Homeschooling in North Dakota— the certified-mail state — annual statement, testing at grades 4, 6, 8 & 10.
North Dakota homeschooling runs on an annual statement of intent, filed by certified mail to your district superintendent at least 5 days before you start (or within 14 days of a move). The statement names the child, your qualifications, and immunization records, and you renew it every year. Instruction runs a minimum of 4 hours a day across 175 days, and standardized testing lands at grades 4, 6, 8, and 10, administered by a North Dakota certified teacher. Score bands drive what happens next — below the 30th percentile triggers a multidisciplinary assessment, 30th–49th a remediation plan, 50th or above is satisfactory. Lightstead stages the statement, logs the hours and days, and tracks each testing year so nothing slips.
What North Dakota requires, at a glance.
- Notice
Annual · certified mail
Statement of intent to the district superintendent at least 5 days before starting (or within 14 days of moving), renewed annually.
- Days / hours
175 days · 4 hrs/day
Minimum of 4 hours per day across 175 days per year. An hours-and-days log is the proof artifact.
- Subjects
Required by statute
N.D. Cent. Code ch. 15.1-23 requires English language arts, mathematics, social studies (incl. U.S. history, geography, government, and the Constitution; ND studies in grades 4 & 8), science (incl. agriculture), physical education, and health; the parent picks materials, scope, and sequence.
- Statement contents
Child · parent · shots
The statement of intent must include child information, parent qualifications, and immunization records.
- Testing
Grades 4, 6, 8 & 10
Standardized tests at grades 4, 6, 8, and 10, administered by a North Dakota certified teacher.
- Score bands
30th / 50th percentile
Below 30th %ile → multidisciplinary assessment · 30th–49th → remediation plan · 50th or above → satisfactory.
- Parent qualification
Diploma or GED
Parent must hold a high school diploma or GED; without one, a ND certified teacher must monitor for at least 2 years.
- Testing exemptions
Belief · degree · license
Philosophical, moral, or religious objection — or a parent's bachelor's degree or ND teaching license — exempts from testing.
§1
File by certified mail — at least 5 days before you start.
North Dakota requires a statement of intent filed by certified mail to your district superintendent at least 5 days before home education begins, or within 14 days of moving into a district. The statement is renewed annually and must include the child's information, the parent's qualifications, and the child's immunization records. The certified-mail requirement matters: it creates a dated, return-receipt record that the statement was sent on time. Keep the mailing receipt and the copy of the statement together — that pairing is your proof the annual filing was made and when.
N.D. Cent. Code ch. 15.1-23
The ND filing wizard pre-fills the child information, parent qualifications, and immunization records the statement needs and outputs a PDF ready to mail. The annual renewal and the 5-day-before-start window show on the dashboard as deadline cards so the certified-mail run happens with time to spare.
ND statement-of-intent wizard
§2
175 days, 4 hours a day — keep the log.
North Dakota sets a minimum of 4 hours of instruction per day across 175 days per year. Unlike the testing schedule, the hours-and-days minimum applies every year a child is home educated. Nothing about the daily log is sent to the state, but the 4-hours × 175-days figure is the standard the program is measured against. A running attendance and hours record — kept contemporaneously rather than reconstructed at year-end — is the artifact that demonstrates the minimum was met.
N.D. Cent. Code ch. 15.1-23
The attendance and hours log tallies days and instructional time toward the 175-day, 4-hour-a-day minimum, with a running total so you can see the year's standing at any point. It's a daily record that exists when you need it rather than a year-end scramble.
Attendance & hours log
§3
Test at grades 4, 6, 8 & 10 — administered by a certified teacher.
North Dakota requires standardized testing at grades 4, 6, 8, and 10. The test must be administered by a North Dakota certified teacher rather than self-administered at home. Between those grades, no annual testing is required. Testing can be waived. North Dakota provides exemptions from the testing requirement for a philosophical, moral, or religious objection, or when the parent holds a bachelor's degree or a North Dakota teaching license. Families using an exemption rely on the hours-and-days record and portfolio instead of test scores.
N.D. Cent. Code ch. 15.1-23
The ND profile marks grades 4, 6, 8, and 10 as testing years and surfaces them on the dashboard ahead of time so the certified-teacher administration can be arranged. If you're using a testing exemption, the profile records that instead and leans on the records packet.
Records & portfolio packet
§4
Below the 30th, 30th–49th, 50th and above — what each triggers.
North Dakota reads test results in three bands. A composite score below the 30th percentile triggers a multidisciplinary assessment. A score in the 30th-to-49th-percentile range requires a remediation plan. A score at or above the 50th percentile is satisfactory and carries no further step. The 50th-percentile bar is higher than the threshold in some neighboring states, so the score band is worth tracking from the moment results come back. A below-30th outcome usually reflects a specific subject struggle or a poor test fit rather than a systemic failure, and the multidisciplinary assessment is a process — not an automatic end to home education.
N.D. Cent. Code ch. 15.1-23
When you enter a test score, the ND profile shows which band it lands in — satisfactory, remediation plan, or multidisciplinary assessment — so the next step is clear immediately. The records packet keeps the score and any remediation documentation together for the file.
Score & records§5
A diploma or GED — or a certified teacher monitors for two years.
North Dakota requires the home-educating parent to hold a high school diploma or a GED. A parent who holds neither may still home educate, but a North Dakota certified teacher must monitor the program for at least 2 years. The qualification is also tied to testing: a parent's bachelor's degree or North Dakota teaching license is one of the routes that exempts the family from the standardized testing requirement. The same credential, in other words, can both satisfy the qualification and remove the testing obligation.
N.D. Cent. Code ch. 15.1-23
The ND profile records which qualification route applies — diploma or GED, the monitored path, or a degree/license that also exempts testing — and keeps that detail with your subjects and curriculum list so the household's standing is documented in one place.
Subjects & curriculum list
What people search for when they look up North Dakota homeschooling.
Do I have to register my homeschool in North Dakota?
You file a statement of intent — by certified mail to your district superintendent at least 5 days before you start home education, or within 14 days of moving into a district. It's renewed annually and must include the child's information, your qualifications, and immunization records.
How do I file the North Dakota homeschool statement of intent?
Send it by certified mail to your district superintendent. Filing by certified mail creates a dated return-receipt record that the statement was sent on time — keep the receipt with a copy of the statement as proof of the annual filing.
How many hours does North Dakota require?
A minimum of 4 hours of instruction per day across 175 days per year. Nothing about the daily log is sent to the state, but an attendance and hours record kept contemporaneously is what demonstrates the minimum was met.
Does North Dakota require homeschool testing?
Yes — standardized tests at grades 4, 6, 8, and 10, administered by a North Dakota certified teacher rather than self-administered at home. No annual testing is required between those grades.
Can I be exempt from North Dakota's homeschool testing?
Yes. North Dakota exempts a family from the testing requirement for a philosophical, moral, or religious objection, or when the parent holds a bachelor's degree or a North Dakota teaching license. Families using an exemption rely on their records and portfolio instead of test scores.
What test scores does North Dakota require?
Results fall in three bands. A composite below the 30th percentile triggers a multidisciplinary assessment, a score from the 30th to 49th percentile requires a remediation plan, and a score at or above the 50th percentile is satisfactory with no further step.
What qualifications do I need to homeschool in North Dakota?
A high school diploma or a GED. A parent who holds neither may still home educate, but a North Dakota certified teacher must monitor the program for at least 2 years.
What subjects does North Dakota require?
N.D. Cent. Code ch. 15.1-23 requires English language arts, mathematics, social studies (including U.S. history, geography, government, and the Constitution, with North Dakota studies in grades 4 and 8), science (including agriculture), physical education, and health. The parent directs the materials, scope, and sequence within them, and the program is also held to the 4-hour, 175-day instructional minimum and standardized testing at grades 4, 6, 8, and 10.
When do I file the North Dakota statement each year?
The statement of intent is renewed annually, and a new statement is due at least 5 days before home education begins for the year — or within 14 days if you move into a new district. Filing it by certified mail keeps the dated record of the renewal.
What happens if my North Dakota homeschooler scores below the 30th percentile?
A composite below the 30th percentile triggers a multidisciplinary assessment. That's a process, not an automatic end to home education — a low score usually reflects a specific subject struggle or a poor test fit, and the assessment is the state's defined next step.
Does North Dakota require immunization records to homeschool?
The statement of intent must include the child's immunization records along with the child's information and the parent's qualifications. They're filed with the statement to the district superintendent.
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