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Withdrawing from school to homeschool in Rhode Island

How to take your child out of school to homeschool in Rhode Island, 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 Rhode Island'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 Rhode Island asks of a new homeschool. Before you begin: Present your at-home instruction plan to the school committee of the town where your child lives (through the superintendent's office) and wait for its approval before you take your child out of school. If you move into a new district: Register and enroll your child in the new district first; the new district then approves the plan and keeps up with attendance and progress.Source: Rhode Island Department of Education: Homeschooling
  2. Tell the school. We did not find a Rhode Island 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; the statute says registers are kept and returned to the school committee, the superintendent, truant officers and RIDE. If you agree to test at home, also keep progress reports or test scores. RIDE says regular reports go to the local superintendent or whoever the district names.Source: R.I. Gen. Laws 16-19-2, approval of private schools and at-home instruction (Rhode Island General Assembly); Rhode Island Department of Education: Homeschooling

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 Rhode Island.

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 Rhode Island; 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.