How to Start Homeschooling in District of Columbia

Yes. Homeschooling is completely legal in Washington, D.C. The D.C. homeschool laws are clear and well-established.

The legal foundation is D.C. Code Section 38-202. This is the compulsory attendance statute. It recognizes home instruction as a lawful way to meet the attendance requirement. The detailed regulations live in the D.C. Municipal Regulations (DCMR), Title 5, Chapter 54. These spell out what OSSE expects from homeschool families.

D.C. is classified as a "moderate" regulation jurisdiction. You must notify OSSE and meet basic program standards. But the city does not require testing, evaluations, or routine submissions of your child's work.

One thing that works in your favor: D.C. is a single unified jurisdiction. No counties. No local school districts with their own interpretations. One set of rules. One education agency. No guessing about which version of the rules applies to you. That kind of clarity is rare.

D.C.'s compulsory attendance law covers children ages 5 through 18. This comes from D.C. Code Section 38-202. A child who turns 5 by September 30 of the school year falls under compulsory attendance.

Watch that start age. D.C. begins at 5, which is younger than many states. If you moved from a state where school starts at 6 or 7, your kindergarten-age child is already covered by D.C. law. This matters for families who prefer delayed academics. Waldorf and Charlotte Mason families often wait until age 6 or 7 for formal instruction. In D.C., you still need to file a home instruction notification with OSSE once your child turns 5 by September 30 — even if your curriculum is play-based at that age.

The upper limit runs through age 18. That is higher than many states that stop at 16 or 17. Maintain compliance until your child turns 18 or earns a high school diploma or GED. Either one exempts them from compulsory attendance.

Here is how to start homeschooling in D.C., step by step. The process is simpler than most families expect.

Step 1: File your Notification of Intent to Homeschool with OSSE. Go to homeschool.dc.gov. Submit your notification at least 15 business days before you plan to start teaching. Include your name and contact information. Add your child's name, age, date of birth, and grade level. List the address where instruction will happen. Describe your educational program and subjects. Name whoever will be teaching. There is no fee. A free-form letter with all these elements also works. OSSE reviews your filing and sends an approval verification letter. Keep that letter safe.

Step 2: Withdraw from your current school. If your child is enrolled, send a written withdrawal letter to the principal or registrar. State that your child will receive home instruction under D.C. Code Section 38-202. Request your child's records — transcripts and immunization records especially. Charter schools in D.C. have their own withdrawal procedures. Contact them directly.

Critical: Complete both steps together. You must withdraw from school AND file with OSSE. Doing only one can trigger D.C.'s truancy enforcement. D.C. enforces truancy aggressively through the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), the Child and Family Services Agency (CFSA), and the Office of the Attorney General (OAG). Filing your OSSE notification is the single most important step to protect your family.

Step 3: Start teaching. Once your notification is filed, begin. No waiting period. No approval beyond the notification. Teach for roughly 180 days per year, equivalent to the D.C. public school calendar. You do not follow DCPS dates or school-day hours. Evenings, weekends, and year-round schedules all count.

Step 4: Keep your records. Maintain attendance records, a description of your curriculum and materials, and evidence of your child's progress. You do not submit any of this to OSSE. Keep it at home, organized and accessible. OSSE may request records only if there is a concern or complaint about your program. Having documentation ready resolves any inquiry quickly.

Step 5: Renew every year by August 15. File a Notification of Homeschool Continuation with OSSE before each school year. This is a separate, simpler form than the initial notification. Set a calendar reminder now. Forgetting to renew is the most common compliance mistake D.C. homeschool families make.

Two filings. That is all D.C. homeschool requirements ask of you.

Notification of Intent to Homeschool (first time). Submit through homeschool.dc.gov at least 15 business days before instruction begins. Include: parent name and contact info, student name, age, date of birth, and grade, the instruction address, a description of your educational program with subjects, and the instructor's name. No fee. No teaching credential needed.

Notification of Homeschool Continuation (every year after). Due by August 15 annually. A simpler renewal form through the same portal.

You never submit test scores, portfolios, progress reports, or grades to OSSE. The annual continuation notice is your only recurring paperwork. D.C. checks that you filed. It does not grade your child's work.

If your child is in a D.C. public school, charter school, or private school, withdraw formally before starting home instruction.

Write a letter to the principal or registrar. Include your child's name, the withdrawal date, and a statement that your child will receive home instruction under D.C. Code Section 38-202 and applicable DCMR provisions. Request copies of transcripts and immunization records. Keep a copy of your letter. Use certified mail or get email confirmation so you have proof it was received.

File your OSSE notification and withdrawal letter at the same time. If you withdraw without notifying OSSE, your child looks truant. If you notify OSSE without withdrawing, the school keeps marking absences. Either gap can trigger a CFSA investigation or OAG referral.

This is not meant to scare you. It is meant to help you do it right the first time. File both documents together, and you are fully covered.

D.C. requires instruction in subjects "comparable to the subjects taught in the DC public schools." Under 5 DCMR Section 5402, cover five core areas: English Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, and Health/Physical Education.

The word "comparable" gives you real freedom. Choose your own curriculum, textbooks, and methods. Religious programs, secular curricula, classical education, Charlotte Mason, unit studies, unschooling — all are fine as long as you cover those five subjects. OSSE does not prescribe materials or approaches. Art and music may be expected under the comparable standard but are not specifically enumerated.

For high school students, consider adding foreign languages, advanced math, and laboratory sciences. This is not a D.C. legal mandate. But it aligns with what DCPS high schools teach and prepares your child for college.

D.C. frames its time requirement as "equivalent to the DC public school calendar." Under 5 DCMR Section 5402, that means roughly 180 instructional days per year and about 6 hours per day.

No specific hourly minimum is stated independently. The standard is equivalence, not exact numbers. You do not follow the DCPS calendar. You do not teach 8 AM to 3 PM. Year-round schedules and flexible hours work fine.

Keep a simple internal log of your instructional days. You never submit it. But you want it available if questions arise.

Carry your OSSE letter when out during school hours. D.C. is an urban environment with active law enforcement. MPD may question school-age children out during school hours. Carry a copy of your OSSE approval verification letter. Not legally required, but a smart habit that prevents unnecessary complications.

D.C. is not Maryland. D.C. is not Virginia. Many families in the metro area hear about Maryland's portfolio reviews or Virginia's annual testing and assume D.C. works the same way. It does not. D.C. is its own jurisdiction with its own laws under D.C. Code Section 38-202. No testing. No portfolios. Follow D.C. law, not regional word of mouth. And remember: homeschool compliance is based on where you live, not where you work. If you live in D.C. but commute to Maryland or Virginia, D.C. law applies.

Know the limits on extracurriculars. D.C. has no "Tim Tebow" law. Your child has no statutory right to join DCPS or charter school sports, clubs, or activities. Individual schools may allow participation at their discretion. Community leagues and homeschool co-op activities are your alternatives.

Special education: go in with your eyes open. When you withdraw a child with an IEP to homeschool, the IEP does not follow them. You give up access to full special education services. However, contact the DCPS Central IEP Team at centralIEPteam@k12.dc.gov or (202) 442-5475. You can request evaluations through Child Find. Your child may qualify for a limited Individual Services Plan (ISP) with some equitable services like speech therapy or occupational therapy. These are more limited than a full IEP. Make this a deliberate decision.

DC Opportunity Scholarship Program. If your child currently receives a federally funded OSP scholarship to attend a private school, withdrawing to homeschool means forfeiting that scholarship. Homeschooled students are not eligible for the program. Factor this into your decision if it applies.

You create the diploma and transcript. D.C. does not issue these for homeschooled students. There is no official D.C. format. Use templates from homeschool organizations. For college applications, pair a parent-created transcript with test scores and a portfolio. The GED is available through D.C.'s adult education system if needed.

Use D.C.'s extraordinary resources. Every Smithsonian museum is free. The Library of Congress, National Archives, and U.S. Capitol are at your doorstep. Few homeschool families anywhere have this kind of access to world-class institutions. Build them into your curriculum. It is a genuine advantage of homeschooling in this city.

Immunizations. D.C. has strict immunization requirements with medical exemptions only. The religious exemption for immunizations has been eliminated. Enforcement against homeschooled students is unclear. But current immunizations will be required if your child re-enters a D.C. school.