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DC

Medium regulation

Homeschool laws in District of Columbia

The District of Columbia requires a yearly notice of intent, a parent with a high school diploma or equivalent unless OSSE grants a waiver, instruction in a list of required subjects, and a portfolio showing thorough and regular education. Standardized testing is not generally required, but OSSE may request to review the portfolio up to two times per year if it has reason to question whether a thorough and regular education is being provided.

Last verified

2026-04-21

Compulsory age range

5-18

Quick-start checklist

What parents need to do first

This is the plain-English checklist a parent can follow to get started without reading a mountain of legal text.

  1. 1Make sure the teaching parent has a high school diploma, GED, or an OSSE waiver before you begin.
  2. 2If your child is enrolled in school now, withdraw them clearly so absences are not misread as truancy.
  3. 3File the OSSE homeschool notice about 15 days before you start and calendar the annual August 15 refiling date.
  4. 4Choose a curriculum that covers language arts, math, science, social studies, art, music, health, and physical education.
  5. 5Start a portfolio right away and keep dated samples of work across subjects.
  6. 6Keep permanent copies of notices, high school records, and any correspondence with OSSE or schools.

District of Columbia homeschool law hub

These state-specific guides turn the core law summary into focused SEO pages for the questions parents search most: requirements, forms, records, testing, graduation, and support groups.

Requirements

Plain-English District of Columbia homeschool requirements: notice, subjects, hours, testing, records, teacher qualifications, and source links.

Letter of intent

Find out whether District of Columbia homeschool parents need a letter of intent, who receives it, timing, and what to include.

Recordkeeping

Plain-English guide to homeschool records in District of Columbia: attendance, portfolios, grades, transcripts, and what parents should keep.

Graduation

How homeschool graduation works in District of Columbia, including diplomas, transcripts, college admission, dual enrollment, and high-school records.

Testing

Plain-English District of Columbia homeschool testing guide: whether tests or evaluations are required, how often, and what records to keep.

Co-ops & support groups

How to think about homeschool co-ops, umbrella schools, virtual options, sports access, and local support while homeschooling in District of Columbia.

Popular District of Columbia homeschool searches

These guides connect the state law checklist to the long-tail questions parents actually search: curriculum by grade, secular options, ADHD support, public-school comparisons, teacher qualifications, and testing.

Best 1st grade curriculum in District of ColumbiaBest secular 4th grade curriculum in District of ColumbiaHomeschooling a child with ADHD in District of ColumbiaHomeschool vs public school in District of ColumbiaCan you homeschool without a degree?Do homeschoolers need testing?

What to do next: choose curriculum after you understand the law

The legal checklist tells you what District of Columbia expects. Curriculum is the next decision. Start with your child’s age, learning style, parent prep time, and whether you want faith-based, secular, online, workbook, or literature-rich materials.

New homeschoolers

Pick a simple open-and-go core for math and language arts first. Add science, history, and enrichment after your routine is stable.

Busy parents

Favor programs with clear lesson plans, independent student work, grading support, or online components if parent prep time is limited.

High school

Choose courses you can document with credits, grades, descriptions, labs where needed, and a transcript-friendly record from day one.

Curriculum recommendation links will only be added after official affiliate/tracking URLs are approved and verified. No placeholder affiliate links are used on this page.

Free printables

Download the homeschool starter kit

Print these before you start: a state startup checklist, letter-of-intent template, attendance tracker, and high-school transcript template.

View all downloads

New homeschool families

State homeschool startup checklist

A printable first-week checklist for choosing your pathway, handling notices or withdrawal, tracking deadlines, and setting up records.

Download PDF →

Notice or withdrawal paperwork

Homeschool letter of intent template

A parent-safe fill-in notice/withdrawal template with reminders to use official state forms when required.

Download PDF →

Recordkeeping

Homeschool attendance tracker

A simple school-year tracker for days, hours, holidays, field trips, and notes you can keep with your records.

Download PDF →

High school planning

Homeschool transcript template

A fill-in high-school transcript starter with course records, credit summary, and parent certification lines.

Download PDF →

These printables are general planning tools, not legal advice. Always verify the current rule on your state page and official source links before filing deadlines.

Full breakdown

Every field is designed to answer the real-world compliance questions parents ask first.

Legal status
Homeschooling is legal in the District of Columbia if the family follows the home education regulations, including notice, subject coverage, and portfolio rules.
Compulsory age range
5-18
Notification required
Yes. Families must file a homeschool notice with the DC Office of the State Superintendent of Education.
Who you notify
District of Columbia Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE).
Notification deadline
File 15 days before starting homeschooling, and then file again each year by August 15 according to HSLDA's District of Columbia guidance.
Required subjects
language arts, mathematics, science, social studies, art, music, health, physical education
Hours or days required
The regulations require thorough, regular instruction of sufficient duration. The available sources do not give one simple statewide hourly minimum, but HSLDA says families should provide instruction during the period of the year when public schools are in session.
Record keeping
Maintain a portfolio for at least one year that includes evidence of the student's current work, such as writings, worksheets, workbooks, creative materials, assessments, or other materials showing regular educational activity across subjects. It is also wise to keep attendance records, curriculum information, correspondence, and permanent high school records.
Testing and evaluation
No general standardized testing requirement was identified for District of Columbia homeschoolers.
Testing frequency
Not required, although homeschooled students may be eligible to take some public-school-sponsored tests, including Advanced Placement tests under current DC law.
Teacher qualifications
The parent or instructor generally must have a high school diploma or equivalent. HSLDA says OSSE may grant a waiver if the parent shows an ability to provide a thorough, regular education.
Curriculum freedom
Moderate. Families can choose their curriculum, but they must cover the required subjects and be able to show a thorough, regular home education program through the portfolio process.
Umbrella school option
No traditional umbrella-school option was identified in the available District of Columbia sources.
Virtual school option
Yes. Families may use online curriculum, but using online materials does not replace the District's homeschool notice and portfolio requirements. Public virtual enrollment would be a different legal arrangement from independent homeschooling.
Special education
There are no extra homeschool requirements specifically for children with special needs in the available HSLDA guidance, but homeschooling is treated as private instruction and access to services is described as limited.
High school diploma
Parents can generally prepare a homeschool transcript and issue a parent-directed diploma for a student who completes the family's high school program.
College admission
Colleges will usually want a homeschool transcript and may also ask for course descriptions, outside coursework, and test scores when available.
Sports access
There is no broad District-wide law guaranteeing homeschool access to public school classes and activities. Policies may vary by school or district, although District residents who are timely certified by OSSE can sit for Advanced Placement tests at their right-to-attend DCPS school under current law.
Dual enrollment
The available sources do not show a clear statewide dual-enrollment right for independent homeschoolers in the District of Columbia, so families should confirm current school or college program rules directly.
Notes
First-pass draft. The raw HSLDA article URL in the source bundle returned 404, but the current HSLDA legal page and the article URL with "the" in the slug were reachable and provided usable guidance. The raw official OSSE homeschool service URL returned 404 during source capture, and the DCRegs link was reachable but did not yield an easy-to-read regulation text extract in the raw bundle, so this entry relies substantially on current HSLDA materials and keeps official-law wording cautious.

From our sister site

Overwhelmed by curriculum choices?

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Official sources

Parent-friendly reminder

This page is designed to reduce confusion, not replace legal advice. If something changes or feels unclear, verify with your state Department of Education before making compliance decisions.

Want more homeschool guidance and encouragement? Follow Dani at @thedanicerrato.