Homeschooling in South Carolina

South Carolina sets no start date, so you can begin at the start of the year or in the middle of it. The order matters: arrange a legal option first, then leave school. On Option 3 that means joining the association before your child's last day; on Option 1 it means waiting for the board of trustees to approve your application.

The law sets no withdrawal form or notice. A short written notice to the school records the change:

• Your child's full name, grade, and school
• That your child will be homeschooled, the option you chose, and the association's name
• The last day your child will attend
• Your signature and the date

Before you go, ask for copies of report cards, test scores, and any special education evaluations.

The South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE) says the parent-teacher is responsible for the educational records, including transcripts, grades, lesson plans, and attendance. On Option 3 the law names the three records listed above, and your association may add its own rules. Nothing goes to SCDE.

These records do their work later:

• Re-entering a public school
• Applying for the LIFE Scholarship or college admission
• Re-establishing sports eligibility each year by affidavit

From seventh grade on, list each course with its grade and credit, since your home school program awards those credits.

Testing depends on the option. Option 1 students must take the annual statewide tests, given by a certified district employee either with public school students or, at the parent's choice, where the child is taught; the parent pays the test administrator for testing at home. Option 1 children old enough for first grade also take the state readiness test within the first 15 instructional days of the school year.

Students on Options 2 and 3 have no state testing requirement, and SCDE says students outside district-approved programs are not eligible to take the statewide assessments. An association may set its own testing rules.

Federal law requires each school district to find and evaluate children with disabilities who live in it, a duty called Child Find. SCDE lists home-schooled children among the children each district must find, and you can ask your district, in writing, to evaluate your child. A district cannot use mediation or a due process hearing to override your refusal to consent.

In South Carolina, home-schooled children are treated as private school children for special education. That means no individual right to the full set of services a public school student receives. Instead, the district sets aside a proportionate share of federal special education money for private and home school students and decides, after consulting with private and home school representatives and parents, which services to offer. A child chosen for services gets a services plan.

State law does not require districts to provide textbooks or instructional materials to home-schooled students, though a district may.

Only accredited public South Carolina high schools issue a South Carolina high school diploma, and there is no official home school diploma. The parent, or in some cases the association, issues the diploma.

Home-schooled students in grades 7 to 12 earn credits from their home school program, recorded on the transcript the parent or association keeps. Other public or private schools do not automatically accept those credits.

Home-schooled students may also earn credit through the South Carolina Virtual School Program if they meet its guidelines.

A student who completes a high school home school program in South Carolina in the manner the law requires can qualify for the state's LIFE Scholarship and Palmetto Fellows Scholarship, as long as the student is a resident for in-state tuition.

For LIFE at a four-year college, a new freshman meets two of three criteria: a 3.0 grade average, an SAT score of 1100 or the equivalent ACT score, and a top 30 percent class rank, for which the Commission on Higher Education may define alternative criteria for home school students. The test score requirement does not apply at a two-year or technical college.

Colleges set their own admission rules for homeschool graduates, and high school students can take college courses by applying directly to a college.

Homeschool dual enrollment in South Carolina

South Carolina's Equal Access to Interscholastic Activities Act bars a district from denying a home school student the chance to take part in interscholastic activities, which include athletics, music, speech, and other extracurricular activities. A home school student is one taught under any of the three options for a full academic year before participating.

• Meet the district's eligibility requirements, apart from school attendance and enrollment rules
• Live within the attendance boundaries of the school you play for
• Notify the district superintendent in writing before the season begins
• Meet the same standards of behavior, performance, practice, and team selection as other students

A public school student who could not keep academic eligibility cannot play as a home school student the following semester. A district may not contract with an organization that runs interscholastic activities if it bars home school students.

Homeschool sports eligibility in South Carolina

South Carolina has no homeschool funding program. SCDE says students home-schooled under any of the three options are not eligible for the Education Scholarship Trust Fund (ESTF) Program.

Homeschool tax breaks and funding in South Carolina

A home-schooled child can return to a South Carolina public school at any point in the year. The district places the student in the classes and grade level it finds instructionally appropriate, usually based on test results it chooses, not on the grade the parent says the child completed.

On Options 2 and 3, the district's role is to receive the association's yearly count. SCDE reviews association standards each year through an Annual Standards Assurance form, but it does not accredit, endorse, or monitor any association.

On Option 1, the district supervises the program. If it finds the program out of line with the law's standards, the board of trustees gives you 30 days to correct the deficiencies and may then withdraw approval. A student who scores below the promotion standard for a year may be placed in public school, given special services, or kept at home with instructional support at the parent's expense, as the board decides. You can appeal a denial to the State Board of Education within 10 days, and then to family court within 30 days.