New Hampshire Homeschool Laws: What RSA 193-A Actually Requires

Yes, homeschooling is legal in New Hampshire — and it has been since 1990. But "legal" does not mean "unregulated." New Hampshire sits in the moderate tier of state homeschool laws. You have genuine flexibility in curriculum and scheduling, but the statute creates specific procedural obligations that parents must meet. Getting these right from the start matters: families who skip the notification step or mishandle the withdrawal from public school can face truancy complaints, district friction, and unnecessary stress.

This article covers what the law actually says, what has changed in recent years, and what schools are not allowed to require from you.

The Governing Statute: RSA 193-A and Ed 315

New Hampshire's home education law is codified at RSA 193-A (Home Education). The administrative rules that govern procedural details are found at Ed 315. When you see references to "NH homeschool regulations," these two documents are the source.

RSA 193-A:4 defines home education as instruction provided, coordinated, or directed by a parent for the parent's child. It establishes who can homeschool, what must be covered (required subjects), how the notification process works, and what annual accountability looks like. There is no requirement for parents to hold a teaching certificate or any educational credential.

Homeschooling in New Hampshire is growing rapidly. In the 2023-2024 school year, approximately 6.34% of K-12 students in the state were homeschooled; participation then grew 14.5% in the 2024-2025 academic year.

Is Homeschooling Legal in New Hampshire?

Homeschooling is fully legal in New Hampshire under RSA 193-A. The law explicitly creates the right to home-educate and sets the conditions under which that right is exercised. There is no cap on the number of families who can homeschool, no district discretion to deny the right, and no "approval" process.

A 2022 amendment to RSA 193-A removed language that had implied school districts held some approval authority over homeschool families. That language is gone. Districts cannot approve or reject a homeschool notification — they can only receive it.

The Notification Requirement

For a child subject to compulsory attendance, the first legal requirement under RSA 193-A is notification to a participating agency within 5 business days of beginning home education. This is a one-time notification per child — not an annual renewal. A child under age 6 who has never been enrolled in school is not subject to this notification deadline until reaching compulsory school age.

The three participating agency options:

Local superintendent: You notify the superintendent of your school district. Free. This gives your local district awareness that your child is being homeschooled. Families who want to maintain a cooperative relationship with the district sometimes choose this option. Those who want distance from the district typically do not.

NH Department of Education Commissioner: You notify the state DOE rather than the local district. Free. Your notification creates a state-level record, while your local district receives no direct communication. This is a middle-ground option for families who want state-level documentation without district involvement.

Participating private school: A number of private schools in New Hampshire function as participating agencies for homeschool families. A fee varies by school and is typically required, and your notification goes to that school. The private school acts as a buffer, but it does not guarantee that no government record exists. This option can maximize distance from the local district.

The notification must include the names, addresses, and dates of birth of the children; the names and addresses of the parents or legal guardians; and the date the home education program will commence. It does not require a curriculum, subject list, instructional location, or instructor name.

Timing with school withdrawal: If your child is currently enrolled in public school, the 5-business-day clock runs from the date home education commences; the withdrawal date may coincide with that date. Families who are prepared handle the withdrawal letter and the agency notification on the same day. Our New Hampshire Legal Withdrawal Blueprint covers the exact sequence and letter language needed to do this cleanly.

Required Subjects Under NH Law

RSA 193-A specifies the subjects that must be part of a home education program. The required subjects are:

• Science
• Mathematics
• Language
• Government
• History
• Health
• Reading
• Writing
• Spelling
• History of the constitutions of New Hampshire and the United States
• Exposure to and appreciation of art and music

There is no minimum number of instructional hours and no requirement to operate on a 180-day school year. The law does not mandate a specific curriculum, textbook, or teaching method. How you teach these subjects is your decision.

The Constitution requirement covers both the US and NH constitutions. This is often satisfied by integrating government and civics instruction rather than treating it as a separate subject. "Art appreciation" and "music appreciation" do not require formal courses — exposure through real-world experiences satisfies the statutory intent.

Annual Evaluation Requirements

Every homeschooled child of compulsory school age in New Hampshire must be evaluated annually. RSA 193-A provides four methods:

1. Portfolio review by a qualified teacher An evaluator with an NH credential, a reciprocal-state license, or current employment as a teacher at an NH nonpublic school reviews the child's portfolio (reading log and work samples) and prepares the evaluation. The teacher does not need to be affiliated with a public school.

2. Standardized testing The child takes a nationally normed student achievement test administered by a person who meets the test publisher's qualifications. Common options include Iowa Assessments, the Stanford Achievement Test (SAT10), the Classic Learning Test (CLT), and the PASS Test.

3. State assessment The child participates in a NH state-administered assessment. This is available but rarely used by homeschool families.

4. Alternative method agreed upon with the participating agency If the parent and participating agency agree in writing on an alternative evaluation approach, that satisfies the annual requirement. This is most common for families enrolled with a participating private school.

What happens with evaluation results? Since 2012, evaluation results are not submitted to the participating agency or to anyone else. The evaluation exists for the family's own records. There is also no longer any remediation process — legislation in 2012 repealed the requirement that families with children showing deficiencies had to follow a supervised correction plan.

Portfolio Requirements

A portfolio must be maintained for a minimum of two years. The portfolio must include:

• A reading log showing titles and dates read
• Work samples from the child's home education program

If you choose portfolio review, you share the portfolio with the qualified evaluator; otherwise, it remains in your family records. It is not submitted to the district, state, or participating agency.

What Schools Cannot Require

Since the 2022 amendment removed approval language from RSA 193-A, certain district demands are flatly outside the law. Schools and districts in New Hampshire cannot legally require:

• A withdrawal conference or "exit interview" before a child can be homeschooled
• Inspection or pre-approval of your curriculum
• A demonstration of the parent's teaching qualifications
• Pre-emptive testing of the child before homeschooling begins
• Any form of school "approval" of your home education program

A district can receive your notification. It cannot gatekeep your right to homeschool. If a district official makes demands that go beyond receiving notification, they are operating outside RSA 193-A.

Truancy Law and Homeschooling

The relevant truancy statute in New Hampshire is RSA 189:34. Truancy enforcement involves tiered interventions, and extreme total educational abandonment can create a risk of involvement by the Division for Children, Youth and Families (DCYF).

A properly documented withdrawal should not ordinarily accrue ordinary school absences, but a district may issue a notice while processing its records. Families who withdraw children from school without notifying a participating agency within the five-business-day deadline risk truancy intervention. The notification, written acknowledgment or delivery receipt, and school withdrawal letter are important response evidence, but they do not by themselves make a truancy case legally groundless.

The EFA Program: A Different Legal Framework

New Hampshire's Education Freedom Account program (RSA 194-F) is a separate track from RSA 193-A home education. EFA provides a state-funded account (approximately $4,266 base, plus differentiated aid) usable through the ClassWallet marketplace for educational expenses. EFA became universally available in 2025 under SB 295.

You cannot be both an RSA 193-A homeschooler and an EFA participant simultaneously. EFA enrollment exits the family from the RSA 193-A framework and subjects them to EFA-specific compliance requirements. Families need to evaluate which framework better fits their priorities: maximum flexibility (RSA 193-A) or state funding with associated compliance (EFA).

Sports and Activities Access

Under RSA 193:1-c, resident students homeschooling under RSA 193-A have the right to participate in public school curricular and co-curricular activities, including sports and extracurriculars, regardless of which participating agency receives the notification. This right exists without requiring the child to enroll full-time in the school. Some districts administer this more smoothly than others, but the legal right is established in statute.

Key NH Homeschool Organizations

• Granite State Home Educators (GSHE): Primary statewide advocacy and community organization
• New Hampshire Homeschooling Coalition (NHHC): Active statewide network
• Catholics United for Home Education (CUHE): Faith-based homeschool support
• Christian Home Educators of New Hampshire (CHENH): Statewide Christian homeschool support

These organizations can provide referrals to certified teachers who conduct portfolio evaluations, participating private schools operating as agencies, and community co-ops for enrichment activities.

Summary of NH Homeschool Law Requirements

New Hampshire's home education law gives families genuine autonomy once the procedural steps are complete. The law has moved in a consistently parent-friendly direction over the past decade — the 2012 reforms eliminated remediation requirements, and the 2022 amendment eliminated approval language. The framework rewards families who handle the notification and withdrawal correctly at the outset.

If you need the exact documents — a withdrawal letter template and a plain-English guide to the notification process — the New Hampshire Legal Withdrawal Blueprint has everything in one place.

See more New Hampshire guides →