Home education
Homeschooling in New Hampshire
Why families look here
- People come for the tax picture. Families also come because homeschooling is legal and ordinary.
- NH dropped the notice, portfolio, and yearly evaluation paperwork that used to be required. A lot of other states still make you file that.
- The official how-to is the Department of Education page.
Last official count
3,397 homeschooled kids in 2025–26. Final, report date 2/3/2026.
That is who notified a participating agent by October 1. HB 1268 ended the notice requirement July 1, 2026, so there will not be a comparable 2026–27 census.
Who they notified, 2025–26
This report is home education only. It is not a public / private / homeschool share of all NH kids.
States do not publish homeschool rates the same way. There is no official place-in-line.
Home education · 2016–17 to 2025–26
Do I have to notify the state?
- Kids 6 to 18 have to be in school or homeschooled. That’s RSA 193:1. Home education is the exemption.
- You no longer file start or stop paperwork with the state (as of July 2026). Governor Ayotte signed HB 1268 on July 10, 2026. The home-education parts took effect July 1, 2026.
- DOE says notifications to start or stop a Home Education program are no longer required, and the Department no longer oversees Home Education. Its page is informational.
- If you pull a kid from public school, still talk to the district. Confirm it with the resident district and with DOE.
- The compiled RSA 193-A page on the General Court site, and DOE’s rules page, may still show the old notice, portfolio, and evaluation rules. Those can lag. Follow the main DOE Home Education page and its HB 1268 paragraph.
What ages?
- The duty starts at 6 and runs until 18, unless the kid is homeschooled.
- A child who turns 6 after September 30 is not required until the following school year.
- Kindergarten is not required by that age rule.
Do I have to test?
No. NH dropped the yearly evaluation and the portfolio you used to file.
Homeschoolers do not have to take this. It is the federal NAEP given in public schools. In 2024 New Hampshire scored above the national average on all four. Reading was in the top 10% of states and jurisdictions. Math was top 12% in grade 4 and top 20% in grade 8. Massachusetts still scores a few points higher on the same tests.
NAEP 2024 · public schools
- If a child under 18 finishes a high-school-level home education program, DOE offers an optional completion form. It is not required.
Sports and public-school classes
- Homeschooled kids get equal access to district courses and cocurricular programs (clubs, sports, performing groups) in the resident district. That’s RSA 193:1-c.
- The local board can’t make the policy tighter than it is for kids already in the school.
- Ask the district how it runs that. If you want sports or a class, talk to them.
Co-ops
- Private co-ops exist. DOE lists these associations: Granite State Home Educators, New Hampshire Homeschooling Coalition, Catholics United for Home Education. See the DOE list.
Homeschool vs an EFA
- An Education Freedom Account (EFA) is a school-funding account. It is not the same as homeschooling. DOE says so on the same Home Education page. Different statute (RSA 194-F).
Official links
Start with DOE, then the statutes.
- NH DOE — Home Education — start here. HB 1268 is the paragraph to read first.
- NH DOE — rules and regulations — may lag. Prefer the main page.
- NH DOE iPlatform — Home Education and NonPublic Enrollments — Report 14, Final, 2/3/2026. Last official statewide count. After HB 1268 this is a last count, not a live census.
- RSA 193:1 — compulsory attendance.
- RSA 193:1-c — equal access to district courses and cocurricular programs.
- HB 1268 docket — General Court docket.
- DOE lists these associations — Granite State Home Educators, New Hampshire Homeschooling Coalition, Catholics United for Home Education.
- NH DOE — NAEP 2024 and Nation’s Report Card.
Not legal advice.