District of Columbia Homeschool Requirements Checklist
Everything you need to do to homeschool legally in District of Columbia, based on D.C. Code Section 38-202. District of Columbia is classified as Moderate regulation.
This is the general checklist for Home Instruction. Our free wizard customizes this for your family, including grade, pathway, enrollment status, and IEP.
Your compliance checklist
Do first
File your Notice of Intent
Submit to Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE). Deadline: At least 15 business days before instruction begins; renew by August 15 each year. Conditions: The notice is filed on OSSE's official online form at homeschool.dc.gov. Per OSSE's Homeschool Parent and Guardian Guide, the form asks for parent/guardian information, a high school diploma or GED document or a waiver request, acknowledgements, student information, prior school attended and last date of attendance, grade, and first day of homeschool. Upload the diploma or GED document when you have it. If you have the credential but not the document, or do not have the credential, you may submit a waiver request in the same application instead (OSSE Homeschool Parent and Guardian Guide, Step 1b; 5-E DCMR 5207.2).
Deadline: At least 15 business days before instruction begins; renew by August 15 each year
More details
Include: consent to the home schooling requirements. Attach: high school diploma or GED
Send a withdrawal letter
If your child is currently enrolled in school, send a withdrawal letter to the student's current school. Conditions: The notice is filed on OSSE's official online form at homeschool.dc.gov. Per OSSE's Homeschool Parent and Guardian Guide, the form asks for parent/guardian information, a high school diploma or GED document or a waiver request, acknowledgements, student information, prior school attended and last date of attendance, grade, and first day of homeschool. Upload the diploma or GED document when you have it. If you have the credential but not the document, or do not have the credential, you may submit a waiver request in the same application instead (OSSE Homeschool Parent and Guardian Guide, Step 1b; 5-E DCMR 5207.2).
Deadline: Before you start (if enrolled)
Ongoing
Teacher qualifications: what applies to you
OSSE may grant a waiver when a parent without a diploma/equivalent demonstrates ability to provide thorough, regular education.
Deadline: Before you start
Required subjects
Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, Art, Music, Health, Physical Education
Review instructional-time requirements
Check the cited source for the school-term or instructional-time rule that applies to your pathway. Conditions: No minimum number of instructional days is set. The regulation requires thorough, regular instruction of sufficient duration to implement the home school program (5-E DCMR 5204.1(a)).
Testing: what applies to you
Standardized testing is voluntary; OSSE retains separate authority to review the required portfolio.
Keep basic records
You must maintain: attendance records, student portfolio. Records may be reviewed by the district. Conditions: D.C. Code 38-203(a) requires teachers of each educational institution to keep a daily attendance record, and 38-201(2A) defines educational institution to include a private instructor. The home schooling rules (5-E DCMR Chapter 52) require a portfolio of work and do not mention attendance records. Keeping a daily attendance log is the cautious reading.
More details
Portfolio must include: writings, worksheets, workbooks, creative materials, assessments.
Renew each year
You must renew your homeschool notice each year by August 15. Conditions: The notice is filed on OSSE's official online form at homeschool.dc.gov. Per OSSE's Homeschool Parent and Guardian Guide, the form asks for parent/guardian information, a high school diploma or GED document or a waiver request, acknowledgements, student information, prior school attended and last date of attendance, grade, and first day of homeschool. Upload the diploma or GED document when you have it. If you have the credential but not the document, or do not have the credential, you may submit a waiver request in the same application instead (OSSE Homeschool Parent and Guardian Guide, Step 1b; 5-E DCMR 5207.2).
Filing requirements
- What to file
- simple notice
- Send to
- Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE)
- Deadline
- At least 15 business days before instruction begins; renew by August 15 each year
- How often
- annual
Your notice must include:
- •consent to the home schooling requirements
Required attachments:
- •high school diploma or GED
5-E DCMR 5202, 5203
Ongoing requirements
Required subjects
- ✓Language Arts
- ✓Mathematics
- ✓Science
- ✓Social Studies
- ✓Art
- ✓Music
- ✓Health
- ✓Physical Education
5-E DCMR 5204
Recordkeeping
- ✓Attendance records
- ✓Student portfolio
Records may be reviewed by the district.
Portfolio must include:
- •writings
- •worksheets
- •workbooks
- •creative materials
- •assessments
5-E DCMR 5205, 5206
Reporting
- Annual renewal
- Required by August 15
5-E DCMR 5203
Instructor qualifications
The instructor must have a high school diploma or GED.
Alternatives: OSSE waiver (petition with evidence of ability to provide thorough, regular education)
5-E DCMR 5207
Get your personalized checklist
This is the general checklist for the most common pathway. The wizard customizes it for your family's specific situation, including grade, pathway, and IEP status.
Get your District of Columbia checklistRequirements sourced from D.C. Code Section 38-202. Last reviewed October 2026