New Jersey lawmakers propose tighter oversight for homeschooling

The New Jersey Legislature is reviewing several proposed bills that would place more rules and limitations on homeschooling in the state. Although homeschooling is very beneficial for many children, there is a smaller group of homeschooled children who could face risks, such as lack of academic support, social isolation or even neglect, depending on their situation, according to Science Direct.

Assembly Bill 5825: notification and curriculum requirements

Assembly Bill 5825 would require parents or guardians who choose to homeschool their child to inform their local school district in writing. They would need to send a letter to the superintendent informing them of the child’s name and age in order to register their child in the homeschool program. The letter must be sent by Aug. 1 of each school year, or within 14 days of beginning homeschooling.

Along with the required letter notifying the school district of homeschooling, parents must also submit a copy of the curriculum they plan to use, which must follow the New Jersey Student Learning Standards.

The bill requires homeschool supervisors to keep a student portfolio, including work samples, reading lists and an annual evaluation by a licensed teacher or psychologist — not the parent — and submit it yearly to the district superintendent.

Assembly Bill 5796: mandatory meetings and health checks

Garden State lawmakers are also considering Assembly Bill 5796, which would require a homeschooled child and their parent or guardian to meet with school district officials. The meeting would give the parent a chance to ask for support from the school district for their homeschooling and allow the designated staff member to perform a general health and wellness check of the child.

Advocates cite safety concerns

State regulations regarding homeschooling aren’t uniform, with some states requiring strict reporting and others largely unregulated beyond state-required testing in select years.

Advocates of regulating homeschooling argue the practice can shield abuse, citing cases like two Hawaii children with prior CPS involvement who were withdrawn from school before their deaths, according to Science Direct. However, limited data on homeschooled children has led to few studies on their risk of mistreatment.

Homeschooling growth

According to the National Home Education Research Institute, there are approximately between 77,333 to 94,518 homeschooled students in New Jersey. Homeschooling rates have steadily grown—about 2 to 8% annually—and saw a sharp increase from 2019–2020 to 2020–2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic. And according to Science Direct, since the pandemic, an estimated 3.5 million children were reported to be homeschooled between 2023 and 2024.

Straight Arrow News has reached out to the Coalition for Responsible Home Education, a homeschool advocacy group founded in 2013 by homeschool alumni, for comment on the New Jersey bills.