State Law: Delaware

Delaware compulsory school attendance age

Delaware law requires children between the ages of 5 (on or before August 31 of the current school year) and 16 years to attend school. Local school officials may permit your child to start school at a later date if they determine that such an exception is in your child’s best interest.

HSLDA believes that a parent-issued diploma and transcript should be sufficient to demonstrate that a child has completed a secondary education. However, even if your child is beyond compulsory school attendance age, there may be situations where you would want to continue to follow the requirements of a home education option recognized under Delaware law until your child graduates from high school (filing a home education notice, keeping attendance and other records, etc.). These records may be requested in some situations, such as obtaining a driver’s license if your child is a minor, enlisting in the military, applying to colleges, or demonstrating eligibility for Social Security benefits. If you are a member of HSLDA and would like additional details, please contact us.

Withdrawing your child from his or her current school

If you want to start homeschooling during the school year and your child is currently enrolled in a public or private school, HSLDA recommends that you formally withdraw your child from that school. If you are going to start homeschooling after the school year is over, and your child is considered enrolled for the following year, we recommend that you withdraw your child before the next school year begins, so that the school does not mark your child as absent or truant.

We invite you to become a member of HSLDA to receive specific advice about withdrawing your child from school and starting to homeschool. Local schools may have specific forms or withdrawal procedures. HSLDA members are eligible to receive individualized advice about whether complying with those procedures is advisable or required. HSLDA members can also use the sample letter of withdrawal for Delaware available in Member Resources to correspond with school officials.

We generally recommend that any correspondence with authorities be sent by “Certified Mail—Return Receipt Requested.” Keep copies of the withdrawal letter and any other paperwork or correspondence, and any green postal receipts, for your personal records.

Note: If your child has never attended a public or private school, this section does not apply.

Complying with Delaware’s homeschool law

Delaware law provides three different options for homeschooling. There are no teacher qualifications or standardized testing requirements for any of the options. Follow the listed steps under the option you choose:

Option 1: Homeschooling as a single-family homeschool:
A single-family homeschool means the child is educated primarily by his or her parent(s) or legal guardian(s), mostly in their own home.

1. Report enrollment at the beginning of the school year. 

Every year, on or before October 5, your homeschool must submit a statement of pupil enrollment as of the last school day in September. The report must be submitted to the Department of Education on a form prescribed by the department, accessed here.

2. Report attendance at the end of the school year. 

Every year, on or before July 31, your homeschool must report end-of-year attendance information. The report must be submitted to the Department of Education on a form prescribed by the department, accessed here.

Option 2: Homeschooling as a multi-family homeschool:
A multi-family homeschool means that children from more than one family are educated primarily by the children’s parent(s) or legal guardian(s), mostly in their own home(s) or in other facilities. In order to establish a multi-family homeschool, you must coordinate with more than one family. The law requires multi-family homeschools to appoint a person to act as a liaison to the Department of Education. This liaison will be responsible for submitting the attendance and enrollment information described below for all the families involved in the multi-family homeschool.

1. Report enrollment at the beginning of the school year. 

Every year, on or before October 5, your homeschool must submit a statement of pupil enrollment as of the last school day in September. The report must be submitted to the Department of Education on a form prescribed by the department, available here.

2. Report attendance at the end of the school year. 

Every year, on or before July 31, your homeschool must report end-of-year attendance information. The report must be submitted to the Department of Education on a form prescribed by the department, available here.

Option 3: 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.

1. Contact the superintendent. 

To become “coordinated” with the local public school district, you must ask the superintendent to determine in writing that your child is or will be provided with regular and thorough instruction by his or her parent(s) or legal guardian(s) 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 enrollment at the beginning of the school year. 

Every year, on or before October 5, your homeschool must submit a statement of pupil enrollment as of the last school day in September. The report must be submitted to the Department of Education on a form prescribed by the department, available here.

3. Teach the same subjects as those taught in the public schools. 

4. Report attendance at the end of the school year. 

Every year, on or before July 31, your homeschool must report end-of-year attendance information. The report must be submitted to the Department of Education on a form prescribed by the department, available here.

The importance of recordkeeping

You can find Delaware’s specific recordkeeping requirements, if any, above. Regardless of what state you live in, HSLDA recommends that you keep detailed records of your homeschool program. These records may be helpful if you face an investigation regarding your homeschooling or your student needs to furnish proof of education.