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Ohio homeschool law

Notice, days or hours, subjects, testing and records, in plain words, with the source for each.

This is general information, not legal advice; check your state's own page. Laws change, and Ohio's own statute and education department are the final word. The links below go straight to them.

Checked on against the sources linked on this page.

What to file in Ohio

File
A home education notice (the state's form is optional). §
To
Superintendent of the school district where you live. §
By
Within 5 calendar days of starting, moving into a new district or withdrawing; then by August 30 each year. §
Keep
No records required. Keep the superintendent's written acknowledgement, above all for the final year. §
Test
None required. §
Starting this year
  • Within 5 calendar days of starting, moving into a new district, or withdrawing: Send a notice to the superintendent of your school district of residence.
  • Within 14 days of your notice: The superintendent must acknowledge your notice in writing. Keep it.
Already homeschooling
  • By August 30: Send this year's notice.
  • Within 14 days of your notice: The superintendent must acknowledge your notice in writing. Keep it.
Leaving a school mid-year

The notice is due within five calendar days after withdrawing a child from a public or nonpublic school. The department says failing to notify the district may result in truancy.

Open your attendance recordWrite the letterStart the Tap Clock, if you want to

Checked . § = source: Ohio Revised Code 3321.042 (home education). Information, not legal advice.

Quick answers

Notice
Notice every yearSend a notice to the superintendent of your school district of residence within five calendar days after starting home education, moving into a new district, or withdrawing from a public or nonpublic school, and by August 30 every year after. It gives your name and address, your child's name, and an assurance the child will be taught the required subjects. The exemption starts when the notice is received. The superintendent must acknowledge it in writing within 14 calendar days. The state offers an optional form. Checked October 27, 2026. Source: Ohio Revised Code 3321.042 (home education)
Days or hours
No number givenThe home education law (R.C. 3321.042, in effect since October 3, 2023) names no number of days or hours. It also says the section is not subject to rules of the state education department. Checked October 27, 2026. Source: Ohio Revised Code 3321.042 (home education)
Subjects
A child receiving home education must be taught English language arts, mathematics, science, history, government, and social studies. The department says parents choose the curriculum and course of study. Checked October 27, 2026. Source: Ohio Revised Code 3321.042 (home education), Ohio Department of Education and Workforce: Home Schooling
Testing or evaluation
No testing requiredThe home education section does not require any test or evaluation. If there is evidence a child is not receiving education in the required subjects, the child may be subject to the truancy section (R.C. 3321.19). Checked October 27, 2026. Source: Ohio Revised Code 3321.042 (home education)
Records
The home education section does not require you to keep records. The yearly notice to the superintendent is the paperwork it asks for. The department says to keep the superintendent's written acknowledgement of the notice for the final year of home education to go with a home education diploma for employment or college. Checked October 27, 2026. Source: Ohio Revised Code 3321.042 (home education)
Who must attend school
Ohio's attendance law covers children between six and eighteen years of age (R.C. 3321.01). Home education is defined as the education of a child between those ages that is directed by the child's parent (R.C. 3321.042). Source: Ohio Revised Code 3321.01 (compulsory school age)
Education savings accounts and vouchers
A program exists, but homeschool students are not eligibleOhio's EdChoice Scholarships do not provide funding for home education, or for part-time enrollment in a chartered nonpublic school for home educated students. A student who stops home education and enrolls full time in a chartered nonpublic school can take part. The department's fact sheet says home educated children may potentially be eligible for the Jon Peterson Special Needs Scholarship or the Autism Scholarship, which need an approved provider. The department says there is no state financial assistance for families who home educate. EdChoice Scholarship. Source: Ohio Department of Education and Workforce: Home Schooling

What to do first

  1. Read Ohio's own pages, linked under each row below, so you know what applies to your situation.
  2. Notice: Within 5 calendar days of starting, moving or withdrawing; then by August 30 each year To: Superintendent of the school district where the family lives.
  3. If your child is in school now: The notice is due within five calendar days after withdrawing a child from a public or nonpublic school. The department says failing to notify the district may result in truancy.
  4. Plan the year around the days or hours and the subjects below.
  5. Start your records on day one: a simple attendance log, a list of books read and a work sample or two for each subject.

The state's own form or page: education.ohio.gov/getattachment/Topics/Ohio-Education-Options/Home-Schooling/Home-Education-Notification-Form.pdf.aspx

Records to keep

The home education section does not require you to keep records. The yearly notice to the superintendent is the paperwork it asks for. The department says to keep the superintendent's written acknowledgement of the notice for the final year of home education to go with a home education diploma for employment or college. Whatever the law asks, many families also keep a simple attendance log, a list of books read and a few work samples for each subject; they cost nothing and help if you move or return to school.

Good to know

  • Who may teach: the law says home education is directed by the child's parent. It names no diploma or teacher qualification for the parent.
  • Public-school activities: a home educated student must be given the chance to take part in any extracurricular activity offered at the district school they would otherwise attend, with the same non-academic and financial requirements as other students (R.C. 3313.5312).
  • Returning to school: a child enrolling in public school after home education must be placed in the appropriate grade level, based on the district's policies (R.C. 3321.042).
  • Diplomas: the department says parents issue the diploma for a home educated student; school districts do not.
  • Recent change: House Bill 33 (135th General Assembly) put home education into R.C. 3321.042 effective October 3, 2023. The Ohio Administrative Code chapter 3301-34 is no longer found on the state's code site.
  • Online schools: the department says online schools are not home education in Ohio; Ohio e-schools are community schools or district online schools.

Where this comes from

Checked on October 27, 2026. This is general information, not legal advice; check your state's own page, and confirm with your school district or the department before you rely on a date. Something out of date? Tell us and we will fix it.