Required Homeschool Subjects in South Carolina

South Carolina requires instruction in reading, writing, math, science, social studies, composition, and literature. Beyond the list you're free to teach whatever else fits your family.

South Carolina's required subject list

• Reading
• Writing
• Math
• Science
• Social Studies
• Composition
• Literature

Required days

180 days/year

Required subjects

7 subjects

Notice

Not required

Testing / evaluation

Not required

Portfolio

Required

Jump to the full South Carolina requirements for plain-English detail on each of these.

The subjects South Carolina names

South Carolina names 7 required subjects: reading, writing, math, science, social studies, composition, and literature. The statute stops at the subject names and leaves the teaching to you. A boxed curriculum, a set of programs picked one at a time, and a shelf of library books can each satisfy the same list.

How much time each subject needs

South Carolina attaches no hours to individual subjects. What it expects is regular instruction in each one. Your records should show each required subject turning up through the year, rather than a single week where you covered geography and moved on.

Choosing curriculum for each one

South Carolina law requires no approved or accredited curriculum. Take a math program from one publisher, a reading program from another, and cover history through library books if that works for your family. Instruction has to happen and you have to be able to show it. Switching curriculum mid year is fine as long as the subject keeps getting taught.

Showing you taught them

Under Option 3, § 59-65-47(d) has you keep three records at home: a plan book, diary, or other record of the subjects and activities you teach; a portfolio of your child's work samples; and a semiannual progress report with attendance and progress in each required subject. Option 1 families keep the same records under § 59-65-40(A)(4), and the district can inspect them and receives the semiannual report. For Option 2, § 59-65-45 sets no records rule, so you follow SCAIHS's own.

Adding subjects beyond the list

Treat the required list as your starting point. Art, music, a second language, coding, shop, and whatever else your family cares about all count as instructional time on top of the requirements. In South Carolina those hours count toward your totals the same as any other.

Your South Carolina subject checklist

Set this up once at the start of the year and the rest falls out of logging.

1. 1

   Set up a subject for each requirement

   One subject per item on the South Carolina list, named the way the statute names it, so your records line up with the law without translation.

2. 2

   Mark the core subjects

   South Carolina draws no line between core and non core subjects. Flagging the required ones still makes it clear at a glance whether each is getting taught.

3. 3

   Attach each activity to a subject

   A generic "school" bucket leaves you with a pile of hours. Tagging the subject turns the same hours into evidence that each requirement got covered.

4. 4

   Watch for a subject going quiet

   One requirement can drift for a month before you notice. A per-subject breakdown surfaces it while you can still fix it.

5. 5

   Save a work sample per subject

   Two or three dated samples per subject per term covers you, and pulling them as you go spares you a hunt through a year of paper in June.

What this looks like in Homeschool Fox

Set up one subject per South Carolina requirement and every logged activity rolls up under the right one.

What Homeschool Fox tracks for South Carolina

Everything South Carolina expects you to keep, in one place — no spreadsheets, no lost notebooks.

• Days toward your 180-day goal
• Required subjects & core hours
• Daily activity logs
• Attendance records
• Notes & portfolio records
• Printable PDF reports
• High school transcripts
• State-specific progress tracking

More South Carolina guides

Comparing states? See how all 31 states that name required subjects compare.

• South Carolina Homeschool Requirements Hours, notice, assessment, and subjects at a glance.
• How to Start Homeschooling in South Carolina A step-by-step guide from withdrawal to your first logged day.
• Homeschooling High School in South Carolina Credits, GPA, transcripts, and graduation.
• Record Keeping in South Carolina What to document, how to organize it, and staying compliant.
• How to Withdraw From School in South Carolina The steps, the letter, and timing to avoid truancy issues.
• Moving to South Carolina What to file when you arrive and whether your records transfer.
• Public School Sports in South Carolina Whether homeschoolers can play, what it takes, and who to ask.
• Homeschool Days Required in South Carolina The number, what counts toward it, and the pace to hit it.
• South Carolina Homeschool Portfolio What belongs in it, who can ask to see it, and a printable checklist.
• ESA & School Choice in South Carolina Funding amounts, who qualifies, and the trade-offs.