South Carolina is one of the more demanding states. South Carolina asks for more than most. It is entirely manageable once it is written down in one place, which is what this page is for. Nothing here is harder than it looks; there is just more of it.

What you file, and by when

Choose one of three options and enroll before instruction begins. Option 1 (S.C. Code 59-65-40): apply to and be approved by the local school district board annually. Option 2 (59-65-45): join the South Carolina Association of Independent Home Schools (SCAIHS); membership itself satisfies the requirement and the district is notified. Option 3 (59-65-47): join any home school association with at least 50 member families; the association verifies compliance and notifies the district. Options 2 and 3 are by far the most used because they avoid district approval and district oversight.

Days or hours

180 days per year, and the instructional day must be at least 4.5 hours excluding lunch and recesses (explicit for Options 1 and 2; Option 3 associations require the 180-day year and the same core standards).

Subjects you must cover

Reading, writing, mathematics, science, and social studies; plus composition and literature in grades 7 through 12.

Records you keep

Option 1: a plan book, diary, or other written record showing subjects taught and activities engaged in; a portfolio of the child's work including creative writing, worksheets, workbooks, and tests; and a semiannual progress report with attendance records and individualized documentation of academic progress in each subject. Options 2/3: the association sets the record format, but the statute requires the same categories of educational records be maintained and available to the association.

Testing or evaluation

Option 1 students must participate in the statewide testing program and the Basic Skills Assessment Program, administered by certified district employees. Options 2 and 3 have no statutory state testing mandate; accountability runs through the association, which may impose its own annual testing or portfolio review (many do). Confirm your association's specific requirements - they vary considerably.

Diplomas and transcripts

South Carolina issues no state diploma to homeschoolers; the parent (or, commonly, the association/SCAIHS) issues the diploma and transcript. Parents set their own graduation credit requirements - the state's 24-unit public school requirement does not apply - but SC Palmetto Fellows/LIFE/HOPE scholarship eligibility for homeschool graduates has its own documentation rules (a signed transcript and, for some awards, SAT/ACT thresholds), so most families mirror the public school unit pattern for safety. Recent change: the Education Scholarship Trust Fund (ESTF, S.C. Code 59-8-100 et seq.) is now open to home-educated students, with $7,500 awards for 2025-26 and roughly $7,634 for 2026-27. IMPORTANT AND UNSETTLED: several sources state that a student receiving ESTF funds cannot simultaneously be enrolled under Options 1/2/3, or must be enrolled under a specific ESTF home-education pathway. Verify with SCDE before assuming the two can be combined.

Where this comes from

Statute: S.C. Code Ann. 59-65-40 (district approval option); 59-65-45 (SCAIHS option); 59-65-47 (50-member association option); 59-8-100 et seq. (Education Scholarship Trust Fund)

Source: https://www.scstatehouse.gov/code/t59c065.php

Last reviewed: July 2026 · our confidence in this entry: medium

Homeschool law changes, and a page like this goes stale without announcing it. Check the statute above against your own reading before a filing deadline. If we are out of date, we would rather hear it from you than have you find out at the district office.

Keeping the records is the other half of this. Our Records System has the editable transcript with the GPA already wired, 131 course descriptions, and this same statute-cited summary for all fifty states and DC. Thirty-nine dollars, one household, however many children you have.