Homeschool testing in North Dakota
Verified against primary sources on July 19, 2026
North Dakota tests in grades 4, 6, 8, and 10 — but the requirement is broadly exemptible, and unlike most states the administrator rule has real teeth: an uncredentialed parent may not give the test.
At a glance
- Testing required
- Yes
- When
- grades 4, 6, 8, 10 (broadly exemptible)
- What qualifies
- Nationally normed test required
- Who administers
- ESPB-licensed/approved teacher must administer in every path; uncredentialed parent may not.
- Results
- Filed with the state
- Score floor
- <50th percentile → monitoring; <30th → multidisciplinary assessment + remediation plan.
What the law says
“A standardized achievement test used by the school district… or a nationally normed standardized achievement test if requested by the child’s parent.”
— N.D.C.C. § 15.1-23-09
Your options
Standardized test in grades 4, 6, 8, and 10
N.D.C.C. § 15.1-23-09 calls for the standardized achievement test used by the school district, or a nationally normed standardized achievement test if the parent requests it. Either way, an ESPB-licensed or approved teacher must administer it — an uncredentialed parent may not — and the results are filed. No state-approved test list exists.
Full exemption
Filing a philosophical, moral, or religious objection exempts the child from testing entirely. So do parent credentials: a teaching license, a bachelor's degree, or meeting the NTE cutoff score.
Key dates
- Grades 4, 6, 8, 10
- Administer the test through an ESPB-licensed or approved teacher and file the results — unless an exemption applies.
Worth knowing
No approved list exists (confirmed against 3 sources).
Where the Fledgemark Check fits
The Fledgemark Check cannot satisfy North Dakota's requirement — it is a diagnostic, and the state's consequences (below the 50th percentile triggers monitoring; below the 30th, a multidisciplinary assessment and remediation plan) are defined on nationally normed scores it does not produce. Use it before a tested-grade year to know where your child stands while the stakes are still zero.