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    North Carolina 3rd Grade Curriculum & Standards Guide

    How North Carolina's third grade standards line up with Third Grade.

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    North Carolina standards

    Math

    North Carolina Standard Course of Study: 2017 K-12 Mathematics

    Based on Common Core · adopted 2017

    Revised Common Core standards with North Carolina's own numbering (codes like NC.3.OA.7); the 2017 standards apply in 2026-27. Grade 3 has no rounding standard, keeps two-step problems to addition, subtraction and multiplication (NC.3.OA.8) and keeps elapsed time within the same hour (NC.3.MD.1).

    Official standards

    English Language Arts

    North Carolina Standard Course of Study: 2017 K-12 English Language Arts

    Based on Common Core · adopted 2017

    The 2017 standards apply in 2026-27; new 2026 ELA standards start in 2027-28. Some codes are renumbered: handwriting is RF.3.2, phonics RF.3.4 and fluency RF.3.5, and writing ends at W.3.6. Abstract nouns, comparative and superlative adjectives, pronoun-antecedent agreement and complex sentences sit in the state's grades 4-5 grammar band, later than Third Grade teaches them.

    Official standards

    Science

    North Carolina Standard Course of Study: 2023 K-12 Science Standards

    State's own standards · adopted 2023

    Approved in 2023 and required from 2024-25. North Carolina's own grade placement (codes like LS.3.2.2): Grade 3 covers matter, forces and gravity, energy, human body systems, plants and soil, the solar system and Earth's land and water. There are no separate engineering design standards.

    Official standards

    Social Studies

    North Carolina Standard Course of Study: K-12 Social Studies

    State's own standards

    The 2021 standards title Grade 3 'Our Community and State' (codes like 3.C&G.1.2). It covers state, local and tribal government, the local economy (entrepreneurship, natural resources, supply and demand), the cultures and values of groups in local communities, geography, and local history.

    Official standards

    Standard-by-standard crosswalk

    See every national third grade standard matched to North Carolina's own codes.

    • Math: 2 same · 28 close · 6 partly · 1 not in Grade 3
    • English Language Arts: 55 same · 28 close · 4 partly · 3 not in Grade 3
    • Science: 0 same · 0 close · 5 partly · 13 not in Grade 3
    Open the North Carolina crosswalk

    Grade 3 differences

    1. In North Carolina

      Science: Grade 3 includes matter and energy: air takes up space and has mass, solids, liquids and gases, changes when matter is heated or cooled, heat from friction, and heat moving from warmer to cooler objects (PS.3.1.1 to PS.3.1.3, PS.3.3.1, PS.3.3.2).

      Suggested swap in Third Grade

      Science Flex Weeks 5 and 14: add investigations with ice, water and air. In Week 3 (friction), rub hands together to feel friction heat and watch a warm object cool next to a cold one.

    2. In North Carolina

      Science: Grade 3 also covers gravity (PS.3.2.3), the skeletal and muscular systems and skin (LS.3.1.1, LS.3.1.2), plant structures and soil (LS.3.2.1, LS.3.3.2), and the solar system, shadows and star patterns (ESS.3.1.1 to ESS.3.1.3).

      Suggested swap in Third Grade

      Science Week 2 (balanced and unbalanced forces): add a day on gravity. Flex Weeks 23 and 32: add a body-systems lesson, a shadow-tracking investigation and a solar system model. Week 31 (environment and growth): label plant parts and test different soils.

    3. In North Carolina

      Science: North Carolina places several Third Grade topics in other grades: magnets and fossils in Grade 4 (PS.4.1.1, LS.4.2.1), weather in Grades 2 and 5 (ESS.2.1.2, ESS.5.1.1) and inherited traits in Grades 2 and 5 (LS.2.2.1, LS.5.3.2).

      Suggested swap in Third Grade

      Science Weeks 4 and 7 (magnets and electric forces; magnet design problem), Weeks 19-21 (weather tools; climate; severe weather), Weeks 28-29 (traits; inherited vs learned) and Week 33 (fossils): these run ahead of or behind North Carolina's sequence, so you can shorten them to make room for the Grade 3 topics above.

    4. In North Carolina

      Math: Grade 3 measures in cups, pints, quarts, gallons, ounces and pounds (NC.3.MD.2). Grams, kilograms and liters are Grade 4 (NC.4.MD.1), and so are line plots (NC.4.MD.4).

      Suggested swap in Third Grade

      Math Week 26 (mass and liquid volume): add two days measuring with cups, pints, quarts and gallons and weighing in ounces and pounds. Math Week 24 (measuring to half and quarter inch, line plots, partitioning shapes): keep the measuring; the line plots go beyond what North Carolina asks in Grade 3.

    5. In North Carolina

      ELA: Grade 3 foundational skills call for legible handwriting in both manuscript and cursive (RF.3.2). Third Grade does not teach cursive.

      Suggested swap in Third Grade

      ELA: add 10 minutes of cursive practice three days a week, and use Flex Weeks 5, 14, 23 and 32 for a short cursive writing piece.

    6. In North Carolina

      Social studies: Grade 3 covers the structure and function of state and local government, the roles of leaders, and tribal government (3.C&G.1.1 to 3.C&G.1.3).

      Suggested swap in Third Grade

      Social Studies Weeks 19-20 (local government; three branches): add North Carolina's state government, your county government and one tribal government in the state.

    7. In North Carolina

      Social studies: Grade 3 studies how geography shapes regions and communities (3.G.1.1 to 3.G.1.3); DPI's unpacking document uses North Carolina's Mountains, Piedmont and Coastal Plain regions.

      Suggested swap in Third Grade

      Social Studies Week 11 (five U.S. regions): add a day on North Carolina's three regions.

    8. In North Carolina

      Social studies: Grade 3 looks at how people and events shaped local communities and compares primary and secondary sources about local symbols and events (3.H.1.1 to 3.H.1.3); DPI's examples include the Edenton Tea Party, the Greensboro Sit-Ins and North Carolina's American Indian tribes.

      Suggested swap in Third Grade

      Social Studies Week 8 (how our community began) and Week 17 (state project): choose North Carolina, include one of these events, and compare two sources that describe it.

    Grade 3 public-school test

    North Carolina End-of-Grade (EOG) tests in reading and mathematics

    Grade 3 public-school students take EOG reading and math; DPI also gives a Beginning-of-Grade 3 reading test. Science is tested in Grades 5 and 8.

    About this test

    Shown for context. Homeschool testing rules are separate; see below.

    Homeschool rules (unofficial summary)

    Unofficial summary, not legal advice, and not endorsed by any state or agency; rules change, so check official sources and thirdgrade.com/states before acting.

    Ways to homeschool

    • Home school under N.C.G.S. 115C-563 to 115C-565, operating under either Part 1 (religious) or Part 2 (qualified nonpublic) school rules.

    Notice or filing

    File a Notice of Intent with the NC Division of Non-Public Education (DNPE) at least 5 business days before you start. DNPE does not accept notices in May or June. No notice is needed while your child is under 7 and will not turn 7 during the school year. Close the home school in the DNPE portal, or tell DNPE, when it stops operating.

    Where to file

    North Carolina Department of Administration, Division of Non-Public Education (DNPE)

    NCDOA Non-Public Education Division, 1309 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-1309 (physical: Albemarle Building, 325 N. Salisbury Street, Raleigh)

    Phone: 984-236-0110

    File online

    Email: DNPE.General.Inquiries@doa.nc.gov. Notices are filed through DNPE's online home school portal. DNPE's own pages give 1309 Mail Service Center; the NCDOA division directory lists 1301 Mail Service Center. Confirm with DNPE before mailing anything.

    Required subjects

    The law does not list required subjects. Parents choose the curriculum. The annual test must cover English grammar, reading, spelling and mathematics.

    Instruction time

    Operate 'on a regular schedule, excluding reasonable holidays and vacations, during at least nine calendar months of the year.'

    Testing or evaluation

    Each student takes a nationally standardized achievement test every year covering English grammar, reading, spelling and mathematics. Results are not sent to the state but must be available for inspection. A Grade 3 child who is 7 or older must be tested.

    Records to keep

    Attendance records and immunization records for each child. Annual standardized test results, kept at least one year.

    Parent or teacher qualifications

    The persons providing academic instruction must hold at least a high school diploma or its equivalent.

    Recent changes

    No recent change found. Compulsory school age is 7 to 16. A home school serves the children of no more than two families or households.

    Official sources

    Verified 2026-09-30

    This is an unofficial, high-level summary of selected state homeschooling requirements, prepared for general information only. It is not endorsed by, affiliated with, or reviewed by any state, government agency, school district, court or other organization named in it. It is provided "as is," without warranties of any kind, express or implied, including as to accuracy, completeness or fitness for a particular purpose. It is not legal advice, and reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship. Laws, regulations, agency guidance, forms, addresses, phone numbers and procedures change, sometimes without notice. This summary was accurate to the best of our knowledge as of the verification date shown for each state, and we do not undertake to update the printed edition. Relevant rules may also appear in other statutes, regulations, local policies or case law not covered here, and your situation (for example, a child with special needs, a move between states or districts, or enrollment in a scholarship, charter or umbrella program) may be governed by additional rules. Before acting, consult the official sources listed for your state and, where applicable, your local school district or county office. For advice about your own situation, consider consulting a qualified attorney licensed in your state. For updates, check thirdgrade.com/states.

    Sources

    Verified 2026-10-08