South Carolina homeschool checklist

South Carolina homeschool checklist (general information, not legal advice)

• Choose one of South Carolina’s three legal home school options before you start: Option 1 — approved by your district board of trustees; Option 2 — bona fide membership in the South Carolina Association of Independent Home Schools (SCAIHS); or Option 3 — membership in a home school association with at least 50 members that meets S.C. Code § 59-65-47. There is no single state Notice of Intent; registration runs through your district or association. Checked Oct 19, 2026.
• Compulsory attendance applies from the school year in which a child is five before September 1 until the 17th birthday or high school graduation; a parent may elect not to enroll a child in kindergarten if the child is not six by September 1. Checked Oct 19, 2026.
• Under all three options the parent must hold at least a high school diploma or GED, the instructional year is at least 180 days, and the curriculum must include reading, writing, mathematics, science and social studies (plus composition and literature in grades 7–12). Checked Oct 19, 2026.
• Option 1 adds district-facing duties: a 4.5-hour instructional day, records the district may inspect (plan book/diary, portfolio of work samples, and a semiannual progress report with attendance submitted to the district), library access, and annual statewide testing for the student’s grade, administered by a certified district employee. Checked Oct 19, 2026.
• Option 3 records are kept by the parent-teacher: a plan book/diary, a portfolio of work samples, and a semiannual progress report including attendance. Associations report the number and grade level of their home schooled children to districts by January 30 each year. Students in Options 2 and 3 are not eligible for the Option 1 state assessments described above, so check your association’s own standards for any assessment it requires. Checked Oct 19, 2026.

Source: South Carolina Department of Education — Home Schooling + Home School FAQ, checked Oct 19, 2026 · Checked 2026-10-19. General information, not legal advice — verify with your district/state.