DE State Homeschool Organization
Homeschool Action Network of Delaware (HAND)
HAND provides in-person and online support to homeschool families from all backgrounds.
DE Homeschool Law
Delaware families have 3 options for homeschooling:
- Option 1 – Homeschooling as a single-family homeschool – Families must report enrollment at the beginning of each school year and report attendance at the end of each school year through the Delaware Department of Education website.
- Option 2 – Homeschooling as a multi-family homeschool – Families that form a multi-family homeschool should choose a liaison person to communicate with the Department of Education. Families must report enrollment at the beginning of each school year and report attendance at the end of each school year through the Delaware Department of Education website.
- Option 3 – Homeschooling as a single-family homeschool coordinating with the local school district – Families that choose this option are working with their local school district to educate their own children in their home.
More information about these options as well as other helpful information on homeschooling in Delaware can be found on the Delaware Department of Education website, the Home School Legal Defense Association, and Homeschool Action Network of Delaware.
DE Homeschool Events and Field Trip Destinations
302 Aquaponics is the largest commercial Aquaponics greenhouse in Delaware. You can schedule hour-long individual or small group tours (max of 10 people) to learn all aspects of the greenhouse or a larger field trip group for hands-on learning experiences with customized activities based on the size of your group, their ages, and their interests.
Abbott’s Mill Nature Center sits on a 376-acre piece of Milford Millponds Nature Preserve and features beautiful trails with lush deciduous and Atlantic White Cedar woodlands. You can also explore the handicap-accessible boardwalk that follows a clear coastal plain stream to open meadows, picnic area, and a Garden for Wildlife idea garden. The historic working gristmill (tours temporarily on hold while our mill undergoes repairs) and its water source, a 20-acre pond, lend a sense of the rich human history of the area. Discover wildlife up close in the Visitor Center with its live animal collection and taxidermy animal displays.
Abbott’s Pond is a public access pond with a public boat ramp for personal motor boats and kayaks/canoes. A fishing permit required is for everyone ages 16-64.
During WWII, the 4146 Base Unit was involved in secret rocket development at what was then known as Dover Army Airfield. From the ’50s to ’70s, various fighter squadrons called the hangar home. In the ’90s after restoration and placement on the National Register of Historic Places, Hangar 1301 was given new life as the home of the Air Mobility Command Museum.
The AMC Museum is a great place to learn more about Air Force and Dover AFB history. Visitors 10 or older can fly any of the museum aircraft on our flight simulator. Volunteers will instruct you on the principles of flight including take-off, flying in the pattern, and landing at Dover Air Force Base. On the 3rd Saturday of the month (Apr-Oct), Open Cockpit Day provides the public full access to many of the museum’s aircraft; tour guides are stationed in the open aircraft to describe the history of the planes and their missions. They are often retired crew members of these airplanes so their descriptions are from personal experience and bring the aircraft to life for visitors. You cannot enter the museum through Dover AFB; use the museum’s main entrance off of Rt. 9.
Ashland offers a whopping 130 acres of woodlands, meadows, marsh, the scenic Red Clay Creek, and 4 miles of nature trails to explore. A part of the Red Clay Valley Scenic Byway, the site is open year-round, featuring educational programs, a picnic area, Ashland Visitor Center, and Ashland Lodge.
Field trips at Ashland Nature Center, Abbott’s Mill Nature Center, and DuPont Environmental Education Center are a great way to engage in hands-on investigations and have a safe, fun, and educational outdoor experience. TIP: Consider scheduling both morning and afternoon programs with a picnic lunch in between.
Discover wildlife at Hawk Watch, Butterfly House, Bird Blind, and the Hummingbird Haven (a Garden for Wildlife showcase), and along many pet-friendly interpretive trails.
The Biggs offers FREE tours to homeschool groups, youth groups, and camps. The standard School Tours are 1 hour long. If your students are interested in a specific topic or theme, staff can tailor your experience to better fit your lesson. Tours can be booked at least two weeks in advance as in-person tours or virtual experience. Reservations are required for your in-person or virtual tour.
Add on to your tour experience with a free accompanying 45-minute art-making activity facilitated (in-person or virtually) by a member of the Biggs Education Team. All art-making activities are designed to help make cross-disciplinary connections with concepts learned during their tour.
A library of classroom lesson plans and corresponding downloadable slideshows for home educators are available on their site.
The Brandywine Zoo is less than five acres in Wilmington, Delaware, along the Brandywine River in beautiful Brandywine Park. They offer field trips, scout programs, special programming, and additional free family activities with zoo admission. Little Nature Explores sells out, so book in advance.
Delaware Agricultural Museum and Village
The Delaware Agricultural Museum offers a variety of opportunities for elementary, middle, and high school age students to explore Delaware’s rich agricultural history and learn about the state’s unique rural heritage.
Museum educational programming enriches math, science, language arts, and social studies. They have special onsite learning opportunities for students ages 6 – 12 and online learning for students ages 9 – 15.
Open new worlds of science, math, and technology for kids, worlds of wonders for them to explore. The Delaware Children’s Museum lights creative sparks with something exciting for every age − from toddlers to preteens, and parents to grandparents.
They also offer unique space for summer camps and field trips.
Entertaining audiences of all ages for fifty seasons, the DCT enriches children’s cultural lives, helps young talent find its way to the stage, continues a tradition of affordable quality theatre, entertains families with exceptional theatrical experiences, and preserves the Historic Theatre House for generations to come.
Their Summer Theater Workshop sells out, so book early!
Delaware Museum of Nature and Science
Discover how nature connects us all through exploring dynamic and diverse ecosystems. Educational programs include summer camp, scheduled tours, community outreach visits, scout activities, and a ton of other activities noted on their calendar.
Six miles of ocean and 20 miles of bay shoreline at the dynamic Indian River Inlet, connecting the Indian River and Rehoboth Bays with the Atlantic Ocean. There is plenty to do for anglers and beachgoers who stay for the day or overnight at the park’s waterfront campground and cottages. The Indian River Life-Saving Station, built in 1876 for use by the United States Lifesaving Service to respond to shipwrecks, now pays homage to its maritime heritage while doubling as a coastal event space and educational center. The barrier beach and inland bays provide the perfect salt marsh habitat and nesting grounds for birds and terrapins. More than seven miles of trails welcome hikers, bikers, and birders.
A hidden gem on Fenwick Island, DiscoverSea Shipwreck Museum is an ever-changing exhibit of shipwreck and recovered artifacts. It is one of the largest in the Mid-Atlantic and contains shipwreck artifacts both regional and worldwide. It houses about 10,000 artifacts at all times, while the other 80% are rotated throughout museum exhibits around the world.
Costumed interpreters take you back to the summer of 1864: tour the parade ground, officers’ quarters, barracks, kitchen, blacksmith shop, and ordnance room, hear stories of great escapes, and watch as the Fort’s Columbiad cannon fires a live gunpowder charge! Engage with fort historians dressed in period clothing, and hear stories of those who lived at the fort in 1864. Fort Delaware is well-known for “ghostly” activity and has been featured on Ghost Hunters and other television shows. Ghost tours are offered in the fall.
Pea Patch Island is a summer home to nine different species of herons, egrets, and ibis. The remote marshes provide habitat for one of the largest wading bird nesting areas on the East Coast. A hiking trail and its observation platform provide opportunities for photography and nature study. The Prison Camp Trail traverses part of this area and features a bird observation tower along the trail.
The park hosts a variety of special events.
Surrounding Delaware’s largest freshwater pond, Lums Pond State Park offers seventeen miles of trails through hardwood forests, lands that were also home to Native Americans, which can also be experienced via the Go Ape Treetop Course. Wetlands are home to reptiles, amphibians, and notable dragonfly species. The boathouse offers watercraft to explore the pond up close. The campground welcomes tents and RVs and a primitive campsite is available for groups. Pavilions can be rented for events and disc golf, cricket, football, soccer, and tennis and an off-leash dog park is also available. At the nature center, visitors see live animal exhibits including a 500-gallon freshwater aquarium exhibit with fish that are native to the pond. Older students can enjoy multi-day camp experiences.
Is homeschooling for you?
The community of homeschool families is diverse. One study reports that 41% of homeschool students are Hispanic, Black, Asian, or other non-White/non-Hispanic groups (2). Homeschoolers come from all faiths – Christians, Jews, Muslims, agnostics, atheists. Teaching parents have a range of formal education, from high school diplomas to graduate degrees, and cover the array of household incomes.
How do you homeschool?
While laws regulating home education vary from state to state, homeschooling IS legal in all 50 states. Many states offer more than one option. One of the first steps in your family’s homeschool journey is to become familiar with the laws in your state. Then the fun begins!
Click on your state below for resources on homeschool regulations, state homeschool organizations, homeschool conventions in your area (here’s why these are amazing for new and experienced homeschool parents), as well as other homeschool perks in your state.
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Disclaimer: Please note that the information on this page is provided for your convenience as a research tool and resource as to where to find the information you need to homeschool in your state. The team at 3 Moms Blog are not attorneys. This content has not been reviewed by an attorney. It is not legal advice.
Brian D. Ray. (2017) A systematic review of the empirical research on selected aspects of homeschooling as a school choice, Journal of School Choice, 11:4, 604-621, accessed April 7, 2023 at https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/15582159.2017.1395638
US Department of Education. (2019) Homeschooling in the United States: Results from the 2012 and 2016 Parent and Family Involvement Survey (PFINHES: 2012 and 2016). Accessed 4/7/2023 at https://nces.ed.gov/pubs2020/2020001.pdf