South Carolina Homeschool Documents & Templates

What to file

simple notice

Send to

homeschool association with at least 50 members

How often

annual

Parent joins a qualifying homeschool association with at least 50 members. The association may handle certain filings. Multiple qualifying associations exist with varying requirements and fee structures.

S.C. Code §59-65-47(A)

Status

Not required, but recommended to prevent truancy concerns

Send to

school

Submit written withdrawal notice. Join association before or simultaneously with withdrawal to avoid truancy issues.

Parent must maintain semiannual progress reports as part of educational records per §59-65-47(B)(1)(d)(3), but these are not submitted to the association or state — they are kept by the parent. §59-65-47(C) requires the association to file an enrollment count with the DOE by January 30, not the parent. Annual membership with qualifying association required.

S.C. Code §59-65-47(B), (C)

• ✓Attendance records
• ✓Student portfolio

Must maintain a portfolio of the student's academic work including record of instruction, attendance records, test results, and immunization records. Association may set additional requirements.

S.C. Code §59-65-47(A)

This page covers Option 3 - Accountability Association. South Carolina offers 3 different ways to homeschool, and each may require different documents:

• •
  Option 1 - School Board Approval: You submit your curriculum and instructional plans to the local school board for approval, teach 180 days at 4.5 hours per day, administer annual standardized testing, and file semiannual progress reports with the district. Grades 7-12 must include at least one elective (foreign language, visual arts, or performing arts). This is the highest-oversight option and is the least commonly chosen pathway.
• •
  Option 2 - SCAIHS: You enroll with the South Carolina Association of Independent Home Schools (SCAIHS), which handles state reporting on your behalf. You teach five core subjects for 180 days at 4.5 hours per day. SCAIHS membership exempts you from Option 1's requirements, including its testing mandate. SCAIHS may require testing as organizational policy, but this is not a statutory requirement. This is a moderate-oversight option with built-in organizational support.
• •
  Option 3 - Accountability Association(this page): You join a homeschool association with at least 50 members and teach five core subjects for 180 days at 4.5 hours per day. The statute does not require standardized testing for this pathway. Your association may require testing as organizational policy, but there is no statutory testing mandate. This is the lowest-oversight option and the most popular choice among South Carolina homeschoolers.

Our wizard helps you choose the right one and generates the correct documents. Compare all pathways for South Carolina