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WA

Medium regulation

Homeschool laws in Washington

Washington allows independent home-based instruction, but families must qualify to teach, file an annual declaration of intent, cover the required subject areas, provide an average of 1,000 instructional hours each year, and complete a yearly test or assessment.

Last verified

2026-04-20

Compulsory age range

8-18

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. 1Confirm that you qualify to provide home-based instruction under one of Washington's allowed teacher-qualification paths.
  2. 2File your annual Declaration of Intent with your local district superintendent by the state deadline.
  3. 3Choose a curriculum that covers Washington's required subject areas.
  4. 4Plan your year so your student receives an average of 1,000 instructional hours.
  5. 5Keep basic records, including immunization records and your student's annual test or assessment results.
  6. 6Schedule either an approved standardized test or a certified-teacher assessment each year.
  7. 7Start a transcript and course record early if your student is moving into high school.

Washington 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 Washington homeschool requirements: notice, subjects, hours, testing, records, teacher qualifications, and source links.

Letter of intent

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

Recordkeeping

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

Graduation

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

Testing

Plain-English Washington 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 Washington.

Popular Washington 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 WashingtonBest secular 4th grade curriculum in WashingtonHomeschooling a child with ADHD in WashingtonHomeschool vs public school in WashingtonCan 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 Washington 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 Washington if families follow the state's home-based instruction law or use another recognized education option.
Compulsory age range
8-18
Notification required
Yes. Families using home-based instruction file a Declaration of Intent every year.
Who you notify
The superintendent of the local public school district where the child lives.
Notification deadline
By September 15 each year, or within two weeks of the start of the public school quarter, trimester, or semester if you begin later.
Required subjects
Occupational education, Science, Mathematics, Language, Social studies, History, Health, Reading, Writing, Spelling, Appreciation of art and music
Hours or days required
An annual average of 1,000 instructional hours.
Record keeping
Keep annual test or assessment results and immunization records. Families often also keep attendance logs, course lists, and work samples for their own files.
Testing and evaluation
Yes. Each student must complete either an annual standardized achievement test approved by the state board or an annual assessment by a certificated person who is currently working in education.
Testing frequency
Annually.
Teacher qualifications
The parent must meet at least one qualification pathway, such as being supervised by a certificated person, earning enough college credit, completing a qualifying homeschool course, or being approved by the local superintendent as sufficiently qualified.
Curriculum freedom
Moderate. Parents choose the curriculum and day-to-day teaching approach, but they still need to cover the required subject areas, meet the hour requirement, and complete the yearly assessment.
Umbrella school option
Yes. Washington families may also use certain private school extension or parent-partnership style options, but those operate under a different legal path than independent home-based instruction.
Virtual school option
Yes. Public online and alternative learning programs are available in Washington, but those are public-school options rather than independent homeschooling.
Special education
Homeschool students may be able to access some public school services, but availability can depend on the district and whether the student is also enrolled in a public program.
High school diploma
Parents can generally issue a homeschool diploma and transcript for a student who completes the family's graduation plan.
College admission
Washington colleges commonly consider homeschool transcripts, course records, test scores, and Running Start or community college work when applicable.
Sports access
Yes. Washington generally allows homeschool students to participate in public school extracurricular activities, including sports, if they meet district and activity eligibility rules.
Dual enrollment
Yes. Washington homeschool students may be able to use dual-enrollment options such as Running Start if they meet program requirements.
Notes
First-pass draft. The official OSPI homeschooling page was blocked during capture with repeated 403 responses, so this draft relies more heavily on the cited Washington statutes plus the HSLDA summary for practical framing. Re-check OSPI directly before publication for forms and process wording.

From our sister site

Overwhelmed by curriculum choices?

Now that you know the laws, find the right curriculum. Take the free 5-minute quiz at The Curriculum Compass — matched to your child, your teaching style, and your family values.

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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.