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 and hours fill in from the lessons you check off, so the documents above come from records you already have.
Read the law yourself
Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction · HSLDA’s Washington summary
Not legal advicePlanning summaries in plain language, reviewed 2026-09-07. 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 If something here is out of date, tell us and we’ll fix it for every family in Washington.