Homeschool requirements · South Carolina
Homeschooling in South Carolina
Moderate paperwork · A notice and a yearly assessment or records check.
Choose one of three options: district approval, SCAIHS membership, or a homeschool association of at least 50 members; all use a 180-day year.
What South Carolina asks
| Notice | Depends on option: application to the district (Option 1) or membership in an approved association (Options 2 and 3). |
|---|---|
| Days and hours | 180 days |
| Subjects | Reading, Writing, Math, Science, Social Studies, Composition & Literature (grades 7–12) |
| Assessment | Option 1: a semi-annual progress report submitted to the school district, plus the annual statewide testing and Basic Skills Assessment programs. Options 2 and 3 are exempt from those and follow the standards of their association instead. |
| Records to keep | Plan book or diary, portfolio of samples, and a record of evaluations. The semi-annual progress report goes to the district under Option 1 and is kept by the parent under Option 3. |
| Parent qualification | High school diploma or GED. |
| Worth knowing | Options 1 and 3 both require 180 days; the four-and-a-half-hour instructional day is Option 1 only. |
Deadlines
South Carolina lets a family homeschool more than one way, and the paperwork differs by route. You pick the route once in the app and it tracks only those dates. Districts vary; the app lets you edit any of them.
Option 1: District approval
Apply through your school district’s process; confirm its renewal requirements. 180 days of 4.5 hours, a plan book and portfolio, semi-annual progress reports, and the district's annual testing program.
| What | When | To whom | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Application to the district Notice · Mail it | Within -14 days of starting | Your school district board | Apply for district board approval using your district’s process. State law does not set an application date or annual renewal date; the date here is a planning reminder. Confirm the district’s timing and submission method. Include the program description, texts and materials, evaluation methods, and place of instruction, plus the written agreement holding the district, board, and employees harmless for educational deficiencies from home instruction. Add the agreement and district forms yourself; the prepared documents do not include them. Provide access to library facilities. |
| Semi-annual progress report Report · Mail it | Twice a year | Your school district | Submit twice a year, including attendance records and an assessment of the child’s progress in each required subject. Confirm the district’s dates and accepted submission method; mail here is a planning default. Keep the plan book, portfolio, and evaluation records available for district inspection on reasonable notice. |
| Statewide testing program Assessment · Bring to a meeting | By the end of the school year | Arranged through the district | Option 1 students take the statewide tests for the grade levels approved by the State Board. A certified district employee administers them; ask the district for dates. Parents may arrange testing at home and then pay the administrator. Children eligible for first grade also need the State Board-approved readiness test within the first 15 instructional days of the public school year. Set that reminder from the district’s calendar; the year-end date here does not cover it. |
Option 2: SCAIHS
Join the South Carolina Association of Independent Home Schools. SCAIHS sets the records and evaluation it wants to see; 180 days.
| What | When | To whom | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| SCAIHS membership renewal Notice · File online | Within -14 days of starting | South Carolina Association of Independent Home Schools | SCAIHS allows mid-year starts and uses a June 1–May 31 school year. Confirm its joining or renewal date directly; the date here is a planning reminder, not a statutory deadline. SCAIHS tells you what records and evaluations it needs. |
| Records SCAIHS asks for Records · Keep in your files | By the end of the school year | Keep your records; follow SCAIHS submission instructions | SCAIHS requires 180 documented days between June 1 and May 31, and a nationally normed standardized achievement test at least every other year from grade 3 through grade 11. These are association standards. Keep the test score report and ask SCAIHS which other records it needs and when to send them. The attendance report is a starting point; the app does not prepare the test score report. Plan testing with SCAIHS rather than waiting for this year-end records reminder. |
Option 3: Accountability association
Join an association of at least 50 members. Keep a plan book, a portfolio, and semi-annual progress reports; 180 days. The most common choice.
| What | When | To whom | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Accountability association membership Notice · Mail it | Within -14 days of starting | Your accountability association | Renew each year with an association of at least 50 members. Its rules decide what you send and when. |
| Semi-annual progress report Report · Keep in your files | Twice a year | Keep in your files; send only if your association requires it | Keep a report twice a year, with attendance records and individual progress in each required subject. State law requires the parent to keep it; follow your association’s rules for any submission. |
| Plan book and portfolio Records · Keep in your files | By the end of the school year | Keep in your files | A plan book or diary of subjects taught and activities, plus a portfolio of samples. |
What HomeSchool Scribe does in South Carolina
- Application to the district: Prepares the notice letter and the course of study; reminds you 14 days and 2 days before; lets you mark it filed with the date.
- Semi-annual progress report: Prepares the report card and the attendance and hours report; reminds you 14 days and 2 days before; lets you mark it filed with the date.
- Statewide testing program: Prepares the transcript; reminds you 14 days and 2 days before.
- SCAIHS membership renewal: Prepares the notice letter; reminds you 14 days and 2 days before; opens the portal and keeps your confirmation.
- Records SCAIHS asks for: Prepares the attendance and hours report; reminds you 14 days and 2 days before; keeps it in records.
- Accountability association membership: Prepares the notice letter; reminds you 14 days and 2 days before; lets you mark it filed with the date.
- Plan book and portfolio: Prepares the course of study, the portfolio and the attendance and hours report; reminds you 14 days and 2 days before; keeps it in records.
Attendance and hours fill in from the lessons you check off, so the documents above come from records you already have.
Read the law yourself
South Carolina Code, Title 59, Chapter 65 · HSLDA’s South Carolina summary · SCAIHS membership renewal portal
Not legal advicePlanning summaries in plain language, reviewed 2026-09-11. Deadlines and recipients vary by district; confirm with South Carolina’s current law or a homeschool legal organization before you file anything. If something here is out of date, tell us and we’ll fix it for every family in South Carolina.