The Short Answer
To register, complete the Home Schooling Registration Form for each child, sign the parent declaration on page one, and submit it so EECD receives it by September 20. Include a birth certificate for any child entering grade primary or new to the provincial system. You can submit through the secure online form or by mail to Regional Education Services. Nova Scotia approves grades in sequence, so a child must complete one grade before being registered for the next. You register every school year.
Verified June 2026 against the Nova Scotia Department of Education and Early Childhood Development (EECD) home schooling pages.
Nova Scotia Homeschool Registration at a Glance
| The form | Home Schooling Registration Form (one per child) |
|---|---|
| Where it goes | EECD, Regional Education Services |
| Deadline | Received by September 20 each year |
| How to submit | Secure online form or by mail to Halifax |
| Birth certificate | Required for grade primary entrants and students new to the system |
| Sign | The parent/guardian declaration on page one |
| Grade approval | In sequence; complete one grade before registering for the next |
| Mid-year switch | You can register when withdrawing a child from public school |
| Cost | None |
What the Registration Form Does
The Home Schooling Registration Form is how you tell EECD you are educating your child at home for the year. Nova Scotia administers home schooling through Regional Education Services, and this form is what puts your child on the books as a registered homeschooler for that school year. The form asks for your child's information, your contact details, and a description of the program you plan to deliver. Once it is received and approved, your registration is complete and you are clear to begin teaching.
The form is the entire intake process. Nova Scotia does not ask for a curriculum submission, a home visit, or an assessment before you begin teaching. Registration opens the year, and the one thing you owe the department afterward is a progress report in June. Everything in between is yours to manage.
Your registration is grade-specific. When EECD receives and approves the form, your child is registered for the grade you identified on the form, not an open-ended approval to homeschool indefinitely. Each school year requires a new registration, which keeps the grade-progression tracking clean and gives the department a current picture of who is being educated at home in the province.
One Form Per Child
You complete a separate form for each student you are homeschooling. This is one of the first places new families get tripped up: the registration is per student, not per family. If you are homeschooling two children, you fill out two forms, one for each child at their respective grade levels.
Fill in the program information for that specific child, sign and date the parent or guardian declaration on page one, and submit. Each child needs their own registration so that grade approvals stay accurate and each student's record with EECD is kept separate. The department tracks approvals grade by grade, and that tracking works on a per-student basis rather than by household.
If you prefer to work from a paper form rather than the online submission, the Home Schooling division will mail you a separate form for each child on request. Before you describe each child's program on the form, it helps to know where they stand academically. Our free reading assessment gives you a concrete baseline in about ten minutes, which is a better starting point for the program description than a guess at grade level.
One practical consequence of the per-student registration is that each child has their own record and their own grade-approval status. If you are homeschooling children of different ages who are at different points in the grade sequence, their registrations run independently. A change for one child, such as a mid-year withdrawal or a grade placement question, does not affect the registration status of the others.
The Birth Certificate Rule
When you register a child who is entering grade primary for the first time, or a child who is new to the Nova Scotia provincial education system after attending school elsewhere, include a copy of the birth certificate with the registration form. This is a documentation step, not a test of eligibility. The province needs to confirm the child's identity and age before approving the first registration in the system.
The age cutoff matters: a child must be five years old on or before December 31 to be eligible for grade primary, which is the first of Nova Scotia's thirteen grades. If your child turns five in January and you want to start the school year in September, they are not yet eligible for grade primary by the December 31 cutoff for that registration year. Contact the Home Schooling division if you are unsure whether your child meets the cutoff before you fill out the form.
Returning families who have already been registered in the system do not need to resubmit a birth certificate. If you need to obtain a copy of a birth certificate for a new entrant, Access Nova Scotia handles birth certificate requests for records in the province. Get a copy before the September 20 deadline so the documentation question does not hold up your registration.
Choosing the right curriculum gets easier when you know what to teach, what to skip, and where to start.
Get the GuideA simple step-by-step plan for getting started.
How Grade Approval Works
Nova Scotia approves homeschooling registrations one grade at a time. Your child must be registered for a grade and complete it before being registered for the next one. The sequence starts at grade primary and runs through grade 12. This is worth knowing before you start, because it differs from provinces where you can register at any grade level without reference to prior approval in the system.
For most families starting from the beginning, this sequence runs without complication. Your child registers for grade primary, you teach through the year, send the June report, and register for grade one the following September. Each year follows the same pattern, and after the first year the sequence is automatic.
If your child is entering the system at a grade level above primary, the Home Schooling division can tell you how placement works in that case. This might apply if your child has been homeschooling in another province, was in a public school in another province, or is transitioning from a system with a different grade structure. Contact the Home Schooling division before the September 20 deadline to confirm where your child should be placed and what documentation, if any, supports that placement.
The grade-by-grade approval structure also has implications for any homeschooled student who later returns to public school. The Regional Centre for Education uses the grade record to determine placement, so having a clear registered grade each year creates a trail that supports that process. Keeping your own records alongside the EECD registration, including the June reports you sent and the work samples you collected, gives you the documentation to back up that placement if it is ever questioned.
When and How to Submit
Your registration form must be received by EECD by September 20. That date applies every year, and because you register annually regardless of how long you have been homeschooling, treating September 20 as a fixed fall deadline is the easiest way to stay on top of it. Mark it at the same time you handle other back-to-school tasks so it does not drift.
You have two submission options. The secure online form on the EECD website is the faster route and confirms receipt immediately. Submitting by mail to Regional Education Services in Halifax also works, but send it early enough that it arrives before September 20 rather than on September 20. If you are unsure of the current mailing address, the EECD home schooling pages list the contact details for Regional Education Services.
If your child is currently enrolled in public school and you decide mid-year to switch to home education, you can register at that point. You do not have to wait until the following September. Contact the Home Schooling division and submit the form when you withdraw your child from school. Keep a copy of everything you send and note the date submitted, so you have a record if any question comes up.
What to Put in the Program Description
The form asks you to describe your program. This does not need to be a formal scope and sequence or a detailed lesson plan. A clear description of what you will teach and the resources you plan to use is what the form needs. It shows EECD that you have a plan and that the plan covers the main subject areas for the year.
Nova Scotia does not require you to follow the provincial curriculum, so you have latitude in how you describe your approach. You might name a commercial curriculum you have chosen, reference the provincial curriculum guides as a structural outline you will use loosely, or describe an approach you have assembled from several sources. What you write should match what you intend to do, because the June progress report will reflect the year you delivered.
Match the description to your child's level and interests, not to what grade-level language sounds correct on paper. If you are teaching a child who is working below or above a nominal grade level in a subject, describe what you are doing rather than what the grade implies. The guide walks through building a full program plan from scratch if you want a step-by-step framework for putting the pieces together.
Not sure where to start? This gives you a clear next step in minutes.
Start the Free AssessmentTakes about 10 minutes. Know exactly where to start.
After You Register
Once your registration is accepted, the administrative work for the year is done. Nova Scotia does not inspect homes, does not require standardized testing during the year, and does not ask for curriculum approval once your form is in. You teach your program and check in with the department once, in June.
The June check-in is a progress report: either the department's Student Report Form or an anecdotal report you write yourself. Keep a folder of dated work samples through the year, a few per subject each term. Those samples make the June report much faster to write and they protect your child's record if they ever return to the school system. For a full walkthrough of what the June report should include and how to write the anecdotal version, see the guide on Nova Scotia homeschool progress reporting. For the complete picture of how registration fits into the larger Nova Scotia homeschooling process, the Nova Scotia complete guide covers everything from the first registration through the high school years.
Val's Note: What This Really Means for You
The form looks official, but the only parts that slow families down are the small ones: forgetting it is one form per child, missing the birth certificate for a new entrant, or letting the September 20 date drift past. I keep a copy of every form I send and note the date it went in. If the online form is not available, I mail early so arrival is not a question.
The program description does not need to be long. A few honest lines about what you will teach and the resources you plan to use is enough. Write what you will do, not what sounds impressive on paper. The June report will be easier to write if what you said in September matches what you did. Register on time, keep your copies, keep your samples, and the year runs without administrative friction.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Form Do I Need to Homeschool in Nova Scotia?
The Home Schooling Registration Form, one per child, submitted to EECD's Regional Education Services. Complete a separate form for each student and sign the parent declaration on page one.
When Is It Due?
It must be received by September 20 each year. You can also register mid-year if you withdraw a child from public school during the year.
Do I Need a Birth Certificate?
Yes, for a child entering grade primary for the first time or new to the Nova Scotia provincial system. The child must be five years old on or before December 31 to be eligible for grade primary. Access Nova Scotia handles birth certificate requests.
How Do I Submit It?
Through the secure online form on the EECD website or by mail to Regional Education Services in Halifax. If mailing, send it early enough that it arrives before September 20.
How Does Grade Approval Work?
In sequence. Your child must complete one grade before being registered for the next, starting with grade primary. Contact the Home Schooling division if your child is entering the system partway up the grade sequence.
Do I Have to Use a Specific Curriculum?
No. You choose your own program. Nova Scotia offers provincial curriculum guides as an optional reference, but there is no requirement to follow them. You can use a commercial curriculum, the guides, or resources you assemble yourself.
Sources
This guide was verified in June 2026 against the following primary sources. Confirm current form availability and submission details with EECD before each school year, as procedures can change.