Delaware Homeschool Laws

1. Homeschooling as a single-family homeschool.
2. Homeschooling as a multi-family homeschool.
3. Homeschooling as a single-family homeschool coordinated with the local school district.

Homeschooling as a single-family homeschool. This allows a child to be educated in the home by a parent or legal guardian. The only requirements are to report enrollment at the start of the school year (on or before September 30) and report attendance at the end of the year (on or before July 31).

Homeschooling as a multi-family homeschool. As its name suggests, this option involves at least two families partnering to teach their children at home. This law requires one person to act as a liaison to the Department of Education and to submit enrollment and attendance reports by the same deadlines.

Homeschooling as a single-family homeschool coordinated with the local school district. A single-family homeschool coordinated with the local school district means the child is educated primarily by his or her parent(s) or legal guardian(s), mostly in their own home. Families must take the following steps to homeschool using this option:

1. Contact the superintendent of your local school so that he or she “may determine in writing that your child is or will be provided with regular and thorough instruction by his or her parents or legal guardians in the subjects prescribed for the public schools of the state and in a manner suitable to children of the same age and stage of advancement.”
2. Report pupil enrollment to the Department of Education on or before October 5 each year.
3. Teach the same subjects as those taught in public schools. You can locate your local school district’s website through one of the links in the following section. This can help inform homeschooling families which subjects are required.
4. Submit attendance records at the end of the school year to the Department of Education on or before July 31 each year.

Here you’ll find websites for any questions you may have about education in the state of Delaware.

• Delaware Department of Education: https://education.delaware.gov/
• Delaware Department of Education – Instruction: https://www.doe.k12.de.us/Domain/36
• U.S. Department of Education – Delaware: https://www.ed.gov/category/location/delaware
• Delaware State Education Association: https://www.dsea.org/
• List of Delaware school districts: https://ballotpedia.org/List_of_school_districts_in_Delaware

Whether you already homeschool in Delaware or are looking to do so, these resources are quite useful if you’re searching for support, co-ops, or answers to questions about homeschooling in your state.

• Homeschool Action Network of Delaware: https://handdeorg.wordpress.com/
• Homeschool Delaware: https://www.facebook.com/groups/118853418201199/
• Tri-State Homeschool, Inc.: https://www.tristatehomeschool.org/
• Family Learning Academy: https://www.homeschool-life.com/de/fla/

One of the many benefits of homeschooling is the flexibility to explore! Here are some ideas for amazing–and educational–field trips around the great state of Delaware!

• Anna Hazzard Museum: Rehoboth Beach, DE
• Ashland Nature Center: Hockessin, DE
• Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge: Smyrna, DE
• Delaware Archaeology Museum: Dover, DE
• Delaware Children’s Museum: Wilmington, DE
• Delaware History Center: Wilmington, DE
• Delaware Museum of Natural History: Wilmington, DE
• Discoversea Shipwreck Museum: Fenwick Island, DE
• Iron Hill Museum/Delaware Academy of Science: Newark, DE
• Nemours Mansion and Gardens: Wilmington, DE
• Winterthur Museum, Garden, and Library: Winterthur, DE