New Jersey Homeschool Laws
New Jersey has no separate homeschool statute. Instead, the compulsory attendance law lets parents give an education that is academically equivalent to what the child would receive at school. That is the state’s one option. “Equivalent” does not mean identical. School is required from the 6th birthday until the 16th birthday. New Jersey requires no notice to the district. Still, some districts ask for written notice or approval, which the law does not require.
Day to day, make a good-faith effort to teach an age-appropriate program that covers the major subjects. Courts have not ordered families to stop when they do that. There is no state testing list for homeschoolers, and parents need no teaching credentials. Public high school course lists and the GED content areas are useful comparisons only. Homeschoolers have no statutory right to public school classes or sports. However, the state athletic association allows districts to include them, and the education department says boards may allow curricular and extracurricular participation. In practice, many schools still say no. For full details on each topic, open the sections below.
Compliance begins at the child’s 6th birthday and ends at the 16th birthday (HSLDA: Compulsory School Age in New Jersey).
New Jersey has one option: provide an education academically equivalent to that of the public schools. Equivalent does not mean identical (HSLDA: How to Comply with New Jersey’s Homeschool Law; HSLDA: New Jersey Homeschool Laws).
No mandated subject list for homeschools. Instruction must be academically equivalent to school. For comparison, New Jersey public high schools usually cover language arts, math, science, world history, civics and/or U.S. and New Jersey history, health/safety/physical education, financial or business literacy, visual or performing arts, foreign language, career/technical education, and integrated civics, economics, geography, and global content. The GED tests reading, writing, social studies, science, and math (HSLDA).
None. School districts occasionally demand written notice or approval, but these are not required under the law (HSLDA; New Jersey Department of Education: Homeschooling).
None (HSLDA).
No statutory right. The New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association amended its bylaws so local districts may allow homeschool students to compete if the student resides in the district, has board and principal approval, shows academic qualification and an equivalent education, and meets team requirements. The New Jersey Department of Education states that local boards may allow curricular and extracurricular or sports participation. In practice, public schools rarely allow it (HSLDA: Public School Access in New Jersey; NJDOE Homeschooling).
If a public school lets private school students receive special education services on campus, it must provide the same access to homeschool students (Forstrom v. Byrne, 2001) (HSLDA).
None for homeschoolers, according to HSLDA (HSLDA).
*The information on this page is for general use only. It should not be taken as legal advice. It is believed to be accurate however state and federal laws change every year. Homeschool.net recommends joining an organization such as the Home School Legal Defense Association before your homeschooling adventure begins. HSLDA can provide complete, accurate, legal advice and services for homeschooling families.
Update History
No changes in law noted since this page was first published.