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Withdrawing from school to homeschool in New York

How to take your child out of school to homeschool in New York, 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 New York'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 New York asks of a new homeschool. Within 14 days of starting, if you start after the school year has begun: Send the superintendent your written notice of intention to instruct at home. Within four weeks of the district's reply, or by August 15, whichever is later: Send the completed individualized home instruction plan (IHIP) on the form the district sends you: the child's name, age and grade, the materials for each required subject, your quarterly report dates and who teaches.Source: NYSED: Home Instruction Questions and Answers; 8 NYCRR 100.10, Home instruction (New York Codes, Rules and Regulations)
  2. Tell the school. We did not find a New York 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 attendance records and make them available to the district on request; NYSED says there is no legal obligation to keep any other records, and recommends keeping evidence of the program, the child's achievement and correspondence with the district. Each quarter, send the district a quarterly report on the dates in your IHIP: hours of instruction that quarter, the material covered in each subject, a grade or a written narrative for each subject, and an explanation if under 80 percent of the planned material was covered.Source: NYSED: Home Instruction Questions and Answers; 8 NYCRR 100.10, Home instruction (New York Codes, Rules and Regulations)

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 New York.

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 30, 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 New York; 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.