Homeschooling in Delaware: Laws, Requirements & Curriculum
This guide to homeschooling in Delaware starts with Enroll with DOE or single-family homeschool association. It then explains the instruction standard (No specific curriculum required), the assessment posture (No standardized testing required), and the record rule (Maintain attendance records). The practical decision for many Delaware families is choosing between DOE enrollment and homeschool association. Use the cited Delaware Department of Education: Opening a Nonpublic School source to verify the current filing authority or timing before acting; the rest of the page connects that legal starting point to withdrawal, sports, dual enrollment, funding, records, and day-to-day operations.
Delaware Homeschool Requirements
Start with the legal requirements. Optional planning and recordkeeping recommendations are identified later in this guide.
| Notification or filing | Enroll with DOE or single-family homeschool association |
|---|---|
| Required curriculum | No specific curriculum required |
| Testing | No standardized testing required |
| Required records | Maintain attendance records |
| Parent qualifications | No requirements |
Official sources: Delaware Department of Education: Opening a Nonpublic School
Last reviewed: 2026-07-21
Important Decisions Before You Begin
Withdrawal and notice
If the student is enrolled in a school, follow the notification or withdrawal rule listed above before changing the daily routine. Keep a dated copy of what was submitted and any response. Record preservation is a practical safeguard; it does not add a filing duty that Delaware law does not require.
Sports eligibility
Delaware homeschool sports access depends on state athletic-association rules, local district policy, and season-specific eligibility paperwork. Treat public-school participation as a verify-first decision, not an assumption.
Dual enrollment
Delaware homeschool dual enrollment access usually runs through community colleges, public colleges, or district partnerships, but homeschool eligibility, tuition treatment, and credit-transfer rules vary by campus.
Testing
No standardized testing required
Tax credits and education accounts
Delaware does not guarantee a universal homeschool tax deduction. Parents should check for ESA programs, scholarship accounts, state tax-credit scholarships, and current 529 treatment before making large curriculum purchases.
How to Start and Operate Your Delaware Homeschool
Use the Delaware legal pathway as the first operating decision
The starting rule listed for Delaware is Enroll with DOE or single-family homeschool association. The practical question is choosing between DOE enrollment and homeschool association. Read the cited Delaware Department of Education: Opening a Nonpublic School source for the current filing authority or timing, then keep a dated record of the action or no-action the family takes.
- Write the Delaware starting rule—Enroll with DOE or single-family homeschool association—as one dated task with its recipient, timing, and proof.
- Keep the instruction plan beside the stated coverage rule: No specific curriculum required.
- Treat the assessment posture as state-specific: No standardized testing required.
Document the transition into Delaware home education
When a student is leaving an enrolled school in Delaware, begin with enroll with DOE or single-family homeschool association. Record the last enrolled day, first home-education day, and proof of the action; confirm the exact route in the cited Delaware Department of Education: Opening a Nonpublic School source.
- Record the last enrolled day and first home-education day.
- Save the notice, acknowledgment, form, or proof of delivery tied to the starting rule.
- Keep the transition record with the state's maintain attendance records.
Keep Delaware records that match the rule
The record posture listed for Delaware is Maintain attendance records. The assessment posture is No standardized testing required; the instruction standard is No specific curriculum required. Keep the archive organized around these three entries so it reflects the legal baseline and remains useful if a district, college, athletic organization, or evaluator later asks for context.
- Required record posture: Maintain attendance records.
- Assessment posture: No standardized testing required.
- Keep course titles, materials, dates, and representative work in a folder labeled Delaware; retain any state-specific proof separately.
Delaware Startup Checklist
- Start by translating Enroll with DOE or single-family homeschool association into a dated action. Confirm the responsible office or organization and save the exact Delaware Department of Education: Opening a Nonpublic School instructions before filing.
- Plan instruction around No specific curriculum required. Keep a dated subject and materials list so the student's work can be matched to Delaware's stated coverage rule.
- Calendar the state's stated assessment posture: No standardized testing required. Keep any optional assessment separate from a state-required record.
- Create the records named by the state: Maintain attendance records. Keep optional work samples, transcript materials, and future placement evidence in a separate folder.
- Before launch, resolve the page's distinctive decision: Choosing between DOE enrollment and homeschool association. Write down the choice and retain notices, acknowledgments, and proof of delivery with the annual records.
Questions About Homeschooling in Delaware
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What Delaware Spends Per Public School Student
The median Delaware school district spent $15,646 per student in fiscal year 2022, against $14,543 nationally. None of that money follows a child who learns at home. See all 16 Delaware districts, or look up one by ZIP code.