New York vs South Carolina: Homeschool Laws Compared

New York is the more regulated of the two: it requires notice and a periodic assessment, while South Carolina requires no notice to homeschool. They differ on 8 of the 9 rules compared: notice of intent, hours or days per year, required subjects, testing or evaluation, the portfolio, compulsory school ages, ESA funding, and public school sports access.

Rules compared

9

Differences

8

Same in both

1

The rules, side by side

Rows where the two states differ are marked. Tap a state name for its full guide, deadlines, and sources.

Figures are the same verified compliance data shown on each state's page. Requirements change; confirm with your state before you rely on one.

Moving from New York to South Carolina

Once you are a South Carolina resident you homeschool under South Carolina's rules. These are the ones that change.

1. There is no notice to file in South Carolina. Before you leave, send New York's district a short withdrawal note so its attendance record closes.
2. The annual target changes from 900 hours (990 for grades 7-12) a year in New York to 180 days a year in South Carolina.
3. South Carolina's required list adds reading, writing, composition, and literature and drops english, health, music, visual arts, physical education, and library skills compared with New York's. Match South Carolina's wording in your records.
4. South Carolina requires no testing or evaluation. Keep New York's past results with your records; colleges may still ask for them.
5. Keep a portfolio of dated work samples: South Carolina requires one and New York did not.
6. Compulsory school ages are 5-17 in South Carolina against 6-16 in New York, so check whether your youngest or oldest is now inside or outside the rule.
7. South Carolina runs Education Scholarship Trust Fund (ESTF). Check whether your family qualifies; New York had no comparable program.
8. Can homeschoolers play public school sports? In South Carolina the answer is yes, with conditions; in New York it was no.

Moving from South Carolina to New York

Once you are a New York resident you homeschool under New York's rules. These are the ones that change.

1. File a notice of intent with the local school district once you are a New York resident. South Carolina did not ask for one, so this is new paperwork.
2. The annual target changes from 180 days a year in South Carolina to 900 hours (990 for grades 7-12) a year in New York.
3. New York's required list adds english, health, music, visual arts, physical education, and library skills and drops reading, writing, composition, and literature compared with South Carolina's. Match New York's wording in your records.
4. New York requires parent's choice (testing, portfolio, or evaluation), annually. South Carolina had no assessment rule, so plan for it in your first year.
5. New York does not require a portfolio. Bring South Carolina's with you anyway; it is your proof of progress if a question ever comes up.
6. Compulsory school ages are 6-16 in New York against 5-17 in South Carolina, so check whether your youngest or oldest is now inside or outside the rule.
7. New York has no ESA program. South Carolina's Education Scholarship Trust Fund (ESTF) is for South Carolina residents, so budget without it.
8. Can homeschoolers play public school sports? In New York the answer is no; in South Carolina it was yes, with conditions.

What stays the same

New York and South Carolina match on progress reports. Your habits on those carry over unchanged.

Do your records transfer?

Neither New York nor South Carolina takes homeschool records from another state, and there is no transfer process between them. You keep your own: the hours or attendance log, work samples, and any grades or transcripts. Those are what the new state, and later a college, may ask to see. Homeschool Fox keeps them in one account that moves with your family.

Keep comparing

• California vs New York 6 rules differ
• Connecticut vs New York 6 rules differ
• Florida vs New York 6 rules differ
• Georgia vs New York 7 rules differ
• Georgia vs South Carolina 6 rules differ
• Massachusetts vs New York 4 rules differ
• New Jersey vs New York 5 rules differ
• New York vs North Carolina 7 rules differ
• New York vs Pennsylvania 7 rules differ
• New York vs Texas 7 rules differ
• New York vs Vermont 5 rules differ
• North Carolina vs South Carolina 7 rules differ
• States That Require a Homeschool Notice of Intent All 36 states in one table
• States With Homeschool Hour and Day Requirements All 21 states in one table
• Required Homeschool Subjects by State All 34 states in one table
• States That Require Homeschool Testing or Evaluation All 19 states in one table
• States That Require a Homeschool Portfolio All 6 states in one table