Read this before you spend anything: North Dakota has no scholarship program of its own. Funding here would come from the new federal tax credit scholarship, which starts January 1, 2027. The IRS has not published final rules, so nobody can yet say how a microschool qualifies. This kit covers opening and running legally in North Dakota. It does not promise scholarship funding.
The gate: Approval from the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction before operating, which requires every classroom teacher to be licensed by the Education Standards and Practices Board, and an annual compliance report due October 1
What the rules actually say
“The NDDPI is responsible for approving all public and nonpublic schools operating in the state of North Dakota.”
— NDDPI: Public and Nonpublic School Approval Processes
“Completed approval forms must be submitted to the Office of School Approval & Opportunity by April 1 prior to the start of the upcoming school year with no exceptions.”
— NDDPI: Public and Nonpublic School Approval Processes
North Dakota Century Code 15.1-06-06.1 makes approval depend on a compliance report verifying that each classroom teacher is licensed to teach, or approved to teach, by the Education Standards and Practices Board, that the school passed a fire marshal inspection, and that staff with unsupervised contact with students had criminal history background checks. The report is due by 5 p.m. on October 1. (North Dakota Century Code chapter 15.1-06 (PDF))
The sequence, in order
1. Line up a licensed teacher before anything else. This is the gate. Every classroom teacher must be licensed or approved by the Education Standards and Practices Board, and teach only in their licensed areas. Without this you cannot be approved.
2. Form the entity and appoint a governing board. The annual compliance report must be signed by your administrator and formally approved by your governing board.
3. Secure a building and book the fire marshal. Approval requires a state fire marshal inspection with no unremedied deficiency, or an approved plan of correction.
4. Run background checks. Staff hired after June 30, 2011 with unsupervised contact with students need a criminal history background check.
5. Meet the state curriculum requirements. The compliance report verifies the school meets the curricular requirements in NDCC chapter 15.1-21.
6. Submit approval forms by April 1. This is the gate. Approval forms go to the Office of School Approval & Opportunity by April 1 before the school year, with no exceptions.
7. Do not open before you are approved. This is the gate. The department says operating without prior approval can leave the school non-approved and in violation of state law.
8. File the compliance report every year by October 1. Miss it and the department designates the school unapproved and posts a public notice.
Where founders actually stall
Founders from notice-only states are blindsided by the licensed-teacher requirement. A microschool without a state-licensed teacher cannot be approved at all. The second trap is the calendar: approval forms are due April 1 before the year starts, and the compliance report every October 1.
What we have not verified
Minimum instructional hours for nonpublic schools. The Century Code sets hours for school districts and it is not clear from the text that the same figures bind every nonpublic school.
How long NDDPI takes to decide on a first-time approval.
We would rather say this than guess. Everything above that is stated as fact carries a link to the primary source, so you can check us.
Sources
Get set up in North Dakota
Get set up in North Dakota
Read this before you buy: North Dakota has no scholarship program of its own. Funding here would come from the new federal tax credit scholarship, which starts January 1, 2027. The IRS has not published final rules, so nobody can yet say how a microschool qualifies. This kit covers opening and running legally in North Dakota. It does not promise scholarship funding.
North Dakota approves every nonpublic school before it can operate, and requires licensed teachers, so setup here takes more work than in most states. Both options are one-time. We never take a cut of your tuition.
Launch Kit · $1,450. Your North Dakota playbook: every step in the right order, the document each one needs, and the operator tools (roster, attendance, tuition billing, evidence vault). You do the filing.
Get the Launch Kit · $1,450
Concierge · $2,950. Everything in the Launch Kit, plus we prepare your North Dakota approval forms and your compliance report with you in a working session.
Get Concierge · $2,950
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Free: the North Dakota starter checklist
Free: the North Dakota microschool starter checklist
Where to begin, what your state requires, and how funding works. No fluff.