Monitored Homeschool in North Dakota: What Triggers It, What It Requires, and How to Exit

Most North Dakota families never deal with monitored status. But if you are in it — or worried you might end up there — it feels like the entire homeschool is on probation. Understanding exactly what the law says, what monitoring actually requires, and how to get out of it is the difference between a stressful year and a manageable one.

North Dakota's monitored homeschool provision exists under NDCC §15.1-23-06. It is not a punishment. It is a legal status with specific requirements attached — and specific exit conditions. Here is what you need to know.

Two Ways Monitored Status Gets Triggered

Monitoring is activated by one of two circumstances.

No high school diploma or GED. If the supervising parent does not hold a high school diploma or a GED equivalent, ND law requires that the homeschool operate under monitored status from the start. This is not a disqualification from homeschooling — the law does not ban you from educating your children at home without a diploma. It does require oversight.

Test scores below the 50th percentile. For families who are otherwise operating independently under Track 2 (non-certified parent with a diploma or GED), monitored status kicks in automatically if the child scores below the 50th percentile composite on a required standardized test. The tested grades are 4, 6, 8, and 10. One test below threshold in any of those years moves the family into monitored status for the following school year.

These two triggers are independent. A parent without a diploma is in monitored status regardless of test performance. A parent with a diploma but whose child scores below threshold enters monitored status through the test score route. Understanding which trigger applies to your situation determines what your exit path looks like.

What Monitored Status Actually Requires

The statute says a licensed teacher must supervise the child's instruction. In practice, this means one of two things.

Option 1: The school district provides a monitor. Under the statute, the district is required to provide a licensed teacher to serve as the monitor — at the district's expense. You do not have to pay for this. The monitor oversees your educational program; they are not replacing you as the primary teacher.

Option 2: You hire your own monitor. Parents can notify the district that they will select and compensate a licensed teacher independently rather than using the district-assigned monitor. Some families prefer this because they want more control over who is involved in their homeschool and how those interactions are structured.

Either way, the monitor must be licensed to teach or approved to teach by the North Dakota Education Standards and Practices Board. A retired teacher with an active or renewable ND certification may qualify if that status meets the board's requirements.

What monitoring does not mean: the licensed teacher does not move into your home, take over your schedule, or determine your curriculum. The supervision is procedural — documenting that a qualified person is engaged with the educational program. The practical intensity of that supervision is something families and their monitors work out, but the law's requirement is oversight, not takeover.

What the Monitor Actually Does

The monitor must report the child's progress to the superintendent twice during each school year. For one child, the monitor must spend an average of one hour per week in contact with the child and parent; if two or more children are receiving home education, the additional-child contact time is reduced as provided by statute. Keep documentation of these contacts and reports with your annual records.

Standardized testing is a separate requirement. A teacher licensed or approved to teach administers the test in the required test years, and the monitor may also serve as the test administrator if the applicable requirements are met.

If you are working with a district-assigned monitor and the relationship feels adversarial or overly intrusive, knowing the statutory language matters. The monitor's role is supervision — not approval authority over your curriculum choices, daily schedule, or teaching methods.

The Exit Path for Each Trigger

If you are monitored because of no diploma or GED: The statute requires monitoring for the first two years. Once that period is complete, this first-two-year monitoring requirement ends unless another statutory trigger applies. Earning a GED earlier changes your qualification to the standard non-certified track; notify the district if your qualification changes.

Earning a GED can therefore end this monitoring trigger sooner, and is worth pursuing if you plan to homeschool through high school.

If you are monitored because of low test scores: Monitored status from a below-50th-percentile score applies for at least one additional school year and continues until your child receives a score at or above the 50th percentile composite. At a subsequent test required by law, when applicable, a qualifying score ends this score-based monitoring requirement. If testing is not required during the first two years of monitoring, the period may not be extended except by mutual consent of the parent and monitor.

If the score falls below the 30th percentile, the situation is more involved. That threshold triggers a multidisciplinary assessment to determine whether a learning disability is present. If no disability is identified, the parent must develop a formal remediation plan with the advice of a licensed teacher and file it with the local school district superintendent. The remediation plan remains in effect until the child demonstrates either a score at or above the 30th percentile on a subsequent test, or a full year of measurable academic progress. This is distinct from the monitoring requirement — it is an additional compliance layer that involves the superintendent's office directly.

Practical Considerations for Families Starting Without a Diploma

If you are beginning your homeschool as a parent without a high school diploma or GED, here is what to expect from the process:

You will still file a Statement of Intent with your local school district at the start of each school year. The process is the same as for any ND homeschool family — this is a notification, not an approval request.

You will need to identify a licensed teacher to serve as your monitor before the school year begins. Starting this search early avoids the situation where you have filed your intent but have no monitor arranged when the year starts.

Your monitor may be district-assigned or privately hired. You may notify the district that you will select and compensate your own licensed teacher as an alternative to the district-assigned monitor.

Unless the parent has filed a qualifying testing-exemption notice and documentation, your children will still be subject to the standardized testing requirements at grades 4, 6, 8, and 10 — the same schedule as Track 2 families. Testing requires a separate teacher licensed or approved to teach as proctor (the monitor and the test proctor can be the same person if they are willing to serve both roles, but this requires coordinating with them in advance).

What Does Not Change in Monitored Status

Monitored status changes the oversight layer around your homeschool. It does not change your authority over curriculum, schedule, or instructional approach. North Dakota still requires instruction in the subjects required for public school students and at least four hours of instruction each day for a minimum of 175 days each year. There is no prescribed curriculum or teaching method.

Your child is still a home-educated student, not a public school student. The school district does not take over the education. The monitor's presence does not grant the district decision-making authority over your program.

This distinction matters because some families — particularly those entering monitored status unexpectedly after a low test score — assume it means the district is now running their homeschool. It does not. It means a licensed teacher is involved in oversight, and your compliance with that requirement is what keeps the homeschool legal.

Getting the Paperwork Right

Monitored status adds a layer of documentation to the normal ND homeschool process. You are still managing the Statement of Intent, test coordination, and results filing with the superintendent — plus the monitoring arrangement itself. Knowing exactly what to document and how to communicate with your district throughout the year is what keeps the administrative side from becoming its own source of stress.

The North Dakota Legal Withdrawal Blueprint covers the full compliance framework for all three tracks — including the specific filing requirements, district communication templates, and the documentation approach for families in monitored status.

North Dakota's monitored provision is more manageable than it sounds when you read it cold. The requirements are real, but they are defined — and once you understand your exit path, the situation has a clear endpoint.

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