Home-Based Educational Programs

Mother homeschooling daughter

The Non-DoD Schools Program (NDSP) provides support and funding for the education of eligible dependents of sponsors assigned at locations where the DoD does not operate a school within commuting distance.

Parents electing to provide home-based educational instruction rather than enrolling their child in a local school must proceed through the following steps:

  1. Select a home-study program.
  2. Submit the following documentation to your local NDSP liaison:
  • A copy of the sponsor’s orders plus any amendments.
  • A copy of the sponsor’s overseas tour extension approval if the DEROS has or will expire prior to the beginning of school. Documentation of a current DEROS is required for continued enrollment in the Non-DoD Schools Program.
  • DoDEA Form 610, "Application for Enrollment in a non-DoD School", for each dependent. A new DoDEA Form 610 is required anytime there is a change in schools.
  • If the child(ren) is/are applying for entry to Kindergarten or First grade, we require a copy of that child's Passport or Birth Certificate to verify age if the PCS orders doesn’t reflect the birth date or the birth date is incorrect on the orders. It is DoDEA policy that a child must reach 5 or 6 years old for entrance into kindergarten and first grade respectively. In the Northern Hemisphere where the school year starts in August, the child must reach 5 or 6 years old by September 1 of the enrolling year. In the Southern Hemisphere where the school year starts in January, the child must reach 5 or 6 years old by February 1 of the enrolling year. .
  • If the dependent’s names are not listed on the sponsors’ orders or in a separate approval authorization, a completed "Certification of Command-Sponsored DoD Dependents" form is required.

The maximum allowable school-year rate for home-based educational instruction is $5,700 for grades kindergarten through eight and $7,700 for grades nine through twelve.

Reasonable materials may only be ordered for the current grade in which the dependent will be enrolled (grade/age appropriate basis). Materials may not be ordered for two academic years in one school year. Curriculum materials may be ordered for one grade level above or below the grade of enrollment in one curricular area only.

Allowable home-schooling expenses include:

  1. Traditional curriculum textbooks and other supplemental materials as may be appropriate for math, science, language arts, social studies, and other subjects on a grade/age appropriate basis.
  2. Instructional CDs/software, curriculum guides, and manipulative materials for math, etc.
  3. Fees charged by a local public or private schools for access to libraries, computer lab and group participation in athletic, extracurricular, or music activities that are normally free of charge in U.S. public schools.
  4. Fees for curriculum-related on-line Internet services such as study programs, library services, and distance learning.
  5. Rental of curriculum-related equipment such as microscopes or very large band instruments (such as a Sousaphone) that would normally be provided by U.S. public schools.
  6. Required testing materials by either the formal home-study course or other authorized program.
  7. Advisory teaching service affiliated with the selected formally recognized home-study course.
  8. Tuition charges, shipping costs, lesson postage, on-line Internet and facsimile charges associated with formal recognized home-study course or other authorized program.

Non-allowable home-schooling expenses include:

  1. Equipment such as: computers, keyboards, printers, televisions, facsimile and scanning machines, calculators, microscopes, and furniture.
  2. Non-course specific CDs, videos, DVDs.
  3. General reading materials and reference materials (dictionaries, encyclopedias, globes), etc.
  4. Purchase or rental of items that have broader use than the course being studied (i.e. computer hardware, calculators, band instruments except noted above).
  5. Expendable supplies (paper, pencils, markers) that are normally purchased by parents in the U.S.
  6. Parental training in home-study private instruction.
  7. Any form of compensation to the parent such as childcare or supervisory costs.
  8. Travel and transportation costs at post or away from post.
  9. Personal telephone, Internet, satellite, cable or other available communication subscription fees.
  10. Fees for museums, cultural events, or performances that would normally be paid by parents in the U.S.
  11. Private lessons.
  12. Membership in gymnasiums, cultural clubs, spas, and other private clubs.
  13. Textbooks, Bibles, workbooks, daily devotionals, or any material primarily for religious instruction.
  14. Insurance associated with shipping charges. (Do not elect the optional insurance.)
  15. Fees to an independent agency for posting credits and issuing transcripts.

Documentation for Payment or Reimbursement

Sponsors who elect to purchase educational curriculum materials for home-schooling purposes must submit to the local NDSP liaison receipts and an itemized list indicating the appropriate dependent(s) for each purchase. Sponsors are responsible for out of pocket expenses until the purchase is approved and reimbursement processed. Responsibility for documentation rests with the sponsor. Receipts must be legible. Itemized lists of educational texts or materials must clearly indicate relevance to curriculum areas.

Additional Resources

Home-schooling Information from all 50 States in the U.S.

DoDEA Curriculum Standards

DoDEA Materials/Textbooks