Public schools can be hit or miss. Depending on where you live in Delaware and the specific schools and teachers available in your district, your child's day at school may be fantastic —but it can also be a dull day bereft of proper education and engagement. Instead of rolling the dice each school year, many parents are looking towards alternative schooling options.
Private schools in Delaware can sometimes offer students a better experience, but it often comes at a significant cost. In addition, parents still have limited control over what their children learn in class. If public school teachers cannot offer an educational experience that fits your student's specific educational needs, there is no guarantee private school teachers will be an improvement.
The pandemic started a trend of parents across America considering homeschooling for their kids, and in Delaware, this trend has continued to the modern day. There are currently over four thousand homeschooled students in Delaware, with many in-state organizations and clubs useful for connecting young kids with other students in their area.
Delaware's homeschooling laws and requirements give parents a decent amount of leeway, but this doesn't mean they can do whatever they want. Without strict adherence to Delaware's reporting mandates, the state can consider a child truant and force them back into public school.
There may not be extensive requirements to maintain records and gauge academic progress through standardized tests, but parents in Delaware may have a tough time transitioning to homeschooling. Responsibilities increase, and any small mistake when setting up a nonpublic school can hamper a child's academic progress. The Lento Law Firm can assist you as you enter the world of homeschooling in Delaware to prevent simple errors from preventing your child from achieving success in alternative schooling.
Call our Student Defense Team at 888.535.3686 or contact us through our website to secure the help you need to start a homeschool program, benefit from available local resources, and give your child the best education possible.
Delaware Compulsory Education Laws
While Delaware is generally considered a flexible state for homeschooling, there are limited educational requirements that parents must follow if they intend to take their child out of the public school system. At the most basic level, Delaware's compulsory education law requires children between the ages of 5 and 16 to enroll in some sort of educational program—whether public, private, or homeschool. This age requirement applies to young children only if they turn five before September 1 of that school year.
To open a homeschool in Delaware, parents must apply online and submit a nonpublic school application through the Delaware Department of Education (DDOE) system. The idea of opening a homeschool or nonpublic school may seem daunting, but it is simply Delaware's way of allowing parents to begin at-home instruction. Homeschools in Delaware come in two varieties: multi-family and single-family. Single-family homeschools are operated by one family, whereas multi-family homeschools involve several families pooling resources, providing additional social and learning opportunities for students.
After a successful application, parents will receive an acknowledgment letter indicating that their children are enrolled in homeschooling. The next step is to take this letter to their child's public school as proof of alternative schooling and withdraw them from the public school system. Without this letter, schools cannot allow a withdrawal.
If a parent attempts to start homeschooling without going through proper channels, their child's school may consider them truant, which introduces more complications for starting at-home instruction. DDOE will deny enrollment into homeschooling for students with open truancy cases, and districts can even continue pursuing truancy if a student withdraws before the end of their case. DDOE understands that homeschooling is sometimes used as a way to avoid truancy charges and takes reasonable steps to prevent this from happening, so parents should stay within the boundaries to avoid problems later on.
Delaware's application process may seem straightforward, but DDOE can always deny an application if they see something concerning. By working with the Lento Law Firm, you ensure your application is thorough and correct, helping you begin your at-home instruction with as minimal setbacks as possible.
Delaware Homeschool Curriculum and Instruction Requirements
Delaware gives homeschool families significant freedom in deciding their curriculum and instructional approach. The DDOE does not regulate, approve, or endorse any specific homeschool program, leaving parents responsible for creating an educational plan that best suits their child.
This lack of DDOE oversight means that parents can generally choose everything about day-to-day instruction, such as what subjects are taught and for how long. Some parents may choose to follow traditional subject areas like math, science, and language arts, while others may adopt alternative educational methods. The only caveat is that homeschool education should meet basic educational standards, especially if parents intend to re-enroll their children in public school or have their kids pursue higher education.
DDOE encourages parents to maintain detailed records of their child's work, grades, and achievements, but this is also not required. Similar to before, record maintenance can assist students when they reenter the traditional schooling system, and it may help if Delaware officials have questions about your child's educational progress.
The only two mandatory reports for homeschooling families are the Enrollment Report and the Attendance Report:
The Enrollment Report must be submitted by the last school day of September each year, confirming the student's official registration in a nonpublic school.
The Attendance Report, which documents the number of instructional days completed during the previous school year, is due by July 31.
Through these two reports, Delaware remains aware of each student's educational placement and intention for the upcoming school year without placing an undue burden on parents to provide in-depth documentation about curriculum choices. If you are unsure what to include or if DDOE claims your reports contain errors, the Lento Law Firm can quickly help you sort out the situation and focus on your child's education.
Testing and Assessments in Delaware Homeschools
Delaware continues to allow parents relative freedom regarding testing and assessment requirements for homeschooling. Unlike public schools, there are no mandatory standardized testing requirements, leaving the responsibility of evaluating progress entirely up to the parents. Some students don't do well when the pressure of a standardized test is bearing down on them, and this approach means parents can identify which ways their children learn best.
When you look at Delaware's current plans to reinvent and expand its existing standardized testing system for public schools, it becomes apparent that homeschooling can benefit students who struggle in these environments. Many Delaware schools use SAT and ACT results to track high-school-level academic performance, but these, too, aren't required for homeschooled students. Parents can choose alternative methods to track academic progress, such as portfolios, written reports, or verbal assessments that play to a student's strengths, instead of forcing them into a box.
As with curriculum and day-to-day instruction, parents in Delaware may decide that keeping records of standardized tests is a good idea to help their child in the future. If a child remains homeschooled in Delaware throughout their entire academic career, from a young age to their late teens, there should be no issues arising from a lack of testing. However, there may be concerns from public schools or even other state's homeschool regulatory bodies if a student jumps ship from the Delaware homeschooling system at a later date.
Extracurricular Activities for Homeschoolers in Delaware
Unlike some states with explicit statutes allowing homeschoolers to participate in public school sports and clubs, Delaware leaves this decision to individual school districts. There are no individual rights to access extracurriculars, and homeschooler participation in these programs can vary significantly from one district to another, even those in close proximity.
It's possible that your local high school allows homeschooled students to join the band or enter campus after hours for a chess club. But at the same time, a school district has every right to restrict access as they see fit and may even impose additional requirements on those not a part of the public school system. This means that while public school attendees may have free access to instruments, uniforms, and other resources, homeschooled students may need to pay out of pocket for the same opportunity.
For programs governed by the Delaware Interscholastic Athletic Association (DIAA), which includes most middle and high school sports programs, students must be enrolled full-time in the school they represent. This can cause massive issues for homeschooled students, as they are considered part of their own nonpublic school. They are ineligible to participate in local school-sponsored athletic teams without attending the school itself.
Homeschooled students in Delaware have limited options to get around this DIAA requirement. Many homeschooled students join private leagues or clubs not affiliated with the DIAA. Many homeschool-specific organizations serve kids in Delaware, but it isn't a perfect solution. If you are struggling to enroll your child in local programs you believe they have the right to join, call the Lento Law Firm today to learn more about your options and fight for what is right.
Special Education Services for Delaware Homeschooled Students
Delaware's classification of homeschooled students as "parentally-placed private school children" means that federal laws, such as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), treat homeschooled students with special needs similar to private school students. Like private school students, homeschooled students can access some services, but they are limited—based on the share of federal IDEA funds allocated to private students by a local district.
While homeschool families can request special education evaluations from their local school district, homeschool students do not receive full Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) like public school students. Instead, they are typically offered a Service Plan, which provides specific services, such as speech or occupational therapy, but usually in a more limited scope. Parents must coordinate with public schools to arrange evaluations, and services are often delivered on-site at the public school, meaning students will need to travel to the nearest school offering these resources.
One of the biggest shocks parents face when withdrawing from the public school system is the lack of guaranteed support they receive for taking care of a homeschooled student with special needs. However, homeschooled students still have the right to access certain resources, and when funding permits, they deserve the same assistance as kids in the public school system. The Lento Law Firm knows how stressful it can be to be denied much-needed help, and we are here to advocate on your child's behalf when local school districts restrict access to resources.
Homeschool Diplomas in Delaware
Delaware does not rigorously check the educational progress of homeschooled students and, therefore, does not provide those students with diplomas. Instead, parents or guardians overseeing their child's academic progress are responsible for issuing a diploma upon completion of the homeschool program. Delaware considers this diploma valid, but parents need to understand that not all colleges and universities automatically accept homeschool diplomas in the same way they accept those from accredited public or private schools. A diploma from a public school usually guarantees the student took certain courses, but schools can't rely on that same fact for homeschool diplomas.
No Delaware law specifically limits colleges from accepting homeschool diplomas. However, some other states do have laws that would complicate the process of a Delaware homeschooled student applying to a school in their state. Or, even if a school accepts proof of a student's education, it may limit financial grants that rely on academic performance during high school.
On top of diploma concerns, there remains the ever-present issue that many universities consider standardized test scores during admissions. With a curriculum removed from the public school system, it's easy for parents running their own at-home program to forgo tests like the SAT and ACT. If Delaware students lack a diploma and evidence of academic progress through an accredited national test, they may have significant issues with acceptance from competitive schools nationwide.
Delaware students who opt for homeschooling do so for good reasons. Their academic prospects should not be limited simply due to their choice of education, and the Lento Law Firm wants to help. Our Student Defense Team can advise which colleges and universities will gladly accept their credentials and help your student attend their dream school.
Find Success Homeschooling in Delaware With the Lento Law Firm
With minimal state oversight, no mandated curriculum, and no required standardized testing, parents in Delaware have significant freedom in how they educate their children. This flexibility can be empowering, and if homeschooling has caught your attention, now is the time to take action. But at the same time, this flexibility can be overwhelming, and the added responsibilities can cause anyone to make mistakes.
The Lento Law Firm doesn't want to see your homeschooling program receive pushback from the Delaware Department of Education, and we can provide guidance and support from the formation of your program. Our Student Defense Team can also assist if local schools and programs look down on your child and prevent them from engaging with fellow students. Whatever issues come your way, our experienced attorneys know Delaware law inside and out and can fight for your student's rights.
Call the Lento Law Firm today at 888.535.3686 or contact us online to protect your homeschooling program in Delaware.
