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Homeschool laws in District of Columbia

Checked Oct 12, 2026 against 11 sources · General information, not legal advice.

Your District of Columbia to-do

  1. Send the Notification of Intent to Homeschool to OSSE First year
    At least 15 business days (not counting Saturdays, Sundays or District holidays) before the first day of home instruction.
  2. Send the Notification of Homeschool Continuation Every year after
    By August 15 of each year the homeschooling program continues.
  3. Tell OSSE before you stop homeschooling Every year
    At least 15 business days (not counting Saturdays, Sundays or District holidays) before you stop home instruction.
  4. Show the portfolio if OSSE asks Every year
    Only if OSSE asks: it writes at least 30 days before the review date.

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What District of Columbia asks

DC parents notify OSSE at least 15 business days before homeschooling starts and renew by August 15 each year, and the parent who teaches needs a high school diploma or its equivalent (or an OSSE waiver). Instruction must be thorough and regular and cover eight subjects, and you keep a portfolio of your child's work for at least a year that OSSE may ask to review.

School age: Ages 5–17. A child who is 5 on or before September 30 of the school year must attend, until the 18th birthday (OSSE: ages 5 to 17). A child who has graduated from high school is excused.

Home schooling (notification to OSSE)

D.C. Code § 38-202; 5-E DCMR §§ 5200-5299 · Level 3: Moderate

All the details, deadlines and notes
Notice
Every year: A Notification of Intent to Homeschool to OSSE at least 15 business days before the first day of home instruction (online in the DC Homeschool portal); then a Notification of Homeschool Continuation by August 15 for each year the program continues.
The state's form
Time
No set number of days or hours
No set days or hours: instruction must be thorough, regular and of sufficient duration to carry out the home school program.
Subjects
  • language arts
  • mathematics
  • science
  • social studies
  • art
  • music
  • health
  • physical education
Assessment
No assessment required
Portfolio
Yes, keep a portfolio
Reports
No reports to send
Records to keep
  • portfolio for each child with evidence of current work (writings, worksheets, workbooks, creative materials, assessments or other materials) in a range of subjects
Keep them 1 year.
Teacher
The parent or legal guardian who teaches must have a high school diploma or its equivalent, or get an OSSE waiver by showing they can provide a thorough, regular education. Only a parent or legal guardian may teach; you may not homeschool other families' children.

Deadlines

  • Send the Notification of Intent to Homeschool to OSSE: At least 15 business days (not counting Saturdays, Sundays or District holidays) before the first day of home instruction.
  • Send the Notification of Homeschool Continuation: By August 15 of each year the homeschooling program continues.
  • Tell OSSE before you stop homeschooling: At least 15 business days (not counting Saturdays, Sundays or District holidays) before you stop home instruction.
  • Show the portfolio if OSSE asks: Only if OSSE asks: it writes at least 30 days before the review date.
OSSE does not review every portfolio; it may ask, at its discretion, and holds no more than two reviews in a school year.
If a review finds deficiencies, OSSE gives you a corrective action plan to bring the program into compliance.
Homeschooled children may take the regular DC public school standardized tests free of charge if you choose.
When you withdraw a child from a public school, give the school OSSE's verification letter to start the official withdrawal; until then the child stays enrolled and can be marked absent.

How Homepen helps

Homepen counts your days and hours as you tick lessons, and makes: Notice-of-intent letter, filled in, Portfolio and evaluator packet, Daily log, Reading list, Attendance & hours report, Year-end summary, High-school transcript.

Sources

General information, not legal advice. Laws change: we check every source at least every 6 months and before each school year. If something looks wrong, tell us. The state agency for homeschooling questions is the Office of the State Superintendent of Education.

Keep your District of Columbia records without the paperwork

Plan the week, tick lessons, and Homepen keeps the days, hours and portfolio District of Columbia asks for.

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