Homeschooling in Delaware— two reports a year — enrollment by Sept 30, attendance by July 31.
Delaware keeps homeschooling light: no teacher qualifications, no required subjects, no minimum days or hours, and no testing. What it does ask for is two annual reports through the state's EdAccess portal — an enrollment report on or before September 30 and an attendance report on or before July 31. Families pick a single-family or multi-family pathway under 14 Del. C. §§ 2703A–2704, where a multi-family liaison files for the group. With so little prescribed, the real task is keeping a clean record your future self will want for college, a move, or a return to school — and Lightstead keeps that record while it tracks the two deadlines.
What Delaware requires, at a glance.
- Enrollment report
Sept 30 · annually
Annual enrollment report on or before September 30 (the count date) through the state EdAccess portal.
- Attendance report
Jul 31 · annually
Annual attendance report submitted on or before July 31 through EdAccess for the prior school year.
- Days / hours
Not specified
No minimum instructional days or hours for either active pathway. The attendance report is the only attendance proof asked for.
- Subjects
Not specified
No state-prescribed subjects. The parent chooses scope, sequence, and curriculum entirely.
- Assessment
None required
No standardized testing, evaluation, or portfolio review for single-family or multi-family homeschools.
- Teacher qualification
None required
No diploma, license, or other parent qualification is required to teach your own child.
- Pathway
2 active options
Single-family (you teach your own child) or multi-family (cooperating families, one liaison files to DOE). District-coordinated is deprecated since 2013.
- Filing method
EdAccess portal
Both annual reports are submitted online through Delaware's EdAccess homeschool portal at the Department of Education.
§1
Pick single-family or multi-family — then file through EdAccess.
Delaware recognizes three homeschool arrangements under 14 Del. C. §§ 2703A–2704. A single-family homeschool is one where the parents educate their own child primarily in the home. A multi-family homeschool is a cooperative of multiple families in which one designated liaison submits all reports to the Department of Education on the group's behalf. A third, district-coordinated option has been deprecated since 2013 and is not recommended. Both active pathways register and report through the state's online EdAccess portal — single families file for themselves, while multi-family liaisons file on behalf of every participating household.
14 Del. C. §§ 2703A–2704
Lightstead's Delaware profile records which pathway you're on — single-family or multi-family — and keeps your child roster ready so the EdAccess reports are a copy-out, not a rebuild. Multi-family liaisons can keep each household's enrollment and attendance straight in one place.
Filing & reports
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Enrollment report on or before September 30.
Each active pathway files an annual enrollment report on or before September 30 — the state's count date — through the EdAccess portal. The report establishes that the child is enrolled in a Delaware homeschool for the school year. There is no minimum number of instructional days or hours tied to enrollment, and no subjects are prescribed. The September 30 enrollment report and the July 31 attendance report are the two compliance artifacts Delaware asks for; everything between them is left to the family.
14 Del. C. § 2703A
The September 30 enrollment deadline shows on your dashboard as a deadline card from the start of the school year, so the count date never sneaks up. Your children's data is already on file, ready to carry into the EdAccess enrollment report.
Deadline cards on the dashboard
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Attendance report on or before July 31.
After the school year, each active pathway files an annual attendance report on or before July 31 through the EdAccess portal. The report covers the prior school year's attendance for the enrolled child or children. Delaware sets no minimum days or hours that the attendance must hit — the report simply documents the days the homeschool was in session. A multi-family liaison submits the attendance report for every household in the cooperative.
14 Del. C. § 2703A
Lightstead's attendance log captures the days you're in session as you go, so the July 31 attendance report is a summary you export rather than a year you reconstruct from memory. The deadline rides on your dashboard through the summer.
Attendance & hours log
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Little is required — but keep the record your future self needs.
Delaware prescribes no subjects, no instructional days or hours, no teacher qualifications, and no assessment for either active pathway. The two annual reports are the full extent of state-facing compliance. Because the state asks for so little, nothing forces you to keep a transcript, course list, or daily record — yet those are exactly what a future need will demand. A college application, a move to a stricter state, or a return to public school all ask for evidence of what was taught and when. Building that record while you teach is far easier than reconstructing it years later.
14 Del. C. §§ 2703A–2704
Even though Delaware never asks for it, Lightstead keeps a subjects-and-curriculum list, a daily lesson log, and a transcript builder running in the background. When a college, a new state, or a returning school asks what you covered, the answer is already assembled.
Transcript builder
What people search for when they look up Delaware homeschooling.
Do I have to register my homeschool in Delaware?
Yes, in the sense that you file two annual reports through the state's EdAccess portal: an enrollment report on or before September 30 and an attendance report on or before July 31. You choose a single-family or multi-family pathway under 14 Del. C. §§ 2703A–2704. There is no separate approval to wait on beyond submitting the reports.
What is the September 30 deadline in Delaware?
September 30 is Delaware's count date — the deadline to file your annual homeschool enrollment report through EdAccess. It establishes that your child is enrolled in a Delaware homeschool for the school year.
When is the Delaware homeschool attendance report due?
On or before July 31, through the EdAccess portal, covering the prior school year. Delaware sets no minimum days or hours the attendance has to reach — the report documents the days your homeschool was in session.
How many days or hours does Delaware require for homeschool?
Delaware specifies no minimum instructional days or hours for either active pathway. The annual attendance report records the days you were in session, but the statute does not set a floor to hit.
Does Delaware require homeschool testing?
No. Delaware requires no standardized testing, evaluation, or portfolio review for single-family or multi-family homeschools. The two annual reports are the only state-facing requirements.
What subjects does Delaware require homeschoolers to teach?
Delaware prescribes no required subjects. The parent chooses the scope, sequence, and curriculum entirely. Nothing in the law dictates what you cover.
Do I need a teaching certificate or diploma to homeschool in Delaware?
No. Delaware imposes no teacher qualification — no diploma, license, or other credential is required to educate your own child under either active pathway.
What is the difference between a single-family and multi-family homeschool in Delaware?
A single-family homeschool is one in which parents educate their own child primarily in the home and file their own reports. A multi-family homeschool is a cooperative of several families in which one designated liaison submits all enrollment and attendance reports to the Department of Education on the group's behalf. A third, district-coordinated option has been deprecated since 2013 and is not recommended.
How do I file Delaware homeschool reports?
Both the September 30 enrollment report and the July 31 attendance report are submitted online through Delaware's EdAccess homeschool portal at the Department of Education. Multi-family liaisons file through the same portal for every household in the cooperative.
If Delaware requires so little, why keep records?
Because a later need will ask for them even though the state does not. A college application, a move to a stricter state, or a return to public school all want evidence of what was taught and when. Keeping a subjects list, daily lesson log, and transcript while you teach is far easier than reconstructing years later — which is exactly the record Lightstead builds quietly in the background.
Related state guides
Stop tracking Delaware compliance in a spreadsheet.
Delaware asks for just two reports a year — but your future self will want transcripts, course descriptions, and a real record for college, a move, or a return to school. Lightstead tracks the Sept 30 and July 31 deadlines and builds that record quietly as you go.
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