Romeschool

Ohio homeschool requirements

To homeschool in Ohio, notify your district superintendent each year (by Aug 30) and teach six core subjects. As of HB 33 (Oct 2023) there is no academic-assessment requirement, no hours minimum, and no records mandate.

Last reviewed June 5, 2026 · corrected September 23, 2026 · Sources below

Moderate regulation Notice required
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Ohio homeschool requirements at a glance

Notice
RequiredWhere it goes: Superintendent of the resident school district. When: Within 5 calendar days of starting (or moving/withdrawing); annually by August 30.
Required subjects
English/Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, History, Government, Social Studies
Instruction time
NoneNo hours or days minimum under current ORC 3321.042. The separate nonchartered, non-tax-supported school route does set hours — 455 for part-time kindergarten, 910 for all-day kindergarten through grade 6, and 1,001 for grades 7-12 (ORC 3301.0732).
Testing or evaluation
NoHB 33 (eff. Oct 3, 2023) eliminated the prior annual academic-assessment requirement entirely — no testing, portfolio review, or progress report is required. Older sources describing an annual assessment are out of date.
Records
No
Parent qualifications
Not required
Compulsory attendance ages
6–18
Ways to homeschool
Two pathways
Law
ORC 3321.042 and ORC 3301.0732 (HB 33, 2023)
Official source
education.ohio.gov ↗

Do I have to notify anyone to homeschool in Ohio?

Yes. Ohio requires homeschooling families to file a notice. Where it goes: Superintendent of the resident school district. How: Written notice (paper or electronic; an official form exists but isn't required). When: Within 5 calendar days of starting (or moving/withdrawing); annually by August 30. The superintendent must acknowledge receipt in writing within 14 calendar days, and the exemption takes effect as soon as the notice is received. The notice itself is short: the parent's name and address, the child's name, and an assurance that the child will be educated in the required subjects (ORC 3321.042(C)).

What subjects does Ohio require homeschoolers to teach?

Ohio requires instruction in English/Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, History, Government, and Social Studies. HB 33 (eff. Oct 3, 2023) reduced the required subjects from 15 areas to these core subjects.

How many days or hours of instruction does Ohio require?

None. Ohio does not set a minimum number of instructional days or hours for homeschoolers. No hours or days minimum under current ORC 3321.042. The separate nonchartered, non-tax-supported school route does set hours — 455 for part-time kindergarten, 910 for all-day kindergarten through grade 6, and 1,001 for grades 7-12 (ORC 3301.0732).

Is standardized testing required to homeschool in Ohio?

No. Ohio does not require standardized testing for homeschooled students. HB 33 (eff. Oct 3, 2023) eliminated the prior annual academic-assessment requirement entirely — no testing, portfolio review, or progress report is required. Older sources describing an annual assessment are out of date.

What records do I need to keep to homeschool in Ohio?

Ohio does not require homeschooling families to keep specific records. No portfolio, curriculum submission, or academic records are required by statute on the notification route. A nonchartered, non-tax-supported school does report: it certifies each year to its parents that it meets the state's minimum standards and files a copy with the Department of Education and Workforce by September 30, and it reports its pupils to the school district treasurer in the first two weeks of the school year (ORC 3301.0732).

Do parents need a teaching certificate or other qualification to homeschool in Ohio?

No. Ohio does not set a general qualification for homeschooling parents. No credentials or degree required to teach your own children under the notification route. A nonchartered, non-tax-supported school is different: its teachers and administrators must hold at least a bachelor's degree or the equivalent (ORC 3301.0732).

What ages does Ohio's compulsory attendance law cover?

Ohio's compulsory attendance law covers children from age 6 to age 18.

What are the ways to homeschool in Ohio?

In Ohio, families homeschool under one of two pathways: independent (annual notification to the district superintendent, ORC 3321.042) and nonchartered, non-tax-supported school under ORC 3301.0732 — a school that declines a state charter because of truly held religious beliefs, with hours, subject, teacher-degree and September 30 reporting duties the notice route does not have.

Yes. Homeschooling is legal in Ohio, as it is in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. To homeschool in Ohio, notify your district superintendent each year (by Aug 30) and teach six core subjects. As of HB 33 (Oct 2023) there is no academic-assessment requirement, no hours minimum, and no records mandate.

How to get started in Ohio

1
Send a notice to your district superintendent
Send a written notice to the superintendent of the school district where you live within 5 calendar days of starting home education, withdrawing from school, or moving, and again by August 30 each year after that. It needs only your name and address, your child's name, and an assurance that your child will be educated in the required subjects (ORC 3321.042(C)). Paper or electronic both work; an official form exists, but you don't have to use it. Your exemption takes effect as soon as the superintendent receives the notice, and the superintendent must acknowledge receipt in writing within 14 calendar days — keep that acknowledgment.
Official resource (education.ohio.gov) →
2
Teach the six required subjects
English language arts, mathematics, science, history, government, and social studies. HB 33 cut the required list from fifteen areas down to these six. You don't have to submit your curriculum, and this route sets no minimum number of days or hours.
3
On this route: no hours, testing, or records
HB 33 (effective October 3, 2023) ended Ohio's old annual assessment. Under ORC 3321.042 there is no minimum number of days or hours, no standardized test, evaluation, or portfolio review, and no portfolio or academic records required by law. Guides that still describe an annual assessment are out of date. Ohio's other route is heavier and works differently: a nonchartered, non-tax-supported school under ORC 3301.0732 — which the statute frames around a school that declines a state charter because of truly held religious beliefs — owes yearly hours (455 for part-time kindergarten, 910 for all-day kindergarten through grade 6, 1,001 for grades 7-12), a longer subject list, teachers and administrators holding at least a bachelor's degree or the equivalent, a yearly certification to its parents that it meets the state's minimum standards with a copy filed with the Department of Education and Workforce by September 30, and a report of its pupils to the school district treasurer in the first two weeks of the school year. Almost every Ohio family uses the notice route above; read the statute before choosing the other one.
What Romeschool tracks for you: Annual notification reminder, subject coverage.

Sources for Ohio

Official source (education.ohio.gov) ↗HSLDA's Ohio summary ↗
Statute: ORC 3321.042 and ORC 3301.0732 (HB 33, 2023)
Last reviewed: June 5, 2026
Corrected: September 23, 2026, after re-reading the official source for what changed

Every requirement above comes from our review of Ohio’s rules, checked against these sources on June 5, 2026 and corrected on September 23, 2026 after re-reading the official source for what changed. Homeschool law changes, and a state can amend its rules between our reviews — read the official source before you file anything or rely on a date here. How we review state requirements.

Nearby states

States that share a border with Ohio:

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