The 2026 New Hampshire legislative session officially begins on January 7, 2026. Ahead of the start of the session, the education-related bills GSHE identified in early December have now been assigned bill numbers and published with full statutory language. This article provides updated information and analysis based on the bill text now available.
GSHE is a statewide, volunteer-run support organization dedicated to families who choose independent home education under New Hampshire’s RSA 193-A. Our legislative monitoring focuses on bills that directly affect independent home education, as well as bills in other education-related areas when they intersect with or have consequences for RSA 193-A families. We do not track education policy broadly and do not monitor legislation outside that scope.
This article follows GSHE’s initial December 2025 overview of 2026 education legislation and is being published in advance of the session to give families clear, accurate information before legislative activity accelerates. While public hearing dates have not yet been assigned, the availability of full bill text now allows for meaningful analysis.
GSHE will continue to publish bill-specific articles, hearing information, and advocacy guidance as the legislative session progresses.
Home Education Bills (Top Priority)
These are the bills that directly impact NH’s home education law, RSA 193-A, or the structures that support independent home education in New Hampshire.
HB 1268 — Modifying definitions and requirements relative to home education
Prime sponsor: Rep. Kristin Noble (R)
Bill’s text available here
HB 1268 is one of the most significant home education bills of the 2026 session because it proposes multiple statutory changes to RSA 193-A. After reviewing the full text, GSHE’s assessment is that HB 1268 is not a good bill for independent home education. As drafted, it increases regulation, adds new procedural requirements, narrows flexibility, and restricts long-standing home education practices. Without substantive amendments, it would reduce freedoms for home education families.
HB 1521 — Clarifying the definition of home education
Prime sponsor: Rep. Katy Peternel (R)
Bill’s text available here
HB 1521 amends RSA 193-A to explicitly clarify that participation in the Education Freedom Account program under RSA 194-F is not home education.
The bill’s language is clear and unambiguous. It codifies a distinction GSHE has consistently emphasized: independent home education under RSA 193-A is a separate and distinct educational pathway from the Education Freedom Account program.
This clarification helps reduce statutory confusion and reinforces that enrollment in the EFA is not home education.
GSHE supports HB 1521.
HB 1490 — Requiring scholarship organizations to notify parents about the requirement to provide written notice upon terminating a home education program
Prime sponsor: Rep. Katy Peternel (R)
Bill’s text available here
Although HB 1490 operates within the EFA program, it directly concerns the termination of a home education program under RSA 193-A and reinforces the statutory separation between independent home education and the EFA under RSA 194-F.
The bill requires the scholarship organization, currently the Children’s Scholarship Fund, which administers the EFA program, to provide written notice to enrolling families explaining that they must formally terminate a home education program if they enroll in the EFA.
This requirement is consistent with existing law in RSA 193-A:5 and RSA 194-F:2, IX. HB 1490 ensures families receive clear, written notice of this requirement at the point of enrollment, helping reduce confusion and noncompliance.
GSHE supports HB 1490.
HB 1155 — Relative to the Home Education Advisory Council (HEAC)
Prime sponsor: Rep. Katy Peternel (R)
Bill’s text available here
HB 1155 clarifies the structure and responsibilities of the Home Education Advisory Council. It does not change requirements for families under RSA 193-A.
Key provisions include:
- voting membership limited to home education organizations and two at-large members appointed by the Commissioner
- establishing HEAC’s formal responsibilities: communication with agencies, comments on the Ed 315 rule changes, and creating a grievance committee
HB 1155 moves the long-standing but unwritten purpose of HEAC into statute along with the grievance committee specified in Ed 315 rules, which govern home education as much as the statute itself. The bill removes the voting powers of the public and private school agency representatives. Historically these organizations are unfriendly to home education, although current representatives have been supportive of the community and HEAC’s work.
At this time, GSHE is not taking a position on the bill and will continue to monitor it.
HB 1803 — Regarding participation in the Education Tax Credit and EFA programs
Prime sponsor: Rep. Sallie Fellows (D)
Bill’s text available here
Although HB 1803 is not a direct amendment to RSA 193-A, it materially affects independent home education families through the Education Tax Credit program governed by RSA 77-G and access to educational resources such as the Virtual Learning Academy Charter School (VLACS).
HB 1803 affects independent home education students who participate in the Education Tax Credit (ETC) Scholarship program, which is available to income-eligible families and funded entirely through private donations from individuals and businesses. In New Hampshire, both the ETC and Education Freedom Account (EFA) programs are administered by the Children’s Scholarship Fund.
The bill proposes to make a student who receives an Education Tax Credit scholarship ineligible to receive Education Freedom Account funds in the same program year.
Although the ETC and EFA are separate and distinct programs, with different funding mechanisms, eligibility criteria, and potential educational pathways, they are administered through the same organization. The Children’s Scholarship Fund currently encourages families to apply for both programs through a shared process, which has contributed to confusion about the programs and how enrollment affects families.
HB 1803 does not reflect the problem GSHE identified and documented in early 2025. The issue has been EFA participation drawing from the same limited pool of Education Tax Credit funds, reducing the amount of privately funded scholarship money available to low-income families who choose not to enroll in the EFA program.
Families reported to GSHE that ETC awards, already modest at approximately $800 per child annually, have been substantially reduced. In some cases, awards are now as low as $300 per child. By comparison, the average EFA award as of November 2025 is approximately $4,900 per child.
In addition, HB 1803 restricts access to the Virtual Learning Academy Charter School (VLACS) for students who receive ETC scholarships. This restriction is significant because ETC participation is not taxpayer funded and does not draw from the state education trust fund. Prohibiting ETC recipients from accessing VLACS imposes a limitation that is not tied to public funding concerns and represents a substantive reduction in educational options for low-income home education children.
HB 1803 focuses on restricting ETC recipients and limiting access to educational options, including VLACS, rather than addressing how EFA participation affects the availability and equitable distribution of privately funded ETC scholarships.
Background on GSHE’s analysis of this issue is available here.
Parents’ Rights Legislation (Education Related)
GSHE monitors parents’ rights bills when they directly address educational authority, as these measures may influence the legal environment in which home education exists.
CACR 24 — Relating to the right to educate children (constitutional amendment)
Prime sponsor: Rep. Michael Granger (R)
Bill’s text available here
CACR 24 proposes adding constitutional language affirming that parents and legal guardians have the right to direct the education of their children. It does not amend RSA 193-A directly, but because it concerns educational authority, GSHE is monitoring it.
Constitutional amendments require a three-fifths vote in both chambers and approval by two-thirds of voters.
CACR 24 has clear, straightforward language that is not ambiguous or vague. It should embed parents’ rights to direct their children’s education in New Hampshire’s constitution.
At this time and based on the text of the bill, GSHE supports it.
EFA-Related Bills (Monitored Only When Potentially Relevant to RSA 193-A)
GSHE does not track all EFA legislation, which is a separate educational pathway defined in state statute RSA 194-F and Ed 800. EFA policy is outside our scope. However, we review EFA-related bills when the language could affect families who home educate under RSA 193-A.
In past legislative sessions, some bills that were centered on the Education Freedom Account program were written broadly or imprecisely and ended up entangling independent home education under RSA 193-A. For that reason, GSHE routinely reviews EFA-related legislation to determine whether it intersects with or affects traditional, independent home education.
For the 2026 session, GSHE reviewed the EFA-related bills identified in our December 2025 overview once full bill text became available. After reviewing the statutory language, GSHE has determined that these bills do not extend to or impact independent home education under RSA 193-A. As a result, GSHE will not monitor them going forward.
HB 1578 — Adds definitions and reporting requirements related to education freedom accounts
Prime sponsor: Rep. Peggy Balboni (D)
Bill’s text available here
After reviewing the bill text, GSHE has determined that HB 1578 adds reporting requirements of the Education Freedom Account administration.
HB 1716 — Relative to academic accountability of education freedom accounts
Prime sponsor: Rep. Tracy Bricchi (D)
Bill’s text available here
HB 1716 changes how Education Freedom Account students demonstrate academic progress and modifies reporting requirements within the EFA program.
Drivers Education (Community Interest Only)
Driver education is outside GSHE’s advocacy scope. However, many families inquire about parent-taught driver education, so the following bill is included for general awareness.
HB 1452 — Relative to parent-taught driver education
Prime sponsor: Rep. Aidan Ankarberg (I)
Bill’s text available here
HB 1452 would allow a parent or guardian to provide driver education instruction as an alternative to an approved driver education course if it is deemed equivalent as determined by the Commissioner of the Department of Transportation.
Because this is outside the scope of GSHE, we will not monitor this bill. It is provided as one that may be of interest to our community.
Next Steps
Public hearings may be scheduled at any time and typically have little advance notice. We recommend signing up for the House and Senate Calendars and Journals on the NH General Court website. The Calendars are where the House and Senate publish dates for public hearings and floor votes. It can also be used to subscribe for updates on specific bills.
For those bills that affect independent home education, GSHE will:
- post hearing dates, locations, sign-in links, and opportunities for testimony
- provide talking points
- publish dedicated articles for major bills such as HB 1268
No action is needed at this time. Staying informed is the first step.
Want to Support Home Education in New Hampshire?
Families who wish to engage in the legislative process can explore GSHE’s practical guide — Making a Difference. This resource explains how to follow bills, track hearings, prepare testimony, understand committee procedures, and collaborate with other families.
GSHE Advocacy Resources
Join GSHE to access all of our how-to guides, community forums, and receive our newsletter to stay informed.
Sign up for our newsletters and periodic special alerts at our website. Members automatically receive our monthly newsletters directly to your emails.
Members can access our Making a Difference how-to guide that includes a video on how to be an effective advocate in Concord — how to follow bills, prepare testimony, and coordinate with others.
Members can also find news and updates in our GSHE Action Forum that is focused on advocacy for traditional, unfunded home education, open to NH home education families and supporters not legislators or special-interest organizations and their representatives.
About GSHE
Granite State Home Educators (GSHE) is a 501(c)(4), all-volunteer, statewide grassroots organization dedicated to supporting and empowering families who choose independent home education under RSA 193-A. We provide guidance, resources, community connections, and legislative monitoring focused exclusively on independent home education.
