Withdrawing from school, step by step

The order matters

In many states the timing of the notice is tied to the day your child leaves school or the day you start teaching at home. Doing things in the right order keeps your child from being marked absent while you are already teaching.

• Read your state's rule on notice and withdrawal, and note the deadline.
• File what your state asks, in the way it asks (a letter, the state's form or an online system). Keep a copy and any acknowledgement.
• Tell the school in writing that your child is leaving to be taught at home, with the date. Some states set out how; in others a short dated letter is the usual way.
• Ask for a copy of your child's records: report cards, test results, and any evaluations or plans.
• If your child has an IEP or a 504 plan, ask the district what, if anything, it offers homeschooled students before you leave.
• Start your own records on the first day you teach.

Your state's page

Each state page below gives that state's rule with its source, and a letter to the school you can fill in and print. Nothing you type into it is stored or sent.