The District of Columbia rules in plain English - notice, testing, records, and the dates families actually miss. Verified against the official sources below on 2026-10-18.
Before anything else: this is orientation, not legal advice. Requirements change and local offices have their own habits. The sources at the bottom are the authority - check them before you file.
Notification of Intent to Homeschool to OSSE at least 15 business days before starting, and an annual re-notification to continue.
Where it goes: OSSE (notification + annual renewal)
A portfolio of instructional materials and student work, maintained at least one year and available to OSSE for review on request.
Subjects: Thorough, regular instruction including language arts, math, science, social studies, art, music, health, and PE
Records: The portfolio is mandatory: instructional materials plus work samples, kept current.
[Your name]
[Address]
[Date]
Dear your local school authority,
I am writing to notify you of my intent to home educate for my child, [student name], grade [X], for the [20XX-XX] school year.
Included: the required information.
Respectfully,
[Your name] · [phone] · [email]
Want this handled? The Records Office drafts your District of Columbia notice or filing every year, keeps the deadline calendar, and builds the transcript and course descriptions colleges expect. Founding families: $99/year.
VERIFIED 2026-10-18 AGAINST THE SOURCES ABOVE · HOMESCHOOL RECORDS OFFICE · YOU ARE THE SCHOOL OF RECORD · THIS GUIDE IS ORIENTATION, NOT LEGAL ADVICE