State Requirements
Homeschooling in New Jersey
New Jersey is one of the most flexible states for homeschool families with no mandated hour or day minimums.
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If you're looking for the most straightforward homeschool regulations in the country, New Jersey is hard to beat: no forms, no check-ins, and no state-imposed schedule. Compulsory attendance in New Jersey covers children ages 6-16, which means a homeschool program needs to be in place for any child in that range.
New Jersey is one of the rare states where the schedule is entirely up to the family. Some households lean into year-round learning at a relaxed pace; others keep a traditional September-through-May calendar. A personal target of around 900 hours a year gives parents a useful anchor without any legal pressure.
In practice, New Jersey homeschool families use Homeschool Fox to log daily activities, keep portfolios in one place, and generate the compliance reports that the state's paperwork moments call for.
At a glance
Ages 6-16
Compulsory attendance
Flexible requirements
New Jersey does not mandate specific hours or days.
Notice requirements
Notice not required
New Jersey does not require you to notify anyone of your intent to homeschool.
Even where no filing is required, what counts as homeschooling legally is worth a read — umbrella schools, charters, and hybrid programs each sit on a different legal footing.
Withdrawing from public school
New Jersey doesn't require a formal withdrawal letter or notice of intent to move a child from public school to homeschooling. Even so, a short written notification to the current school is a good idea so the district can close out attendance records and avoid truancy follow-ups. Rather than hand-writing the withdrawal letter, Homeschool Fox produces a pre-formatted PDF ready to send to the district.
For the play-by-play, how to withdraw your child from public school walks through the conversation, the timing, and the paperwork. What to send the district when you pull your child covers exactly what the letter should and shouldn't say.
Assessment requirements
Assessment not required
New Jersey does not require standardized testing or formal assessment.
Portfolio & records
Portfolio not required
While New Jersey doesn't mandate a portfolio, keeping records is still recommended.
Additional notes
No notification required. Must provide equivalent instruction.
Calculate your New Jersey hours
New Jersey doesn't mandate a minimum. Use 900 hours/year as a general guide to stay on pace.
Leave at 0 if you haven't started tracking yet
Enter an end date to see your targets
Target
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hours per day
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hours per week
Prefer a full-page version? Open the standalone hours calculator.
Sources
Verified May 2026
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to notify anyone to homeschool in New Jersey?
How many hours do I need to homeschool in New Jersey?
Does New Jersey require testing for homeschoolers?
Do I need to keep a portfolio in New Jersey?
What subjects must I teach in New Jersey?
Nearby states
View all statesWant the cross-state comparison? Homeschool laws by state covers the legal regime in every state side by side.
What we track
Stay compliant in New Jersey without spreadsheets
Log activities by voice or text and Homeschool Fox rolls them up against New Jersey's requirements automatically. Free for 14 days.
- Instruction hours per student
- Attendance days logged
- Subject coverage (core & non-core)
- Activity log (text, voice, AI-parsed)
- Portfolios & PDF year-end reports
- Transcripts with GPA & credits
- Test scores & evaluations
14-day free trial. No credit card required.