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State requirements · verified
Homeschooling in New Jersey.
New Jersey asks little of homeschooling families: no required notice, testing or set curriculum, as long as your child receives instruction equivalent to public school.
Informational, not legal advice — verify with your state. We help you organize and document; you decide what to file.
What New Jersey asks
Compulsory school age
Ages 6 to 16. Children in this range must attend public school regularly or receive “equivalent instruction elsewhere than at school,” which includes homeschooling. (New Jersey Statutes Annotated, N.J.S.A. 18A:38-25)
Notice to your district
Not required in most cases. The New Jersey Department of Education encourages you to tell your local board of education, for example with a short letter when you withdraw your child. No approval is needed.
Withdrawing a high school student
If your child is in high school, complete your district’s transfer form, which records that your child will receive instruction elsewhere than at school.
If your board asks questions
Your board of education may ask for documentation, such as a letter of intent, only if it has credible evidence your child isn’t being educated. Withdrawing to homeschool isn’t, by itself, credible evidence.
What you teach
The law sets no subjects, curriculum, days or hours. The standard is instruction academically equivalent to your local public school (State v. Massa, 1967). Your board can’t review or approve your curriculum.
Testing
None. Your board of education isn’t required or authorized to test your child, and your child doesn’t have to take state or district standardized tests.
Records
None required by law. Practical guidance, not law: keep simple records of what you teach and samples of your child’s work in case your board ever asks for documentation.
Who can teach
You don’t need a New Jersey teaching certificate. The Department of Education’s guidance lists no other qualification for parents.
High school diploma
Your district doesn’t issue a diploma to a homeschooled student. A New Jersey State High School Diploma is available through the General Educational Development (GED) test or a college-credit route the Department of Education describes.
A note on “home instruction”
In New Jersey’s rules, “home instruction” means instruction a district provides to a student at home, for example for a health condition or a court order (New Jersey Administrative Code, N.J.A.C. 6A:16). Those rules don’t govern parent-led homeschooling.
Verified October 2026 · from the New Jersey Department of Education’s homeschooling FAQ (quoting N.J.S.A. 18A:38-25) and its Non-Traditional Schooling page.
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