DC Homeschool Notification of Intent: How to File with OSSE

Before your child's first day of home instruction in the District of Columbia, you have one non-negotiable administrative task: file a Notification of Intent to Homeschool with the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE). Submit it late, submit the wrong form, or submit it without the required supporting information, and you're not legally homeschooling — you have a child who is truant.

This guide explains exactly how the OSSE notification process works, what you need to submit, and what happens after you file.

What the OSSE Notification of Intent Actually Is

The Notification of Intent to Homeschool is the official DC government form that opens your legal homeschool program. It's not a letter you write yourself, and it's not a form from a national homeschool organization. It's a specific form administered through the OSSE DC Homeschool Portal — the online system through which all DC home instruction notifications are processed.

DC law requires that you file this notification at least 15 business days before the first day you intend to begin home instruction. Business days means Monday through Friday, excluding weekends and official DC government holidays. In practice, 15 business days usually equals three to four calendar weeks depending on when you file relative to holidays.

This is not a rubber-stamp process. OSSE actively reviews your submission during that 15-day window, and only when they issue a verification letter by email is your child legally authorized to begin homeschooling. There is no legal shortcut around the waiting period.

How to Access the OSSE Homeschool Portal

Everything is handled online through the OSSE DC Homeschool Portal. You do not mail forms, walk into an OSSE office, or call to register. The portal is the single access point for:

• Filing an initial Notification of Intent to Homeschool
• Filing an annual Notification of Homeschool Continuation (due August 15 each year)
• Filing a Notification to Discontinue Homeschooling (required 15 business days before you stop)

Create an account, complete the notification form, and submit. OSSE will email you the verification letter once the 15-business-day review period concludes.

If the portal is experiencing technical problems and your filing deadline is tight, document your attempts — screenshot timestamps showing when you tried to access the system — in case you need to demonstrate good-faith compliance later.

What the OSSE Homeschool Notification Form Requires

The osse homeschool notification form collects the following information:

About the child:

• Full legal name, date of birth, and current grade level
• Current school name and address (if currently enrolled)
• Intended start date for home instruction

About the instructor:

• The parent or legal guardian's full name — DC law requires that home instruction be provided by the child's own parent or legal guardian. You cannot use this registration to provide instruction to a neighbor's children.
• Confirmation that the instructor holds a high school diploma or GED

About the program:

• Acknowledgment that your program will cover the eight subjects mandated by DC law: language arts, mathematics, science, social studies, art, music, health, and physical education
• Confirmation that instruction will occur during the period when DC public schools are in session

Diploma documentation: DC requires that the primary instructor hold a high school diploma or GED equivalent. You will need to confirm this during the notification process. If you do not hold a diploma or its equivalent, you can petition OSSE for a waiver under 5-E DCMR § 5207.2 — but this petition must provide substantial documented evidence of your capability to provide thorough education, and you should submit it alongside your initial notification rather than after the fact.

The 15-Business-Day Waiting Period: What It Means Practically

The day you submit your notification is Day 1. OSSE then has 15 business days to review and process it. Your child must continue attending their current public or charter school every single day during this window.

This is the part that surprises most parents. You have filed the paperwork. You have mentally committed to homeschooling. But for three to four more calendar weeks, your child walks into a school you've already decided to leave, because withdrawing them before you receive the OSSE verification letter means every absent day is unexcused.

DC's truancy enforcement is aggressive. For children aged 5–13, 10 unexcused absences within an academic year triggers a mandatory referral to the Child and Family Services Agency (CFSA) for an educational neglect investigation. For students aged 14–17, 15 unexcused absences leads to juvenile justice involvement through the Office of the Attorney General. These are not theoretical consequences — they're statutory mandates that schools are required to follow.

Keep your child in school. Wait for the email.

After OSSE Issues the Verification Letter

Once OSSE processes your notification, you'll receive a verification letter by email. This letter is your authorization to proceed with withdrawal. Do not skip this step — the letter is not just confirmation that you filed; it's the document you present to the school to legally effectuate the withdrawal.

With the verification letter in hand:

1. Submit the letter along with a written withdrawal notification to the school's principal or registrar
2. Request the immediate transfer of your child's cumulative academic, attendance, and health records
3. Get a date-stamped copy of your withdrawal letter from the registrar, or send it via certified mail

Home instruction can legally begin on the day after the school processes the withdrawal.

Common Mistakes That Create Legal Problems

Filing the notification and then pulling the child immediately. This is the most common and most dangerous error. The verification letter hasn't arrived yet. Your child is still legally enrolled. Keeping them home creates unexcused absences.

Using a generic letter-of-intent template from a national site. DC requires the official OSSE form through the OSSE portal. A self-written letter, no matter how thorough, does not substitute for the official form. OSSE will not process it.

Assuming DC rules match Maryland or Virginia. The DMV (DC-Maryland-Virginia) region shares geography but not homeschool law. Maryland parents can join an umbrella school to avoid state oversight. Virginia parents can use a religious exemption. Neither approach is valid in DC. DC requires direct OSSE notification, portfolio maintenance, instruction in eight specific subjects, and no religious exemption pathway. If you're reading a "DMV homeschool guide," check which state's laws it actually covers before you follow its instructions.

Missing the August 15 annual deadline. Every year you continue homeschooling, you must file a Notification of Homeschool Continuation by August 15. Missing this deadline doesn't immediately strip your homeschooling rights, but it puts you technically out of compliance and can generate truancy inquiries when the new school year begins and your child doesn't appear on any enrollment roster.

When You Decide to Stop Homeschooling

If you later decide to return your child to school, DC law requires that you file a Notification to Discontinue Homeschooling with OSSE at least 15 business days before your child returns to traditional school. Yes — the 15-business-day requirement applies to both the start and the end of a home instruction program.

Getting the Full Process Right

The OSSE notification is just the first document in a multi-step withdrawal process. You also need a properly formatted withdrawal letter for the school, the right language for requesting records, and a timeline that shows you exactly when each step must happen relative to when you filed.

The District of Columbia Legal Withdrawal Blueprint includes the complete filing timeline, a pre-written withdrawal letter template that meets DC's legal standard, and guidance on what to do if the school pushes back when you present your verification letter — so you're not figuring out the bureaucratic sequence under pressure.

See more United States homeschool guides →