Question 1

How do I start homeschooling in New Hampshire?

Accepted Answer

Send a written notice within 5 business days of starting to one of three places: the state education commissioner, your resident district superintendent, or a participating nonpublic school principal. Include each child's name, address, and birth date. It is a one-time notice, and no parent diploma or teaching credential is required. Confirm the current form with the NH Department of Education.

Question 2

What subjects does New Hampshire expect home education to cover?

Accepted Answer

The law lists science, mathematics, language, government, history, health, reading, writing, spelling, the history of the New Hampshire and United States constitutions, and exposure to and appreciation of art and music. How you cover them is up to you.

Question 3

Do I have to test my child every year?

Accepted Answer

You need an annual evaluation, but testing is only one way to do it. You can instead have a certified teacher (or current nonpublic school teacher) review a portfolio of your child's work, or agree on another method with the state or district. The results stay with you and cannot be used to end your home education program.

Question 4

What is an Education Freedom Account and how much is it worth?

Accepted Answer

An EFA is New Hampshire's education spending account, run by the Children's Scholarship Fund NH with funds spent through ClassWallet. Every NH student eligible for public school can now apply regardless of family income (a statewide enrollment cap applies, with priority groups exempt). Grants start around $4,300-$4,600 per year, and can reach roughly $8,800 with add-ons for family income or special education needs. Check the current figures with CSF-NH or the NH Department of Education.

Question 5

If my child gets an EFA, are we still homeschoolers under the home education law?

Accepted Answer

No — it is a separate legal category. When a child starts an EFA, any existing home education program notice under RSA 193-A ends, and the family follows the EFA program's rules instead, including an annual record of educational attainment submitted at renewal. One trade-off to know: EFA students do not keep the same legal right to access local public school classes and activities that home education students have.

Question 6

Can EFA funds pay for an online curriculum subscription?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Tuition and fees for non-public online learning programs and purchases of curriculum and instructional materials are approved expense types, paid through ClassWallet to approved providers. Check that the provider is approved in ClassWallet, or ask CSF-NH to add one — parents can request new providers.

Your New Hampshire homeschool checklist.

Getting started

Through the year

Education Freedom Accounts (EFA) paperwork

Homeschooling in New Hampshire? We’ll handle the paperwork side.

Sources