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Withdrawing from school to homeschool in Nebraska

How to take your child out of school to homeschool in Nebraska, 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 Nebraska'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 Nebraska asks of a new homeschool. By July 15 each year the school will operate: File the Statement of Election and Assurances with the Nebraska Department of Education (a certified birth certificate the first time). The state's form: Statement of Election and Assurances (online or paper, Nebraska Department of Education).Source: Nebraska Department of Education: Exempt (Home) School FAQs 2026/27; Neb. Rev. Stat. 79-1601 Private schools; election not to meet accreditation or approval requirements (Nebraska Legislature)
  2. Tell the school. We did not find a Nebraska 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. The department's guidance says it does not collect grades or require progress reports. It advises keeping attendance data and a transcript of classes with grades for each child. The school must report attendance as the attendance law requires. Keep a record of immunizations if they apply (they need not be sent to the department).Source: Nebraska Department of Education: Exempt (Home) School FAQs 2026/27

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

Instruction can begin after the department receives the filing. A child leaving an approved school mid-year can be filed mid-year, with instruction hours prorated. If a child age 16 or 17 stops attending the exempt school, the parent files a withdrawal form with the Commissioner of Education promptly.

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.

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 Nebraska.

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 Nebraska; 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.