Romeschool

Washington homeschool requirements

To homeschool in Washington, file a Declaration of Intent with your district by September 15, meet one of four parent-qualification options, provide ~1,000 hours, and complete an annual test or certified-teacher assessment (kept on file).

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

Moderate regulation Notice required Instruction time set Testing or evaluation
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Washington homeschool requirements at a glance

Notice
RequiredWhere it goes: The superintendent of the public school district where you live, or the superintendent of a nonresident district that accepts the child as a transfer — in which case the child is deemed a transfer student of that district (RCW 28A.200.010(1)(a)). When: By September 15 (or within 2 weeks of the start of a quarter/semester if starting mid-year).
Required subjects
Reading, Writing, Spelling, Language, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, History, Health, Occupational Education, Art & Music Appreciation
Instruction time
1,000 hours1,000 hours/year for grades 1–12 (450 for kindergarten), equivalent to ~180 days. (The '2,700 hours' figure sometimes cited is not in WA law.)
Testing or evaluation
Yes — annualAnnual assessment for all grades; results are kept by the family, not submitted. If progress is inadequate, the parent must make a good-faith effort to remedy it.
Records
Yes — assessment results, immunizations
Parent qualifications
Required
Compulsory attendance ages
8–18
Ways to homeschool
Independent (annual Declaration of Intent)
Law
RCW 28A.200.010; 28A.225.010
Official source
ospi.k12.wa.us ↗

Do I have to notify anyone to homeschool in Washington?

Yes. Washington requires homeschooling families to file a notice. Where it goes: The superintendent of the public school district where you live, or the superintendent of a nonresident district that accepts the child as a transfer — in which case the child is deemed a transfer student of that district (RCW 28A.200.010(1)(a)). How: A signed Declaration of Intent, filed every year, giving the child's name and age and saying whether a certificated person will be supervising the instruction. The statute requires it to be on a format prescribed by the Superintendent of Public Instruction; OSPI's guidance says to request that format from your school district superintendent's office. The declaration goes to the district, not to OSPI. When: By September 15 (or within 2 weeks of the start of a quarter/semester if starting mid-year). Re-filed annually.

What subjects does Washington require homeschoolers to teach?

Washington requires instruction in Reading, Writing, Spelling, Language, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, History, Health, Occupational Education, and Art & Music Appreciation. 11 subjects (RCW 28A.225.010(4)); they need not be taught separately — integrated unit studies are acceptable.

How many days or hours of instruction does Washington require?

Washington's rule: 1,000 hours/year for grades 1–12 (450 for kindergarten), equivalent to ~180 days. (The '2,700 hours' figure sometimes cited is not in WA law.)

Is standardized testing required to homeschool in Washington?

Yes. Washington requires a test or another accepted form of evaluation. How often: Annual (all grades, not grade-pegged). What is accepted: A State-Board-approved standardized achievement test administered by a qualified individual, or a written annual assessment by a Washington-certified teacher currently working in education. Annual assessment for all grades; results are kept by the family, not submitted. If progress is inadequate, the parent must make a good-faith effort to remedy it.

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

Washington requires these records: standardized test results or written assessment and immunization records. How long, or where they go: Kept on file (not submitted to the district). Assessment results become part of the child's permanent record, kept by the family. If the child transfers to another public or private school, RCW 28A.200.010(1)(b) makes it the parent's duty to forward the test scores or annual assessment, the immunization records, and any other records kept about the instruction to that school. On a transfer into a public school, the superintendent of the district the child enrolls in may require a standardized achievement test and decides grade and course placement, after consulting the parent and reviewing the records.

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

Yes. Washington sets a qualification for the parent who teaches. Meet one of four options (RCW 28A.225.010(4)): 45 college-level quarter credit hours in any field, or the equivalent in semester hours; a course in home-based instruction completed at a postsecondary institution or a vocational-technical institute — the statute sets no approval of that course by OSPI or a school district, and OSPI's guidance says the same, leaving the course's length, nature and approval to the school that offers it; supervision by a Washington-certificated person (certified under chapter 28A.410 RCW) who plans the objectives with you, averages one contact hour a week with the child (a monthly average, not a weekly floor) and evaluates the child's progress, and who may supervise no more than 30 children; or being deemed sufficiently qualified by the superintendent of the district where the child lives, though OSPI's guidance notes the statute does not clearly require a superintendent to review such a request. The first three options apply to a parent who is teaching their own child.

What ages does Washington's compulsory attendance law cover?

Washington's compulsory attendance law covers children from age 8 to age 18.

What are the ways to homeschool in Washington?

In Washington, families homeschool under this pathway: independent (annual Declaration of Intent).

Yes. Homeschooling is legal in Washington, as it is in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. To homeschool in Washington, file a Declaration of Intent with your district by September 15, meet one of four parent-qualification options, provide ~1,000 hours, and complete an annual test or certified-teacher assessment (kept on file).

How to get started in Washington

1
File a Declaration of Intent every year
File a signed Declaration of Intent by September 15 — or within two weeks of the start of a quarter or semester if you begin mid-year — with the superintendent of the school district where you live, or with the superintendent of a nonresident district that accepts your child as a transfer, in which case your child is deemed a transfer student of that district. The declaration gives your child's name and age, and it must say whether a certificated person will be supervising the instruction. The statute requires it to be on a format prescribed by the Superintendent of Public Instruction; OSPI's guidance says to request that format from your school district superintendent's office. It goes to the district, not to OSPI. Washington's compulsory attendance age runs from 8 to 18, and you re-file the declaration every year.
Official resource (ospi.k12.wa.us) →
2
Meet one parent-qualification option
The teaching parent must meet one of four options: 45 college-level quarter credit hours in any field, or the equivalent in semester hours; a course in home-based instruction completed at a postsecondary institution or a vocational-technical institute — the statute does not require OSPI or a school district to approve that course, and OSPI's guidance says the same, leaving the course's length, nature and approval to the school that offers it; supervision by a Washington-certificated person who plans the objectives with you, averages one contact hour a week with your child (a monthly average, not a weekly floor) and evaluates their progress, and who may supervise no more than 30 children; or being deemed sufficiently qualified by your local school district superintendent — OSPI's guidance notes the statute does not clearly require a superintendent to review such a request. The first three options apply to a parent teaching their own child.
3
Teach the 11 required subjects
Reading, writing, spelling, language, mathematics, science, social studies, history, health, occupational education, and art and music appreciation. They don't have to be taught as separate classes — integrated unit studies count.
4
Provide 1,000 hours a year
Provide 1,000 hours of instruction a year for grades 1–12 (450 hours for kindergarten) — roughly the equivalent of 180 school days. Keep your own record of hours. The '2,700 hours' figure sometimes cited is not in Washington law.
5
Annual test or assessment
Each year, either have your child take a State Board-approved standardized achievement test given by a qualified individual, or get a written assessment of their academic progress from a Washington-certified teacher currently working in education. Keep the results as part of your child's permanent record, along with immunization records — you don't submit them to the district. If your child later enrolls in another public or private school, it becomes your duty to forward the test or assessment results, the immunization records and any other records you kept about the instruction to that school; a public district your child enrolls in may also require a standardized achievement test, and it decides grade and course placement after consulting you and reviewing the records. If the results show your child isn't making adequate progress, you must make a good-faith effort to remedy it.
What Romeschool tracks for you: Hour tracking, assessment reminders, filing reminders.

Sources for Washington

Official source (ospi.k12.wa.us) ↗HSLDA's Washington summary ↗
Statute: RCW 28A.200.010; 28A.225.010
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 Washington’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 Washington:

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