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Withdrawing from school to homeschool in Hawaii

How to take your child out of school to homeschool in Hawaii, step by step: what to file first, what to tell the school, and a letter to print.

This is general information, not legal advice; check your state's own page. Laws change, and Hawaii'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

  1. Before your child's last day, do what Hawaii asks of a new homeschool. Before you start: Give the principal of the public school your child would otherwise attend a notice of intent: Form 4140 or a letter. Homeschooling begins when you submit it. If you move or your child changes school level: Send a new notice of intent to the principal of the new school (for example, moving from elementary to middle school). Fill in the Hawaii letter of intent.Source: Hawaii Revised Statutes 302A-1132, compulsory attendance (legislature); Hawaii State Department of Education: Homeschool (updated 05/2026)
  2. Tell the school. We did not find a Hawaii rule on how to tell the school. A short dated letter, with a copy kept, gives you a record of the day your child left.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. Keep copies of everything you send and anything you get back, with the dates. Good practice, not a legal step.
  6. Start your records on day one. Keep a record of your planned curriculum: beginning and ending dates, hours per week spent on instruction, subject areas covered, how mastery is judged, and a list of textbooks and materials. You are not required to submit it to the school, though the school may ask to review it. You do submit the yearly progress report to the principal.Source: Hawaii State Department of Education: Homeschool (updated 05/2026)

What Hawaii's law or education agency says about leaving school

Tell the school you are withdrawing your child from, and submit Form 4140 or a letter of intent to the school your child would have attended. You do not need to provide a birth certificate, proof of residency or health records. To end homeschooling, tell the principal, in writing or verbally per the Department's page, where the child will go next; the rules say the child is re-enrolled in the local public school or a licensed private school unless a new alternative program is presented within five school days.

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; that is the letter of intent.

For example a copy of your notice, or the acknowledgement the state sent you.

Nothing you type here is saved or sent.

Your letter

________________

To: ________________

I am withdrawing ________________ from your school. My child will be educated at home under the law of Hawaii.

Please send me a copy of my child's school records.

Thank you.

SignatureDate
Keep a copy with the date you handed it in or mailed it.

Where this comes from

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 Hawaii; 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.