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 defines home education as the "instruction of a child by the child's parent or legal guardian in the home." It establishes who can homeschool (parents and legal guardians), 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 2024-2025 school year, 6.34% of all K-12 students in the state were homeschooled — representing 14.5% growth in a single 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

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.

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 goes into the state database but 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. You pay an annual fee (amounts vary by school) and your notification goes to that school. Your local district receives no notification at all. This option maximizes privacy.

The notification must include the child's name and age, the location where instruction will occur, the subjects to be taught, and the name of the instructor. Listing the required subjects from RSA 193-A satisfies the subject requirement.

Timing with school withdrawal: If your child is currently enrolled in public school, the 5-business-day clock runs from when home education begins — which is when you pull your child out of school. 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 (reading, writing, spelling)
• Government
• History
• Health
• Reading
• Writing
• Spelling
• United States Constitution
• New Hampshire Constitution
• Art appreciation
• Music appreciation

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 in New Hampshire must be evaluated annually. RSA 193-A provides four methods:

1. Portfolio review by a certified teacher A teacher with a valid NH teaching certificate reviews the child's portfolio (reading log and work samples) and prepares a written assessment. The teacher does not need to be affiliated with any school.

2. Standardized testing The child takes a nationally normed standardized test. Common options include the Iowa Test of Basic Skills or the California Achievement Test. Parents select and administer the 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

The portfolio does not need to be submitted as part of the annual evaluation process unless you choose a portfolio review method. It is documentation kept in case questions arise — from the agency, from authorities, or in legal proceedings.

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, in serious cases, possible involvement of the Division for Children, Youth and Families (DCYF).

A properly notified home education program under RSA 193-A is not truancy. The critical protection is completing and filing your notification before or immediately upon beginning home education. Families who pull children from school without notifying a participating agency have no legal standing under RSA 193-A — they are at risk of truancy complaints. The notification is the document that establishes your legal status.

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, homeschooled students have the right to participate in public school sports and extracurricular activities. This right exists without requiring the child to enroll 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
• NH Home Educators Cooperative (NHHC): Active statewide network
• Christians United for Home Education NH (CUHE-NH): Faith-based 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 United States homeschool guides →