A. All children from eight to eighteen must be enrolled in the public school system unless they are home-based, or enrolled in a private school.
B. In order to homeschool, one of the parents must either 1) have 45 hours of college credits, or 2) attend a parent qualifying course, or 3) work with a certified teacher, or 4) be deemed qualified by the local school superintendent. A parent may also homeschool under an approved private school extension program. Please see Parent Qualifying Courses.
C. A parent must annually file a declaration of intent to homeschool with the local school superintendent. Filing must be done by September 15th or within two weeks of the beginning of any public school quarter, trimester or semester. The form must be in the format prescribed by the superintendent of public instruction and has to include the name and age of child and specify if a certified person will be supervising.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Please download printable “Declaration of Intent Form.” We highly recommend you use this form or the one provided by HLSDA.
D. The parent must have the child tested or assessed each year. The test must be a standardized test approved by the state board of education. (NOTE: This test is kept in your own files and not turned into the school district.)
Please see Testing Information & Resources for ways to fulfill this element of the law.
E. Home-based instruction “… consists of planned and supervised instructional and related educational activities, including a curriculum and instruction in the basic skills of occupational education, science, mathematics, language, social studies, history, health, reading, writing, spelling, and the development of an appreciation of art and music, provided for a number of hours equivalent to the total annual program hours per grade level established for approved private schools under RCW 28A.195.010 and 28A.195.040. RCW 28A225.010 …” (from Christian Homeschool Network – www.CHNow.org)
