DELAWARE
Homeschooling in Delaware: Requirements, Paperwork, and How to Start
Delaware treats your homeschool as a nonpublic school. Register it once, then file two aggregate reports a year — and that is the whole of it. No testing, no curriculum approval, no credential.
Homeschooling in Delaware, Summarized
The Six Things Delaware Asks of You
Legal in Delaware
Yes
as a nonpublic school
Compulsory ages
5 to 16
Do I notify anyone?
Yes — register, then report twice a year
Paperwork load
Low
two aggregate reports
Parent qualification
None required
Standardized testing
Not required
Legal requirements last reviewed: June 2026 · Plain English · Not legal advice
Homeschooling is legal in Delaware
What You Need to Know
Delaware is unusual in how it classifies you: a homeschool is legally a nonpublic school, exempt from compulsory attendance once registered. Register through the Department's portal, then file two aggregate reports a year — enrollment in October, attendance the following July. No curriculum approval, no testing, no qualification.
What Delaware Asks of You
Register the school once, then report twice a year.
Must do
Create an EdAccess account and register your homeschool as a nonpublic school
File the annual enrollment report — each student's name, grade and enrollment status
File the annual attendance report — aggregate average daily membership and attendance
Dates that matter
Before instruction begins; the registration window opens around 11 August
The form says October 5; the statute says September 30 — file by the earlier
July 31 for the attendance report, with the window opening on 1 June
Good practice — not required
Track attendance through the year — the July report wants averages, not a guess
Keep an academic portfolio: the Department holds no student records at all, so yours is the only one
Both reports are aggregate rather than academic. The Department retains no student academic records and recommends, without requiring, that families keep their own.
Delaware keeps no record of your child's work — yours is the only one. StudyPug builds it while your child works.
Funding for Delaware Home Education
The short answer, before the detail.
Delaware provides no direct funding to homeschooling families.
The Department states plainly that it provides no funding to nonpublic schools, and a registered homeschool is one. There is no education savings account, voucher or reimbursement, so materials are paid for by the family.
To your family
$0 — no state funding
To apply for
Registration only, not money
Cost to register
Nothing — registration is free
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 — the state keeps no academic record, so yours is it
One-click package for your October enrollment and July attendance reports
Every child in one account — up to 5
Questions About Homeschooling in Delaware
Quick answers for homeschooling families.
Is homeschooling legal in Delaware?
Yes, and the way it is classified is worth knowing: your homeschool is legally a nonpublic school under 14 Del. C. § 2703, exempt from compulsory public-school attendance once you register it with the Department of Education.
Do parents need a teaching certificate?
No. Delaware requires no parent qualification, credential or certification of any kind, and nobody reviews your suitability to teach. The one exception sits on the coordinated single-family track run with a district, which carries its own conditions.
Does Delaware fund homeschooling?
No. The Department's own guidance says there is no funding provided for Delaware nonpublic schools, and a registered homeschool is one of those. There is no education savings account, voucher or reimbursement — materials are paid for by the family.
What are the two reports, exactly?
Both are aggregate rather than academic. The enrollment report, due 5 October, lists each student's name, grade and enrollment status. The attendance report, due 31 July, gives average daily membership and average daily attendance. Neither asks about what your child learned.
Do I have to use the Delaware curriculum?
No. There is no curriculum approval and no prescribed subject list in Delaware — you choose the materials and the approach, and nothing about them is reviewed by anyone. Following the state standards is still worth considering, because it keeps a return to school straightforward.
What records should I keep, and for how long?
Nothing is legally required, but this is a state where it matters more than usual: the Department retains no student academic records whatsoever. It recommends keeping a portfolio — grades, work samples, a transcript — and yours will be the only record that exists. Keep it indefinitely.
When does registration open?
The system opens around 11 August for new-year registrations, and you register before instruction begins. The enrollment reporting window opens at roughly the same time, with the attendance window opening on 1 June for the July deadline.
Official Sources
Confirm the rules and apply directly with your state.
Homeschools and Private Schools
→Registering, and what the Department does and does not hold.
education.delaware.gov — Homeschools
Annual Reporting
→The two reports, their windows and their deadlines.
education.delaware.gov — Annual Reporting
14 Del. C. Chapter 27
→The statute that makes a homeschool a nonpublic school.
delcode.delaware.gov — Title 14 Ch. 27
Other States:
Homeschooling in District of Columbia·Homeschooling in Florida·Homeschooling in Georgia— each reviewed against its own official sources
See How Families Run Their Homeschool on StudyPug
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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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