NewsNew: talk to your tutor out loud and get instant feedback on every answer.

Homeschooling in South Carolina

Homeschool rules in South Carolina, in plain English

South Carolina families have three legal ways to homeschool: approval by the local school district (Option 1), membership in the South Carolina Association of Independent Home Schools (Option 2), or membership in a homeschool association with at least 50 member families (Option 3). Under every option, a parent needs at least a high school diploma or GED, and the year must have at least 180 instructional days with the required core subjects. Option 1 adds district approval, annual state testing, and semiannual progress reports, while Options 2 and 3 rely on the association for most of the paperwork.

See another state

This explains each state's homeschool rules in plain English, from the state's own published sources. It isn't legal advice, and we aren't lawyers. Laws change and every family is different, so check with your state, your school district or a lawyer before you rely on it.

How much it asks
Detailed: notices plus tests or reviews
School age
5 through 16, until the child turns 17
Time
180 days a year

Option 1

Option 1: District-approved home school (state home school statute)

Families who want approval from their local school district board of trustees instead of joining an association. This path has the most state requirements, including testing and a district application.

  1. Before you startWho teaches

    Confirm your qualifications

    The parent must hold at least a high school diploma or GED, or have earned a bachelor's degree.

  2. Before you startPaperwork

    Apply to your local school district board of trustees

    Ask your district for its home school application. It asks for a description of your program, the texts and materials you will use, how you will evaluate progress, and where instruction will take place. The board must approve the program. Parents are notified in advance of the board meeting and may speak at it.

  3. Before you startGood to know

    Sign the hold-harmless agreement

    You must agree in writing to hold the district, its board, and its employees harmless for any learning gaps caused by home instruction.

  4. OngoingTime

    Plan a qualifying school year

    Teach at least 180 instructional days a year. Each instructional day must be at least 4.5 hours, not counting lunch and recess. Cover reading, writing, mathematics, science, and social studies, and for grades 7 through 12 also composition and literature.

  5. OngoingRecords

    Keep required records

    Keep a plan book, diary, or other written record of subjects taught and activities, a portfolio of your child's work samples, and a record of evaluations of academic progress. The district may inspect these on reasonable notice.

  6. OngoingGood to know

    Give the library access

    Your child must have access to library facilities.

  7. Every six months during the school yearRecords

    Submit semiannual progress reports

    Send the district a progress report twice a year. It must include attendance records and individual assessments of progress in each core subject.

  8. Every yearTesting

    Have your child take the annual state tests

    Students must take the annual statewide testing program and the Basic Skills Assessment Program for their grade. A certified school district employee gives the tests, either with public school students or at your home. If the test is given at home, the parent pays the test administrator.

  9. Within the first 15 instructional days of the school yearTesting

    Readiness test for first grade

    A home-taught child who is eligible for first grade must be tested for readiness within the first 15 instructional days of the public school year.

Option 2

Option 2: South Carolina Association of Independent Home Schools (SCAIHS)

Families who want to join SCAIHS, the one association named in state law for this option. The association handles much of the reporting.

  1. Before you startWho teaches

    Confirm your qualifications

    The parent must hold at least a high school diploma or GED.

  2. Before you startPaperwork

    Join SCAIHS

    Apply for bona fide membership with the South Carolina Association of Independent Home Schools and pay its fee. Membership and continued compliance with its academic standards take you out of the district approval process.

  3. OngoingTime

    Plan the school year

    Teach at least 180 instructional days a year and cover reading, writing, mathematics, science, and social studies. For grades 7 through 12, also cover composition and literature.

  4. OngoingRecords

    Keep records and follow SCAIHS reporting rules

    Keep the records and submit the reports that SCAIHS requires. SCAIHS reports the number and grade levels of its students to the districts each year by January 30.

Option 3

Option 3: Homeschool association with at least 50 member families

Families who want to join a homeschool association that has at least 50 member families and is on the state's annual list. The association sets many of its own rules.

  1. Before you startWho teaches

    Confirm your qualifications

    The parent must hold at least a high school diploma or GED.

  2. Before you startGood to know

    Choose an association on the state list

    Pick an association from the South Carolina Department of Education's yearly Option Three list. The state does not endorse any association on the list.

  3. Before you startPaperwork

    Join the association

    Complete its membership application and pay its fees. Membership and continued compliance with its academic standards take you out of the district approval process.

  4. OngoingTime

    Plan the school year

    Teach at least 180 instructional days a year and cover reading, writing, mathematics, science, and social studies. For grades 7 through 12, also cover composition and literature.

  5. OngoingRecords

    Keep records and submit progress reports

    Keep a plan book or similar record, a portfolio of your child's work, and a record of evaluations. Send progress reports to the association on its schedule, with attendance and assessments of progress in each core subject.

  6. As set by the associationTesting

    Follow the association's testing rules

    The state does not require a state test under this option. The association sets any testing rules.

Subjects to teach

  • Reading
  • Writing
  • Mathematics
  • Science
  • Social studies
  • Composition (grades 7 through 12)
  • Literature (grades 7 through 12)

Tests and reviews

Option 1 students must take the annual statewide testing program and the Basic Skills Assessment Program for their grade, given by a certified school district employee. Option 2 and Option 3 do not set a state test in the sources reviewed. Option 3 associations set their own testing rules. See unsure for details.

Records to keep

  • Plan book, diary, or other written record of subjects taught and activities
  • Portfolio of samples of the student's academic work
  • Record of evaluations of the student's academic progress
  • Semiannual progress report with attendance records (Option 1 and Option 3)

About time

Under Option 1, each instructional day must be at least 4.5 hours, not counting lunch and recess. The state does not set an hour count for Options 2 and 3, only the 180-day year.

Also good to know

  • Sports and other school activities: a homeschooled student who has been taught under one of the three options for a full academic year may take part in the resident public school's interscholastic activities if the student meets the district's other eligibility rules. The student must notify the superintendent in writing before the season begins.
  • Kindergarten: a parent whose child is not six years old by September 1 may elect not to attend kindergarten. The election is made in a written document signed with the school district where the parent lives.
  • Foster children: a foster parent may homeschool a foster child only if the agency with custody, such as the Department of Social Services, approves it.
  • Option 1 appeal: a parent denied permission to begin or continue home instruction under Option 1 may appeal to the State Board of Education.

What we couldn’t confirm

  • Exact deadlines for Option 1 applications and semiannual reports. The sources give January and June as typical dates but I could not confirm them in an official text.
  • How long records must be kept. Several non-official guides say two years or forever, but I did not confirm this in an official source.
  • Whether the parent must pass the basic skills exam. The statute still mentions it, but other sources say the state supreme court struck it down. Check with the district or the Department of Education.
  • Testing rules for Option 2 (SCAIHS) and Option 3 associations. Official sources were not clear on whether the state requires any test under these options.
  • SCAIHS membership fees and Option 3 background check requirements. These come from non-official sites and were not confirmed.
  • Whether a student who is a scholarship recipient under the state's Education Scholarship Trust Fund can also use a home school option. Some sources say no; I did not confirm this with an official source.

From South Carolina’s own sources

Last checked against these sources on November 7, 2026. We check every state each week.

How Study Naturally helps in South Carolina

Choose South Carolina in your dashboard and these steps sit on your home page, next to each child's work and progress.

  • Set each child’s lessons, in the subjects you teach
  • A patient tutor teaches every child at their own level
  • A learning record counts days and time against what the state asks
  • Print it, save it as a PDF, or download a spreadsheet for your files

Homeschooling in South Carolina

A patient tutor for every child, and the records to show for it

Set each child's lessons, let them learn at their own level, and print days, time and subjects whenever your state asks. Try the tutor yourself free for 14 days, no card needed.

Questions? hello@studynaturally.com