It’s homeschool report time in Nova Scotia. Homeschoolers are required to submit a report to the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development each June:
“in a manner consistent with the type of program provided and that accurately reflects the child’s progress.” (Regulations, Section 33 (b)).
Writing Your Homeschool Report
There is a student progress report form you can use on the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development (DEECD) website, or you can report in any way you wish. There is no obligation or requirement to use the provided form.
Reports can be as simple as:
- Subject name – sentence describing progress – Grade (number or letter), much like a government school report card
- A paragraph on each subject in the box on the DEECD form (especially if you don’t award grades)
- A doc (Google or Word) with a paragraph on each subject
- A blank doc (Google or Word) with the past year’s progress written in the form of a letter to your child
The Department of Education has made it known that they don’t have time to read a book or look over work samples. So keep it simple. The report only needs to reflect your child’s progress.
A simple format could look something like this for an early elementary student:
Language Arts
Math
Science
Social Studies
Continued daily ready practice, completed phonics lessons, improved printing practice, and began printing short sentences.
Practised addition, subtraction, skip counting, shapes, and counting money.
Studied weather, plants, animals, and seasonal changes through books and videos from the library, nature walks, and experiments.
Learned about family, community helpers, maps, Canadian symbols, and local history.
Submitting Your Homeschool Report
Once you’ve completed your report, submit it by mail or secure online form. The DEECD no longer takes reports via email.
Snail mail address:
Regional Education Services
Department of Education and Early Childhood Development
2021 Brunswick Street
Halifax NS B3K 2Y5
Our family always made the entire process easy by printing out our registration form for the following year and placing it in the envelope with our June report. Then we only had to think about the government homeschool requirements once a year! And don’t forget that you can print your report off at your local library absolutely free. (Please note that as of publishing, the 2026-27 DEECD registration form has not yet been posted online – however, you could simply cross out 2025-26 on the current form and replace it with 2026-27 and send it in if you wish).
Whether you submit online or via mail, be sure to keep copies of everything for your own records.
If you have any trouble with the reporting process this year during homeschool report time in Nova Scotia, you can contact me by clicking here or clicking the chat in the bottom right hand corner or contact the Homeschool Legal Defence Association.
Love, Luck &
Laughter,
Kimberly Charron
FAQs About Homeschool Reporting in Nova Scotia
Homeschool reports are due at the end of the school year, by June 30th.
Keep it short and simple. The DEECD isn’t looking for a book-length report. They simply want to see evidence of learning. That can look like:
* A written paragraph on what your child learned in each subject
* A traditional-style report card with Subject – One-sentence summary – Grade.
* A short narrative, letter-style report describing progress observed over the year.
The DEECD doesn’t want to see samples of work, but it’s wise keep them on hand for your own records.
No. Your report can be in any format that you want. You can create a template, use an existing one elsewhere, or write a simple letter.
No. Nova Scotia homeschoolers are not required to follow the provincial curriculum or learning outcomes. You can design a personalized learning plan or follow a commercially available curriculum.
Submit it by mail or secure online form.
Snail mail address:
Regional Education Services
Department of Education and Early Childhood Development
2021 Brunswick Street
Halifax NS B3K 2Y5
No. Standardized tests are not required.
Need a homeschool helping hand? Whether you’re trying to choose curriculum, build a schedule, solve a homeschool challenge, or simply gain confidence in your decisions, you’ll leave with clear next steps and a greater sense of direction when you get on a coaching call with me. Book a one-hour homeschool coaching call here.
Please note: This article was originally published in May 2024 and has been updated for accuracy and effectiveness.
