Guide
How to Withdraw Your Child From School to Homeschool
Published
To withdraw your child from public school to homeschool, check your state’s compulsory-school age and filing rule, then send any required notice to the named official by its deadline. Thirty-seven states require a homeschool notice; 13 do not, including Alaska, Connecticut, and Idaho.
Homeschool notice rules set out who files, where the notice goes, and when it is due. School and district withdrawal paperwork is a separate process, and each school handles it differently. Check your state’s page and ask the school what it needs to close your child’s enrollment.
- NNo routine notice required (13)
- YNotice required (37)
Key Takeaways
- Check the compulsory-school age and homeschool filing rule for your state.
- Send any required notice to the right official by the state deadline.
- Give the school written notice and request your child’s records.
Before You Withdraw: Check Your State's Rules
Check your state’s homeschool rules before your child’s last day at school, because some states require notice before home instruction begins. The notice may go to a state agency, school superintendent, district, or other official.
The homeschool notice and the school’s withdrawal paperwork serve separate purposes. States and districts handle school withdrawal forms differently, so ask the school what it requires and check your state’s page for the homeschool rules.
Step 1: Confirm Compulsory School Age
Check whether your child is within your state’s compulsory school-age range before choosing a withdrawal date. The age range differs across states, Washington's range starts at 8, Delaware's ends at 16 and Texas runs to 19; the state-by-state checklist below gives the range for every state.
If your child is within that range, follow the state’s rules for providing education, including any required homeschool notice. If your child is near the start or end of the compulsory age range, confirm the rule on your state’s page before ending enrollment.
Step 2: File Your State's Homeschool Notice
If your state requires a homeschool notice, file it with the named official by the deadline for your situation. Deadlines may be tied to the start of home instruction, the school year, or the date you withdraw your child.
Several states tie the deadline to the withdrawal itself. Delaware asks you to register before withdrawing, Arkansas wants notice five school days before an in-year withdrawal (the district can waive the wait), Kentucky within two weeks of withdrawing, Nevada within 10 days after formally withdrawing, and Minnesota within 15 days of withdrawing a child over 7.
Thirteen states, including Connecticut and Idaho, have no standing homeschool notice rule, though a few, such as Texas and Wyoming, ask for notice when a child is withdrawn from school. The checklist gives the deadline and recipient for each state. A homeschool notice is separate from school withdrawal paperwork, so check with the school about its process as well.
Step 3: Tell the School in Writing
Send the school a written withdrawal notice so staff have a dated record of your child’s departure. Clear written notice helps the school update attendance and enrollment records and reduces the risk that later absences are treated as truancy.
In Kansas, parents must tell the child's previous school about the transfer, or that school must report the child as truant. In Massachusetts, removing a child without an approved home education plan counts as truancy.
Schools and districts handle withdrawal paperwork differently. Ask the school which form or details it needs, and keep a copy of your message and any response.
You can adapt this homeschool withdrawal letter:
Subject: Withdrawal of [Child’s Full Name]
Dear [Principal or School Office],
I am withdrawing my child, [Child’s Full Name], from [School Name] to begin homeschooling. Please update the school’s enrollment and attendance records and let me know what withdrawal paperwork you require.
Please also tell me how to request my child’s records.
Sincerely,
[Parent or Guardian Name]
[Date]
Step 4: Request Your Child's Records
Ask the school how to request your child’s education records as part of the withdrawal process. A written request gives you a record of what you asked for and helps you track the school’s response.
Ask how to receive the records and whether the school needs a form or other details to process your request. Keep the records with your homeschool documents for future reference.
State-by-State Withdrawal Checklist
Use this checklist to find your state’s notice rule, deadline, recipient, and compulsory school-age range. State rules differ, so open the linked state page to confirm what applies to your child and withdrawal date.
| State | Notice rule and timing | Recipient or filing details | Compulsory school ages |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Yes. Private tutor: before instruction begins, with an enrollment report by the fifth day of the public school year and attendance reports at least weekly after that. Church school: state law does not specify a deadline beyond filing the enrollment form. | County or city superintendent of education for the area where the child lives or is taught. | 6 to 17 |
| Alaska | No notice for parent-taught home education. For the exempt private or religious school option, file an enrollment notice every year. | No recipient for parent-taught home education. | 7 to 16 |
| Arizona | Yes. Once, within 30 days after homeschooling begins. The county must be told within 30 days if homeschooling ends. | County school superintendent where the family lives. A new affidavit is needed only if homeschooling stops and later restarts. | 6 to 16 |
| Arkansas | Yes. By August 15 each school year, or five school days before an in-year withdrawal; the superintendent or school board can waive the wait. Families moving into a district file within 30 calendar days of establishing residency. | Resident school district superintendent. File through the state’s online Notice of Intent system or by email, mail, fax, or in person. | 5 to 17 |
| California | Yes. Every year between October 1 and October 15. | California Department of Education. | 6 to 18 |
| Colorado | Yes. 14 days before the program starts, then every year it continues. Notice is not required before the child turns 6 or after the child turns 16. | Any school district in Colorado. | 6 to 17 |
| Connecticut | No notice specified in state law. | Not specified in state law. | 5 to 18 |
| Delaware | Yes. Register before withdrawing a child from public school. Attendance is due by July 31 each year. State law requires the fall enrollment statement no later than September 30. Agency guidance says the enrollment window closes October 5, or the Friday before if October 5 falls on a weekend, and quotes an older October 5 version of the law. Agency guidance also says families do not have to open a homeschool for a child who is 16 or older. The age range in law is 5 through 16. | Delaware Department of Education. | 5 to 16 |
| Florida | Yes. Within 30 days of starting the program. A termination notice is due within 30 days of ending it, along with the annual evaluation. | District school superintendent in the county where the family lives. | 6 to 16 |
| Georgia | Yes. Within 30 days of starting the program and by September 1 each year after. | Georgia Department of Education, online or by email, fax, or mail. | 6 to 16 |
| Hawaii | Yes. Before homeschooling begins. Do not refile each year once progress reports are in. Send a new notice to the new school if the child moves to another school’s area or changes school level, such as elementary to middle school. | Principal of the local public school the child would otherwise attend. | 5 to 18 |
| Idaho | No notice specified in state law. | Not specified in state law. | 7 to 16 |
| Illinois | No notice required. | Voluntary filing with the Illinois State Board of Education or the Regional Office of Education. | 6 to 17 |
| Indiana | No notice specified in state law. | Optional enrollment report to the Indiana Department of Education. | 7 to 18 |
| Iowa | No notice required. Form A is due by September 1 of the school year. | Child’s resident school district. | 6 to 16 |
| Kansas | Yes. Once, when the school is set up. KSDE asks families to mark the school Non-Active when it closes. Parents must also tell the child’s previous school about the transfer, or that school must report the child as truant. | Kansas State Board of Education through KSDE’s online nonaccredited private school form. | 7 to 18 |
| Kentucky | Yes. Within the first two weeks of the school year, or within two weeks of withdrawing the child from public school. Send it again every year. | Superintendent of the local school district where the family lives. | 6 to 16 |
| Louisiana | Yes. Approved home study: within 15 days after the program begins, then a renewal by October 1 or within 12 months of the first approval, whichever is later. Nonpublic school not seeking approval: once a year. | Louisiana Department of Education, for BESE. | 5 to 18 |
| Maine | Yes. Within 10 calendar days after home instruction begins; the DOE says by September 1 if starting in the fall. Then file each year by September 1. | Local school officials of the child’s administrative unit and the Commissioner of Education. | 6 to 17 |
| Maryland | Yes. At least 15 days before home instruction begins, then annually before each school year. | Local superintendent of schools for the county where the child lives. | 5 to 18 |
| Massachusetts | Yes. Before homeschooling begins. The plan must be approved in advance; removing a child without an approved plan counts as truancy. | Superintendent or school committee of the district where the child lives. | 6 to 16 |
| Michigan | No notice required for home education. | No notice required for home education. | 6 to 18 |
| Minnesota | Yes. By October 1 of the first school year after the child turns 7; within 15 days of withdrawing a child over 7 from public school; within 15 days of moving out of a district and by October 1 after a new district is set; then every October 1. | Superintendent of the school district where the child lives. | 7 to 17 |
| Mississippi | Yes. Every year by August 15. A child enrolled in public school at the start of the year may move to home instruction later and file the certificate then. A parent found out of compliance has 10 days after written notice to fix it. | School attendance officer for the area where the child lives. | 6 to 17 |
| Missouri | No notice specified in state law. | Public school district where the child lives when withdrawing a child. | 7 to 17 |
| Montana | Yes. Each school fiscal year the child attends the home school. | County superintendent of schools in the county where the home school is located. | 7 to 16 |
| Nebraska | Yes. When the exempt school begins, then every year by July 15. If delaying entry for a child who turns 7 during the school year, file before the child’s seventh birthday. | Nebraska Commissioner of Education, Exempt School Program office, online or by mail or drop-off. | 6 to 18 |
| Nevada | Yes. Before homeschooling begins, within 10 days after formally withdrawing from public school, or within 30 days after moving to Nevada. Send a new notice within 30 days of a change in the parent’s or child’s name or address. Annual renewal is not specified in state law. | Superintendent of schools of the district where the child lives. | 6 to 18 |
| New Hampshire | Notice only when withdrawing from a public school or seeking access to public school programs. | Not specified in state law. | 6 to 18 |
| New Jersey | No notice specified in state law. | Local board of education when notice is given. | 6 to 16 |
| New Mexico | Yes. Within 30 days of starting the home school, then on or before August 1 each later year. The yearly filing window opens June 1. | New Mexico Public Education Department through its online home school system or the paper form if you cannot register online. | 5 to 18 |
| New York | Yes. By July 1 each year, or within 14 days of starting home instruction or moving into the district mid-year. The IHIP is due within four weeks of receiving the district’s form, or by August 15, whichever is later. | Superintendent of the local school district. | 6 to 16 |
| North Carolina | Yes. At least five business days before starting, or before the child turns 7; file once when the home school opens. The division accepts new notices only after July 1 and not in May or June. A closing notice is due when the school stops operating. | North Carolina Division of Non-Public Education, Department of Administration, preferably through its online system. | 7 to 16 |
| North Dakota | Yes. At least five days before home education begins, or within 14 days of moving into a district, then once every year. | Superintendent of the child’s school district of residence, or the county superintendent if the district has no superintendent. | 7 to 16 |
| Ohio | Yes. Within five calendar days after starting home education, moving into a new district, or withdrawing from a school, then every year by August 30. | Superintendent of the school district where the child lives. | 6 to 18 |
| Oklahoma | No notice specified in state law. | Not specified in state law. | 5 to 18 |
| Oregon | Yes. The state education department says within 10 days of withdrawing the child from school or of the start of the school year. | Education service district that contains the child’s resident school district. | 6 to 18 |
| Pennsylvania | Yes. Before the program starts, then every year by August 1. | Superintendent of the school district where the family lives. | 6 to 18 |
| Rhode Island | Yes. Before home instruction begins; approval is required first. | School committee of the city or town where the child lives. Contact the local superintendent’s office. | 6 to 18 |
| South Carolina | Yes. Option One: before home instruction starts, through the district’s application process. Associations report their numbers by January 30 each year. | Option One: board of trustees of the school district where the child lives. | 5 to 17 |
| South Dakota | Yes. Within 30 days of first starting alternative instruction. File again within 30 days if the child enrolls in a public or nonpublic school or moves to a different district. | South Dakota Department of Education or local school district; the online system notifies both. | 6 to 18 |
| Tennessee | Yes. Any time for the first year; before the start of each school year after that. | Local school district where the family lives, usually its home school coordinator. | 6 to 17 |
| Texas | No notice unless a district asks or the child is being withdrawn from public school. | Local school district, if it asks. | 6 to 19 |
| Utah | Yes. When the parent withdraws an enrolled child to homeschool or chooses not to enroll a school-age child. File once per child; no yearly filing. | Local school board of the child’s district of residence. | 6 to 18 |
| Vermont | Yes. At least 10 business days before home study begins, then an annual notice of intent to continue each year before the start date. Report withdrawal from home study in writing within 10 business days. | Secretary of Education, Agency of Education Home Study Office. The office sends written acknowledgment within 10 business days of a complete notice. | 6 to 16 |
| Virginia | Yes. Every year by August 15. Families who move in or start after the school year begins notify as soon as practicable and meet the rest of the law within 30 days. | Division superintendent of the local school division, not the Virginia Department of Education. | 5 to 18 |
| Washington | Yes. Every year by September 15, or within two weeks of the start of any public school quarter, trimester, or semester. | Superintendent of the public school district where the family lives, or of a nonresident district that accepts the child as a transfer student. | 8 to 18 |
| West Virginia | Yes. Once, before home instruction begins, or on or before the start date if the child is leaving public school. File a new notice after moving to another county and tell the superintendent when home instruction ends. | County superintendent or county board of education. | 6 to 17 |
| Wisconsin | Yes. Every school year, on or before October 15. | Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. | 6 to 18 |
| Wyoming | No notice except when a child under 18 is withdrawn from a school. | Local school district. | 7 to 16 |
Open your state’s page before filing to confirm the requirements for your child’s homeschool option and withdrawal date.
Rules come from each state's official sources as recorded on our state guides. Requirements change, so confirm with the official source linked on each state guide before you file.