How to Start Homeschooling in Oregon

Yes. Homeschooling in Oregon is fully legal.

ORS 339.030 lists exemptions from compulsory school attendance, including children being taught by a parent, legal guardian, or private teacher. ORS 339.035 then spells out the specific rules for home education. Meet those rules and you are compliant.

The main obligations are a simple notice and periodic testing. There is no curriculum approval, no required subject list, and no instructional time tracking.

Your notice is not an application. You are informing the ESD, and the ESD acknowledges receipt in writing.

Oregon's compulsory attendance law covers children between ages 6 and 18 (ORS 339.010). Under the state's home education rule, a child is considered six if the sixth birthday was on or before September 1 before the school term begins (OAR 581-021-0026).

If your child turns 6 after September 1, the requirement begins the following school year. Oregon's compulsory attendance extends to age 18, so plan for home education through the high school years.

Ready to get started? Here is how to homeschool in Oregon, step by step.

Step 1: Find your Education Service District. Your ESD is the education service district that contains your resident school district. ESDs are regional agencies, not the same as school districts. You send your notice to your ESD, not the school district. The Oregon Department of Education website can help you find yours.

Step 2: Write your notice. There is no required state form, and a free-form letter works. Under OAR 581-021-0026, include:

• Your child's name and your name
• Your address (phone and e-mail are optional)
• Your child's birth date
• The name of the school your child is attending or last attended, or, if your child has never attended school, the name of the public school district where you live

Step 3: Send your notice within 10 days. Send it within 10 days of withdrawing your child from a public or private school, or within 10 days of beginning home education. This is a one-time notice. If you later move to a new ESD, notify the new ESD in writing within 10 days.

Step 4: Withdraw from school (if needed). Oregon does not require a withdrawal letter to the school. The required written notice goes to your ESD within 10 days of withdrawing.

Step 5: Start teaching. Pick your curriculum, set your schedule, and begin. There is no approval process.

Step 6: Plan for testing. Your child will need an approved test at grades 3, 5, 8, and 10, completed by August 15. If your child was withdrawn from school, the first exam is given at least 18 months after withdrawal. If your child never attended school, the first exam is given before the end of grade 3. Mark these testing grades on your long-term calendar now.

Your ESD notice is the only document you file. Under OAR 581-021-0026, it includes your child's and your name and address (phone and e-mail optional), your child's birth date, and the name of the school your child attends or last attended (or your resident school district if your child has never attended school).

Send it to your local Education Service District, not the school district. Free-form letters are accepted. Keep a copy of everything you send and note the date you mailed or delivered it. The ESD acknowledges receipt in writing.

This is a one-time notice. There is no annual renewal. If you move to a different ESD's area, notify the new ESD within 10 days.

Testing is Oregon's main compliance obligation. Here is exactly what you need to know.

Your child takes an approved test at grades 3, 5, 8, and 10 (ORS 339.035(3); OAR 581-021-0026). This is not annual testing. Testing for each of those grades must be completed by August 15.

The approved tests are the two most recent versions of the Terra Nova CAT/3, the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills / Tests of Achievement and Proficiency, and the Stanford Achievement Battery.

The test must be given by a qualified neutral person. "Neutral" means someone you select who has no relationship to your child by blood or marriage. "Qualified" includes people holding an Oregon teaching or personnel service license, licensed psychologists, and others who meet the rule's criteria. The Oregon Department of Education keeps a list of qualified testers.

If your child was withdrawn from school, the first exam is given at least 18 months after withdrawal. If your child never attended school, the first exam is given before the end of grade 3.

The tester scores the exam and reports the results to you. You submit results to the ESD only if the ESD superintendent asks for them.

There is no passing score. A composite score below the 15th percentile requires an additional exam within one year. If the second exam shows a declining score, the ESD superintendent may allow continued home instruction or place your child's education under the supervision of a licensed teacher you select, at your expense. If scores keep declining, the superintendent may order school attendance for up to 12 consecutive months.

Oregon has two ways to educate your child outside a public school.

Pathway 1: Home Education under ORS 339.035. This is the path this guide covers. Notify your ESD. Test at grades 3, 5, 8, and 10. No subject requirements. No time rules. No curriculum approval.

Pathway 2: Private School under ORS 339.030(1)(a). Your child attends a private or parochial school. Children in a private school do not send the ESD notice and are not subject to the grade 3, 5, 8, and 10 testing. The statute conditions the exemption on the school teaching the courses of study usually taught in kindergarten through grade 12 in the public schools, for a period equivalent to what public schools required. Those are the school's duties, not the family's, and the statute sets no teacher qualification.

Virtual charter schools and online public programs are not homeschooling. Enrolling makes your child a public school student with different rules.

Here are the things that set homeschooling in Oregon apart.

No credentials needed. ORS 339.035 sets no teacher qualification for home education. A parent, legal guardian, or private teacher can teach.

Interscholastic activities. Under ORS 339.460, a school district may not deny an eligible homeschooled student the opportunity to participate in interscholastic activities (such as athletics, music, and speech) in the attendance area where the student lives. Your child must meet district eligibility requirements other than attendance and show academic eligibility, for example with a test score at or above the 23rd percentile.

Children with disabilities. If your child has an IEP and receives special education through the school district, or is educated under a privately developed plan, progress is evaluated according to that program or plan instead of the standard testing, unless the plan recommends the exam (ORS 339.035(5)). With a private plan, you send the ESD a report of the evaluation instead of test results. You may also request a Child Find evaluation from your district.

Prepare transcripts early. Oregon does not issue a state homeschool diploma. Start building your child's transcript in 9th grade with course descriptions, grades, and credits.

Common mistakes to avoid. Sending the notice to the school district instead of the ESD. Missing the 10-day window. Losing track of testing grades. Confusing virtual charter schools with homeschooling.