________________
To: ________________
I am withdrawing ________________ from your school. My child will be educated at home under the law of District of Columbia.
Please send me a copy of my child's school records.
Thank you.
SignatureDate
Withdrawing from school to homeschool in District of Columbia
How to take your child out of school to homeschool in District of Columbia, step by step: what to file first, what to tell the school, and a letter to print.
- District of Columbia law
- This year's checklist
- Withdrawing from school
This is general information, not legal advice; check your state's own page. Laws change, and District of Columbia's own statute and education department are the final word. The links below go straight to them.
Deadlines, forms and amounts checked on against the sources linked on this page.
Step by step
- Before your child's last day, do what District of Columbia asks of a new homeschool. At least 15 business days before the first day of home instruction: Complete the Notification of Intent to Homeschool online with OSSE. The state's form: Notification of Intent to Homeschool (online, OSSE).Source: OSSE: Apply to Homeschool
- Tell the school. After OSSE approves your notification: Tell the school you are withdrawing your child, and give it OSSE's verification letter. Until the withdrawal is complete your child stays enrolled there.Source: OSSE: Apply to Homeschool
- Ask for your child's records (report cards, test results, any evaluations or plans) so you know where your child stands. Good practice, not a legal step.
- If your child has an IEP or a 504 plan, ask the district before you leave what, if anything, it offers homeschooled students, and get a copy of the plan. Good practice, not a legal step.
- Keep copies of everything you send and anything you get back, with the dates. Good practice, not a legal step.
- Start your records on day one. Keep a portfolio for each child with evidence of current work, such as writings, worksheets, workbooks, creative materials and assessments, across a range of subjects. Keep it for at least one year. OSSE may ask in writing to review it, at least 30 days ahead, and the regulation allows no more than two reviews a school year.Source: OSSE: Student Portfolio Review
What District of Columbia's law or education agency says about leaving school
To move a child from a public or public charter school, tell the school you are withdrawing the child. OSSE sends a verification letter after it approves your notification; give it to the school. A child cannot be registered to homeschool while still attending a public or public charter school, and until the withdrawal is complete the child stays registered there, accrues unexcused absences and is subject to truancy reporting.Source: OSSE: Apply to Homeschool
A letter to the school
Fill this in and print it. It tells the school your child is leaving to be taught at home and asks for the records. It is not the state's notice.
Your letter
Keep a copy with the date you handed it in or mailed it.
Where this comes from
- OSSE: Homeschooling in the District of Columbia (state agency)
- OSSE: Homeschooling in the District: Local Requirements (state agency)
- OSSE: Apply to Homeschool (state agency)
- OSSE: Student Portfolio Review (state agency)
- OSSE: DC Homeschooling regulation, 5-E DCMR chapter 52 (PDF) (state agency)
- DC Municipal Regulations, chapter 5-E52 Home Schooling (section list) (the law)
- D.C. Code 38-202, school attendance requirements (Council) (the law)
- D.C. Code 38-1853.07, Opportunity Scholarship use of funds (Council) (the law)
Checked on October 29, 2026. This is general information, not legal advice. Laws and forms change; confirm a date with your school district or the state agency before you rely on it. For legal advice, ask a lawyer licensed in District of Columbia; homeschool legal-help organizations and your state's homeschool groups can also point you to help. Something out of date? Tell us and we will fix it.