Skip to the content
Peabody HomeschoolEvery homeschool law, plan, record and tool, free

Withdrawing from school to homeschool in Washington

How to take your child out of school to homeschool in Washington, 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 Washington'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 Washington asks of a new homeschool. By September 15 (or within two weeks of the start of a public school quarter, trimester or semester): File a signed declaration of intent with the superintendent of the district where you live. The state's form: Declaration of intent, in the format OSPI prescribes.Source: RCW 28A.200.010, home-based instruction duties of parents (Washington Legislature); OSPI: Home-Based Instruction
  2. Tell the school. We did not find a Washington 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 yearly test or assessment becomes part of the child's permanent records. If the child moves to another school, the parent makes sure the test scores or assessment, immunization records and any other records kept about the instruction go to the new school. We did not find a rule in the statute asking for other records.Source: RCW 28A.200.010, home-based instruction duties of parents (Washington Legislature)

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

Any parent whose child moves to a public school must forward the test scores or assessment, immunization records and other records kept. The district may require a standardized achievement test and decides the child's grade and course placement after talking with the parents and reviewing the records.

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 Washington.

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 Washington; 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.