Washington Homeschool Requirements: What WA Families Need to Know (2026)

Homeschooling in Washington is legal and well established—but the state does require specific filings, qualifications, and annual assessments. If you file with your local school district, keep the right records, and meet testing requirements, you can homeschool with confidence.

Quick answer: For children generally ages 8–18, Washington home-based instruction means an annual Declaration of Intent with your local school district, parent qualification (or certificated supervision), instruction in the required subjects for 180 school days or the equivalent hours (grades 1–12 are commonly described using the 1,000-hour private-school average; kindergarten uses a lower hour floor), an annual assessment, and records you keep. Throughline imports a Washington-specific compliance checklist when you set your student's state during setup.

This is parent-to-parent planning help based on the Revised Code of Washington—not legal advice. Confirm forms and local procedures with your district and OSPI’s home-based instruction page.

Deadline sketch (skimmers)

When	What
By September 15 (or within two weeks of a quarter / trimester / semester start if mid-year)	File Declaration of Intent with your district superintendent
During the year	Instruct toward 180 days or equivalent hours; cover required subjects
Each school year	Complete standardized test or certificated progress assessment; keep results in the child’s permanent records
Ongoing	Keep attendance/hours, subjects, assessment results, and district correspondence available

Is homeschooling legal in Washington?

Yes. Washington recognizes home-based instruction under state law (RCW 28A.200 and RCW 28A.225.010). Families using the home-based instruction option file with the local school district superintendent—not a separate statewide “homeschool license” desk.

Compulsory attendance generally covers children eight years of age and under eighteen. Younger children are outside that compulsory frame for Declaration purposes; confirm with your district if you are starting early.

The Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) publishes guidance and sample forms, but your school district is the filing authority for the Declaration of Intent and may have its own submission method.

What you're required to do in Washington

1. File a Declaration of Intent (annual)

Submit a Declaration of Intent to Provide Home-Based Instruction to the superintendent of the school district where the child lives (or a nonresident district that accepts the transfer).

• Deadline: By September 15 of the school year, or within two weeks of the beginning of any public school quarter, trimester, or semester if you begin mid-year (RCW 28A.200.010)
• Filed with: Your local school district (not OSPI as the day-to-day filing desk)
• Includes (at minimum): The child’s name and age, whether a certificated person will supervise the instruction, and the statement in the format prescribed by OSPI

Districts often post the form on their website. Confirm the current form and submission method (email, mail, or portal) with yours.

2. Meet parent qualification requirements

At least one parent providing instruction must be qualified by one of these paths:

• Supervised by a certificated teacher who meets with the student on a regular basis, or
• Completed 45 college-level quarter credits, or
• Completed a course in home-based instruction at a postsecondary institution or vocational-technical institute, or
• Been deemed sufficiently qualified by the local superintendent based on a special education need

You attest to qualification on the Declaration of Intent. Keep documentation available if your district requests it.

3. Provide required instruction (days or hours)

Home-based instruction must include planned, supervised instructional activities in the basic skills listed in statute, for a number of hours equivalent to the total annual program hours established for approved private schools (RCW 28A.225.010(4) pointing to RCW 28A.195.010):

• At least 180 school days, or the equivalent in annual instructional hours
• Private-school hour floors commonly used as that equivalent: about 1,000 hours for grades 1–12, and at least 450 hours for kindergarten

Instruction must cover these subjects (scope and emphasis appropriate to each child's age):

• Occupational education
• Science
• Mathematics
• Language
• Social studies
• History
• Health
• Reading
• Writing
• Spelling
• The development of appreciation of art and music

You do not submit a detailed curriculum plan to the state for approval, but you should be able to document that instruction occurred. The statute also says these quantity rules are to be liberally construed because home-based instruction is often less structured than a classroom day.

4. Complete an annual assessment

Each year you must complete one of the following:

• A standardized achievement test approved by the State Board of Education, administered by a qualified individual, or
• An annual academic progress assessment written by a certificated person currently working in the field of education

The test or written assessment must be made part of the child’s permanent records. The statute does not create a statewide “mail scores to the district by August 31” deadline. If the child later transfers, those records (and immunization records) follow the transfer rules in RCW 28A.200.010. If the assessment shows the child is not making reasonable progress for their age or stage, parents must make a good-faith effort to remedy the deficiency.

5. Maintain records

Keep records that demonstrate compliance—attendance or hours, subjects covered, assessment results, and any district correspondence. Washington does not require you to submit a full portfolio annually to the district in most cases, but you are responsible for having records available.

What you don't have to worry about in Washington

• No state curriculum approval — You choose your own materials and approach
• No mandatory state registration fee — Filing the Declaration of Intent is not a paid state license (districts do not charge a state fee for the declaration itself)
• No daily log submitted to the state — Washington does not require you to report daily lesson plans to OSPI, though keeping your own attendance and progress records is strongly recommended
• No homeschool "approval" before you start — File within the deadline window; you do not need pre-authorization from the state

Rules for special education, running start, or part-time public school enrollment have additional requirements—confirm those separately if they apply to your family.

How Throughline helps Washington homeschoolers

Throughline is built for families who want planning and compliance in one system—not a binder, a spreadsheet, and a separate calendar.

When you set a student's state to Washington during setup, Throughline imports a state-specific compliance checklist: Declaration of Intent deadlines, assessment reminders, record-keeping items, and other filings tied to your district context where applicable.

You can also:

• Log attendance and learning days as you go—no end-of-year scramble to count hours
• Track assignments, grades, and goals at the level of detail that fits each child
• Export ready-to-share reports when you need documentation for an evaluation or your own records

See our full compliance overview for how checklists work across all 50 states.

Throughline is planning and record-keeping software, not legal advice. Homeschool laws change and local districts may interpret them differently. Confirm all filing requirements, deadlines, and procedures with your school district, county office, or qualified counsel before submitting anything.