NEW BRUNSWICK
Homeschooling in New Brunswick: Requirements, Paperwork, and How to Start
One application a year, a written exemption from the Minister, and no reporting after that. Here is exactly what New Brunswick asks of you — including the one trade-off worth knowing before you start.
Homeschooling in New Brunswick, Summarized
The Six Things New Brunswick Asks of You
Legal in New Brunswick
Yes
ministerial exemption, granted annually
Compulsory ages
5 to 18
Do I notify anyone?
Yes — once each school year
by September 26
Paperwork load
Low
Parent qualification
None required
Standardized testing
Not required
Legal requirements last reviewed: August 2026 · Plain English · Not legal advice
Homeschooling is legal in New Brunswick
What You Need to Know
New Brunswick works by annual exemption. A one-page application goes to your district, which forwards it to the Minister, who issues a written exemption. You declare you will cover ten subject areas. After that there is no testing and no reporting — but a child schooled entirely at home cannot receive the NB Diploma.
What New Brunswick Asks of You
One form a year, and one trade-off to weigh.
Must do
Complete the Annual Home Schooling Application Form and send it to your school district
Declare on the form that you will cover the ten subject areas
Keep records sufficient to show effective instruction across those areas
Dates that matter
September 26 each year — the date on the 2025-26 form; earlier years used mid-September, so confirm
Good practice — not required
Keep your own copy of the application — the district's copy is the official record
Note the instructor's name on the form if someone other than you will teach
The trade-off
A child schooled entirely at home is not eligible for the NB High School Diploma
The district keeps your application until your child turns 21, treating it as the official record of their education. The Minister may act only on reasonable grounds.
New Brunswick asks you to show effective instruction across ten subjects. StudyPug builds the evidence as your child works.
Funding for New Brunswick Home Education
The short answer, before the detail.
New Brunswick provides no direct funding to home-schooling families.
No provincial grant, education savings account, voucher or tuition tax credit — you cover materials in full. The one thing the province issues is the exemption itself, in writing, once your district forwards the application.
To your family
$0 — no provincial funding
Tax credit
None — no provincial tuition credit
To apply for
The exemption only, not money
What StudyPug Handles for You
Not templates you fill in — records that fill themselves in.
Work-samples portfolio that assembles itself
Hours & attendance log that fills itself in
Progress reports you can download and share
Scope & Sequence export across your ten declared subject areas
One-click records package if the Minister ever asks
Every child in one account — up to 5
Questions About Homeschooling in New Brunswick
Quick answers for homeschooling families.
Is homeschooling legal in New Brunswick?
Yes, by annual exemption. Section 16(2) of the Education Act requires the Minister to grant a written exemption from attendance where a parent applies and the conditions are met. You apply each school year through your local anglophone or francophone school district.
Do parents need a teaching certificate?
No. No teaching certificate, degree or credential is required. You sign an indemnity on the application form accepting full responsibility for effective instruction, and you name the instructor if it will be someone other than you.
Does New Brunswick fund homeschooling?
No. There is no provincial funding, voucher, education savings account or tuition tax credit for home-schooling families in New Brunswick. Families pay for materials and resources in full. The only thing the province issues is the written exemption from attendance.
What is the diploma catch I keep hearing about?
Students who complete all of their schooling at home are explicitly not eligible for the New Brunswick High School Diploma. It is the single most consequential thing to weigh before starting, particularly for a child in the later grades, and it is worth planning around early rather than discovering at graduation.
Do I have to use the New Brunswick curriculum?
No. You declare on the application that you will provide a well-rounded curriculum covering ten subject areas, but you choose the materials and the approach. Following the provincial curriculum makes it easier to show effective instruction and keeps the door open to enrolling later.
What records should I keep, and for how long?
Keep records sufficient to demonstrate effective instruction across the ten declared subject areas. There is nothing to submit — no annual report, no portfolio review, no transcript. The district retains your application to your child's 21st birthday and treats it as the official record of their education.
What if we move mid-year, in Canada or abroad?
Moving within New Brunswick: contact your new district, since applications are filed district by district. Leaving New Brunswick: your exemption ends with your residency and the rules of your new province or country apply from that point.
Official Sources
Confirm the rules and apply directly with your province.
New Brunswick Home Schooling
→Official overview — applying, the exemption, and what follows.
gnb.ca — Home Schooling
Annual Home Schooling Application
→The form itself, and the ten subject areas it asks you to cover.
gnb.ca — Application Form (PDF)
Education Act, Chapter E-1.12
→The exemption itself, and the Minister's powers behind it.
laws.gnb.ca — Education Act
Other Provinces:
Homeschooling in Newfoundland and Labrador·Homeschooling in Nova Scotia·Homeschooling in Ontario— each reviewed against its own official sources
See How Families Run Their Homeschool on StudyPug
Lessons, practice, and the records above — one family plan.
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StudyPug is a records tool, not legal advice. Homeschool rules, funding amounts, and deadlines change at least yearly — always confirm with the official sources above before you act. Requirements can also differ at the school-board or district level, so check with your local board or district too. We review every jurisdiction page and show you the date we last checked it; each requirement in your dashboard carries its own source and last-verified date.
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