Field guide · Read at the government's own source
Homeschooling in Northwest Territories
Registration with the local school, no later than 30 days after the first day of the school's academic year, every school year. The full list is below.
Show progress, level 4 of 4
What Northwest Territories actually asks of a family teaching their own children. Written plainly, and honest where the answer is that nobody asks for anything.
You tell
A school in the education district where your child lives
or in the nearest education district if your child lives outside one
By
No later than 30 days after the first day of the school's academic year, every school year. If you move into the education district after the school year has started, register within 30 days of becoming a resident. Your program information is due to the principal at the beginning of the academic year, so it helps to register before you start.
Who reviews it
The principal of the school with which the student is registered, with the Superintendent above. The parent must make all reasonable efforts to implement changes suggested by the principal or Superintendent that would improve the student's progress (s.2(g)), and must meet with them to discuss recommendations (s.2(h)).
If you skip it
Not registering a child aged 6 to 15 with a school is an offence with a fine of up to $100, and a home schooling program can be investigated and terminated. The registration offence is in Education Act s.12. If the principal thinks your child is not progressing satisfactorily, the principal may suggest ways to improve the program or report your child's progress to the Superintendent at any time. The principal may also ask the Superintendent to investigate the program, or recommend that it be terminated (Home Schooling Regulations s.4(2)). If termination is recommended, the Superintendent must interview you, review all relevant material, and recommend in writing that the program continue, continue with changes, or be terminated as of a specified date (s.5(2)). The education body may then continue the program, continue it with changes, or terminate it, and if it terminates the program it must make sure your child has access to the education program (s.7). A child who has turned 6 by December 31 of the school year and is under 16 must attend school regularly unless the child is attending a home schooling program, and a parent who does not do their best to make sure of this can be fined up to $500; a prosecution needs the written consent of the District Education Authority (Education Act s.27 and s.28). The Act also makes it an offence, with a fine of up to $5,000, to provide a program meant to replace one or more grades for a child aged 6 to 15 unless it is provided by a school or through a home schooling program (s.21).
Who is in charge
The local school (principal) and the education body - a District Education Authority or the Commission scolaire francophone de division - which supervises the home schooling program; Superintendent above that
Who reviews your child is set out at the top of this page, in the authority's own terms.
The year
What you must file
No fixed dateYou file
Registration with the local school
No later than 30 days after the first day of the school's academic year, every school year. If you move into the education district after the school year has started, register within 30 days of becoming a resident. Your program information is due to the principal at the beginning of the academic year, so it helps to register before you start.
Goes to: A school in the education district where your child lives, or in the nearest education district if your child lives outside one
No fixed dateYou file
Information about the program of education
At the BEGINNING OF THE ACADEMIC YEAR. Home Schooling Regulations s.2(d): the parent 'shall provide the information requested by the principal respecting the program of education to be used for the home schooling program to the principal at the beginning of the academic year.'
Goes to: The principal
The program must fulfil the curriculum standards set by the Minister (s.2(b)). The parent must also agree with the principal on a method of assessment consistent with the program (s.2(c)).
No fixed dateYou file
Sampling of assessments showing student progress
Home Schooling Regulations s.2(e): 'provide to the principal, twice during the academic year, a sampling of assessments that show the progress of the student'.
How often: twice per academic year
Goes to: The principal
No fixed dateYou file
Progress discussion with the principal
Home Schooling Regulations s.2(f): 'twice during the academic year, discuss the progress of the student with the principal'.
How often: twice per academic year
Goes to: The principal
The words a reviewer uses
NWT is mid-adoption: BC curriculum first, Alberta second. The app routes NWT accordingly.
Learning Standards (BC: Big Idea / Curricular Competency / Content)Learning Outcome (Alberta)
The part the paperwork does not cover
Filing on time is the easy half. The harder half is the year in between: showing what your child actually learned, in words the reviewer recognises, without turning your home into a school.
That is what this tool is for. You say what your child did, in a sentence. It maps that to the published standards we hold for Northwest Territories, which today are English (287 of 383), Mathematics (484 of 574), Science (540 of 604), Social Studies (154 of 1631), Physical Education (104 of 106) and Arts (112 of 115). Those figures count the topics we carry for ages 5 to 12 that cite one of Northwest Territories's published standards. Then it builds the record you can hand over the day someone asks. See how it works.
Sources
- Read 11 Aug 2026
- Read 28 Aug 2026
- Read 7 Oct 2026
Last read at the source on 2026-10-07: Education Act, S.N.W.T. 1995 c.28. That is the date we read it, not the date the rule last changed.
The law itself: Education Act (NWT), S.N.W.T. 1995 c.28: s.20 (home schooling under the supervision of a District Education Authority or the Commission scolaire francophone de division, and registration with a school), s.12 (registration for each school year and its deadline; fine up to $100), s.27 and s.28 (school attendance, the home schooling exemption, and the attendance offence), s.21(3) and (4) (programs that replace grades); Home Schooling Regulations, R-090-96, s.2 (duties of a parent), s.4 (duties of a principal), s.5 (duties of the Superintendent), s.7 (the education body may continue, change or terminate a program); made under Education Act s.151. We hold no direct link to the authority's page for this jurisdiction.
Guidance, not legal advice. Rules change and districts vary: confirm with the authority named above before you file.