How to Homeschool in Washington, D.C. (2026 Guide)

The short version

Washington, D.C. is a legally straightforward place to homeschool. You notify OSSE — the Office of the State Superintendent of Education — before you start, teach eight named subjects, and keep a portfolio of your child’s work. That is essentially the whole of what is required. There is no mandatory standardized testing, no credential requirement beyond a high school diploma (with a waiver available if you lack one), and no prescribed curriculum. You file once to get started, then renew each August to continue. OSSE can request a portfolio review at any time, but the process is collaborative rather than adversarial, and the agency provides written feedback and assistance if it finds gaps.

Legal basis

Compulsory education in the District of Columbia is established in D.C. Official Code § 38-202, which requires all children between the ages of five and seventeen who reside in the District to receive an education. Section 38-205 provides the exemption that makes homeschooling legally permissible.

The operational rules that govern how homeschooling works — notice procedures, required subjects, portfolio requirements, corrective action, and appeals — are codified in Title 5, Subtitle E, Chapter 52 of the District of Columbia Municipal Regulations (5-E DCMR Chapter 52), commonly called the DC Homeschooling Regulation. OSSE adopted Chapter 52 pursuant to its authority under D.C. Official Code § 38-2602(b)(11). The regulation became effective in 2008 following an extensive public comment process and has governed DC homeschooling ever since.

OSSE’s Division of Strategic Funding for School Quality oversees homeschool policy and is the point of contact for all administrative matters.

Primary OSSE resource: Homeschooling in the District of Columbia — OSSE

Local requirements page: Homeschooling in the District: Local Requirements — OSSE

Notice of intent

Before you begin, you must submit a Notification of Intent to Homeschool to OSSE. The notice must be submitted at least 15 business days before the first day of home instruction. Business days exclude Saturdays, Sundays, and District holidays.

You do not need permission from your child’s current school to begin the process, but you do need to coordinate with the school to withdraw your child once OSSE approves your notice (see the Withdrawing from public school section below).

Key facts about the notice process:

Notifications are submitted online through the DC Homeschool portal on the OSSE website.
After OSSE reviews your Notification of Intent — a process that takes approximately ten calendar days — OSSE will email you a verification letter confirming approval.
You may not begin home instruction until you have received that verification letter.
You can start homeschooling at any point during the school year, not just at the beginning.

Annual continuation: For every subsequent year that you continue homeschooling, you must submit a Notification of Homeschool Continuation by August 15. This is how OSSE tracks active homeschool programs from year to year. Missing this deadline does not automatically end your program, but it creates a compliance gap — file on time to avoid complications.

Questions: Contact OSSE’s homeschool team at OSSE.Homeschool@dc.gov.

Required subjects

DC homeschool programs must provide thorough and regular instruction of sufficient duration and must include, at a minimum, all eight of the following subjects. [5-E DCMR § 5204]

English language arts
Mathematics
Science
Social studies
Art
Music
Health
Physical education

The regulation does not prescribe how much time must be spent on each subject, only that instruction be thorough and regular. You are not required to use any specific curriculum, textbook series, or pacing guide, and your program does not need to align with DC public school standards. Online curricula and third-party providers are expressly permitted.

One important limitation: you may only provide home instruction to your own children. DC regulations do not permit a parent or guardian to instruct the children of other families. [5-E DCMR Chapter 52] If you participate in a co-op where other parents deliver instruction in individual subjects, confirm that the arrangement is supplemental rather than the primary instruction — a group operating as an ongoing school for multiple unrelated families can raise questions about whether participants are operating an unapproved nonpublic school.

Standardized testing

Standardized testing is not required for DC homeschooled students.

However, homeschooled students in DC are eligible to participate in the regularly scheduled statewide assessments administered in the public schools, free of charge. To register your child, contact your neighborhood District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) school and email DCPS.Testing@k12.dc.gov at least 40 business days before the planned testing date.

Beginning with the 2023–24 school year, DC homeschooled students are also permitted to take Advanced Placement (AP) exams at their local DCPS high school. To request that OSSE confirm your child’s homeschool status to DCPS as proof of eligibility, contact OSSE at OSSE.AEI@dc.gov.

Many families use private assessments — such as the Iowa Assessments or the Stanford Achievement Test — independently to track progress or to build documentation for college applications. This is entirely optional and not reported to OSSE.

Record keeping and portfolio

You are required to maintain a portfolio of educational materials for each child in your homeschool program. [5-E DCMR Chapter 52]

The portfolio must include evidence of the child’s current work across a range of subjects. OSSE’s guidance identifies the following types of materials as appropriate:

Examples of your child’s writing
Completed worksheets and workbooks
Creative materials (drawings, projects)
Assessments you have administered
Any other materials that demonstrate the child is engaged in thorough, regular educational activities

The portfolio must be maintained for at least one year and made available to OSSE upon request.

OSSE monitoring: OSSE may request a portfolio review at any time, at its discretion. If OSSE requests a review, you will receive written notice at least 30 days before the review date. Reviews may be conducted online or in person at a mutually agreeable location — for example, OSSE’s offices or a local library. OSSE will provide written feedback on the materials you share and, if deficiencies are found, will issue a corrective action plan outlining specific steps to bring your program into compliance. OSSE staff are available to provide technical assistance throughout this process. [5-E DCMR § 5208]

Practical suggestions for keeping a useful portfolio:

Date work samples so a reviewer can see progression over time.
Organize materials by subject to make it easy to show coverage across all eight required areas.
Save assessments and tests you administer, even informal ones.
Include a brief log of topics or units covered in each subject during the year.

Scholarships and financial assistance

DC Opportunity Scholarship Program (OSP)

The DC Opportunity Scholarship Program is a federally funded school-choice program that provides need-based vouchers to eligible DC families for tuition at participating private schools. For the 2025–26 school year, vouchers are valued at up to $10,000 for elementary and middle school students and up to $15,000 for high school students.

Homeschooling families should be aware of one firm limitation: OSP voucher funds may not be used for homeschooling. The federal statute governing OSP restricts voucher use to tuition payments at accredited participating private schools. A homeschool program, regardless of how it is structured, does not qualify as a participating school under the OSP framework.

If you are considering whether to homeschool or to enroll your child in a private school using an OSP voucher, these are separate paths. You cannot use an OSP scholarship to offset homeschooling costs, purchase curriculum, or pay for tutoring as part of a homeschool program.

For information about OSP eligibility and the application process, visit Serving Our Children, the scholarship organization that administers the program.

Other resources available to DC homeschool families

DC provides several practical benefits to homeschooled students, regardless of income:

Kids Ride Free Program: Homeschooled students are eligible for free bus and rail transportation benefits through the Kids Ride Free program. Your child will need a government-issued ID and proof of DC residence. Contact the District Department of Transportation’s School Transit Subsidy Office at (202) 673-1740 or visit kidsridefree.dc.gov.
DC Educator’s Library Card: Homeschooling parents are eligible for this card, which provides extended borrowing times and access to librarian support at DC Public Library branches. Present a copy of your OSSE verification letter at your local branch. Cards must be renewed each July. Visit dclibrary.org/educatorcard for details.
Sports participation: Homeschooled students may petition the DC State Athletic Association to participate in interscholastic sports. The process requires written authorization from the principal and athletic director of a member school and a waiver of standard student eligibility requirements. Visit dcsaasports.org for current information.
Dual enrollment — CARE Program: The College Access and Readiness for Everyone (CARE) Program allows pre-college DC students, including homeschooled students, to earn college credits at the University of the District of Columbia Community College (UDC-CC) at no cost for tuition. Visit udc.edu/cc/care for eligibility and deadlines.

Federal tax-advantaged savings

DC homeschool families may also benefit from federal savings tools:

529 College Savings Plans: Under federal law effective in 2025, qualified K–12 educational expenses payable from a 529 account include curriculum materials, books, online educational content, standardized testing fees, and tutoring by licensed teachers or subject-matter experts, up to $10,000 per student per year for K–12 purposes. The District does not offer a dedicated DC 529 plan with a state income tax deduction, but families may contribute to any state’s 529 plan.
Coverdell Education Savings Account: Up to $2,000 per child per year, with tax-free growth and tax-free withdrawals for qualified K–12 educational expenses. Consult a tax professional for your specific situation.

Withdrawing from public school

If your child is currently enrolled in a DCPS school or a DC public charter school, you must formally withdraw before beginning home instruction. The withdrawal process runs alongside — not before — the OSSE notification process.

Here is the sequence:

Submit your Notification of Intent to Homeschool to OSSE online, at least 15 business days before your planned start date.
OSSE reviews the notification and emails you a verification letter within approximately ten calendar days of approval.
Provide the verification letter to your child’s school to initiate the official withdrawal.
The school completes the withdrawal from its enrollment records.

A student may not be simultaneously registered as a homeschool student and enrolled in a public or public charter school. Until the school completes the withdrawal, your child remains on the school’s enrollment roster and will accrue unexcused absences if they stop attending. Do not wait until you have the verification letter to notify the school — communicate your intent early so the school is prepared to process the withdrawal promptly.

If you cannot locate your verification letter, you may request a replacement copy from OSSE at OSSE.Homeschool@dc.gov.

Stopping a homeschool program: If you decide to end homeschooling — whether to re-enroll in public school or for any other reason — you must submit a Notification to Discontinue Homeschooling to OSSE at least 15 business days before discontinuation. Submit the form through the DC Homeschool portal or email it to OSSE.Homeschool@dc.gov. OSSE will send you a discontinuation letter once it processes the form. Each school or charter will set its own criteria for re-enrollment, which may include placement assessments, portfolio review, or an interview.

High school diploma: Completing a DC homeschool program does not result in a standard DC high school diploma. Homeschooled students who want a DC diploma have two paths: (1) passing the GED, which leads to a DC-issued diploma for students who have not been enrolled in a traditional high school for at least six months; or (2) completing the National External Diploma Program (NEDP), an applied performance assessment for out-of-school youth. For GED information, contact Ged.Tv@dc.gov or call (202) 274-7173. For NEDP information, visit casas.org/nedp. OSSE does not issue report cards or transcripts for homeschooled students.

Students with disabilities: Once a child is withdrawn from public school to homeschool, the obligation of a free and appropriate public education (FAPE) under IDEA no longer applies. However, DC’s “child find” obligation — the duty to locate, identify, and evaluate children who may be eligible for special education — continues even after a child begins homeschooling. If you want your child evaluated or re-evaluated for special education eligibility, contact DCPS at DCPS.Childfind@dc.gov.

Support and community

OSSE does not maintain an official directory of homeschool support groups, but the DC homeschool community is well-established and more connected than many families expect.

OSSE contact: For questions about the notification process, portfolio requirements, or compliance, email OSSE.Homeschool@dc.gov. The office is located at 1050 First Street, NE, Fifth Floor, Washington, DC 20002; general phone: (202) 727-6436.

Community organizations worth knowing:

DC Home Educators Association (DCHEA): The closest thing the District has to a statewide homeschool advocacy organization. DCHEA serves as an information hub — tracking legal updates from OSSE, maintaining directories of smaller subject-specific groups, and coordinating large-scale field trips to DC’s national institutions. If you are new to homeschooling in DC, this is a practical first stop.
Sankofa Homeschool Community: An African-centered homeschool community serving families of color in the DC metro area, with a focus on academic enrichment, cultural identity, and community support. Sankofa has operated in the DMV area for over two decades. Find them at sankofahomeschool.org.
Homeschooling in DC (homeschoolingindc.com): A regional resource site with directories of support groups, tutors, educational institutions, and local events for DC-area homeschooling families.
Baltimore-Washington Home Educators (BWHE): A regional email list and online community for homeschoolers across the DC, Maryland, and Northern Virginia metro area, welcoming families of diverse backgrounds and philosophies.

DC’s geographic position also means that homeschooled students have access to an exceptional range of free or low-cost educational resources: Smithsonian museums, the National Gallery of Art, the National Archives, the Library of Congress, and numerous embassy cultural programs are all available to families who want to build a rich, place-based curriculum.