Homeschool requirements · Washington
Homeschooling in Washington
Moderate paperwork · A notice and a yearly assessment or records check.
File a declaration of intent each year, meet a parent qualification, teach the required subjects, and test or assess annually.
What Washington asks
| Notice | Annual declaration of intent to the local superintendent by September 15 or within two weeks of starting. |
|---|---|
| Days and hours | 180 days, 1000 hours a year |
| Subjects | Occupational Education, Science, Math, Language, Social Studies, History, Health, Reading, Writing, Spelling, Art & Music Appreciation |
| Assessment | Annual standardized test or assessment by a certified teacher; results kept in the family's records. |
| Records to keep | Test results, immunization records, and academic progress records. |
| Parent qualification | 45 college credits, a parent-qualifying course, supervision by a certified teacher, or superintendent approval. |
| Worth knowing | Hour totals follow public-school equivalents; 1,000 hours is a common planning target. |
Deadlines
These are the dates the app tracks for Washington. Districts vary; the app lets you edit any of them.
| What | When | To whom | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Declaration of intent Notice · Mail it | By September 15 each year | District superintendent | Or within two weeks of starting mid-year. |
| Annual test or assessment Assessment · Keep in your files | By the end of the school year | Keep in your files | Standardized test or assessment by a certified teacher; results stay in your records. |
What HomeSchool Scribe does in Washington
- Declaration of intent: Prepares the notice letter; reminds you 14 days and 2 days before; lets you mark it filed with the date.
- Annual test or assessment: Prepares the report card and the transcript; reminds you 14 days and 2 days before; keeps it in records.
Attendance, hours, and grades fill in from the lessons you check off, so the documents above come from records you already have. Records are kept for 1 years, the period Washington asks for.
Read the law yourself
Not legal advicePlanning summaries in plain language, reviewed 2026-09-02. Deadlines and recipients vary by district; confirm with Washington’s current law or a homeschool legal organization before you file anything. If something here is out of date, tell us and we’ll fix it for every family in Washington.