploring Creation with Zoology 3: Land Animals of the Sixth Day book every night. We also look up websites and check out books from the local library on whatever animal fascinates her for that day!

BREAK - 10 minutes of dancing, jumping, laughing, snacking fun

20 min. Time4Learning Language Arts - I especially love to use Time4Learning for Language Arts (Grammar, Vocabulary, Reading Comprehension, Language Mechanics, etc.) My little one used to hate these subjects, and now it's her most FAVORITE (after Science of course). It's a well rounded curriculum and it definitely helps keep her in a happy, ready to learn more mood!

15 min. - worksheet (resources from Time4Learning or other grammar/vocabulary worksheet selected for day)

20 min. Handwriting - Cursive. We like using Handwriting Without Tears

20 min. Journaling / Drawing - I like to give her time to sit and write out stories, small journal entries or sometimes even draw and color picture and write a little bit on what she drew. I enjoy keeping these entries and letting her look at them after some time so that she can see her improvement in spelling, grammar and handwriting. Sometimes it's just fun to re-read some of her own work!

Short BREAK - (drinks, potty breaks, back to work)

30 min. - Quiet reading time. She chooses a chapter book which she reads, then shares the stories with either her dad or me. Sometimes she draws pictures about what she's reading, or includes her thoughts as part of a journal entry.

30 min. - Piano

Lunch time, work on vegetable garden, play with pets, bake homemade bread, swing, laugh, relax, kisses, hugs and love being homeschooled!

Finding Homeschool Resources in NC

The local library has a homeschool section with books that talk about different curriculum that is available for homeschoolers. I have also found that visiting local homeschool conventions is beneficial in deciding which books would work best for our school year. Not only can you browse through the curriculum, you can also ask questions and receive useful information and suggestions. When I attended my first convention, it was very comforting to be around other homeschool families and the guest speakers were so knowlegeable -- it was nice to learn from such seasoned teachers!

In the beginning, I ordered a boxed curriculum (everything you need for homeschooling in a box). I ordered from Calvert and really enjoyed the convenience of having everything put together for me. After a few years of doing it that way, I realized that not all of our needs were being met to keep our homeschooling day spontaneous and fun. So, for the past few years, I've been doing a lot of research on different books, and I currently buy each subject's book from different websites. I purchase from Amazon, Rainbow Resources, Ebay and other homeschool families who are selling previously used books. This way I can choose the books that will keep my daughter's attention and meet her needs.

My favorite schooling websites are www.brainpop.com, http://www.currclick.com/ (we love to use lapbooks and notebooking for more hands on schooling), www.spellingcity.com (you can input your own spelling words and it gives them fun activites/extra practice), and of course www.time4learning.com. Out of all the different sites we use, my daughter loves Time4Learning the best! To her, it's like watching a fun cartoon and playing a game. To me, it has been a useful tool in our everyday schooling. She looks forward to each lesson and her test scores have improved considerably since we started using the program.

Using Time4Learning For Homeschool

Time4Learning is used by homeschool parents both as a primary curriculum and as a supplemental program to other materials such as Saxon, Alpha Omega, Five in a Row and A Beka. Some of the features that make Time4Learning so successful include:
Time4Learning appeals to a wide range of learning styles. Our online learning materials are especially well-suited to children who are visual or kinesthetic learners. These children can take advantage of Time4Learning's interactive, multi-media materials.
Children like using the computer to learn. It's a convenient, interactive homeschool resource that provides a welcome change each day to paper-and-pencil workbooks and textbook-based lessons.
Parents like that it tracks progress and helps children advance by clearly presenting and reinforcing each lesson.
Time4Learning's self-paced, modularized lesson plans allow you to move forward and back through the materials whenever you want. You can skip lessons that teach concepts your child has already mastered and repeat those he or she has not. The choice is yours. With Time4Learning, you are always in control.
Time4Learning is proven effective with homeschoolers, has a low monthly price, is easy-to-use, and provides a money-back guarantee so you can make sure that it works for your children, risk free! Sign up for Time4Learning as part of your overall homeschool program.

If you have more questions about homeschooling in North Carolina, or want to learn more about our experiences in the state, you can contact me in the North Carolina Parent Forum on the Parent forum at: Marleene