How to Withdraw Your Child from School in Vermont: The Complete Sequence

The single biggest mistake Vermont families make when withdrawing from school is doing it in the wrong order. They tell the principal first, pull their child out, and only then start researching the legal paperwork — by which point their child has already accumulated unexcused absences and the school is asking questions. Vermont law is specific about sequence, and getting the sequence wrong has real consequences: truancy proceedings, DCF involvement, and a paper trail that makes everything harder.

Here is the correct order, explained step by step.

Step 1: File Your Notice of Enrollment with the Vermont AOE

Before your child misses a single day of school, you must submit a Notice of Enrollment (sometimes called a Notice of Intent) to the Vermont Agency of Education. This is required under 16 V.S.A. § 166b and is the document that legally establishes your home study program.

The AOE portal opens annually in early July for the following school year. Mid-year enrollments are accepted until May 1. If you are starting outside the July opening — which is common for families making decisions mid-year — you submit a mid-year Notice of Enrollment through the same portal.

The Notice of Enrollment asks for:

• Your child's full legal name, date of birth, and age
• Contact information for all parents or guardians with educational decision-making authority
• Attestations that you will provide 175 days of instruction, develop a Minimum Course of Study covering required subjects, and conduct a year-end assessment using one of the five approved methods
• An Independent Professional Evidence (IPE) form if your child has a documented disability and has not previously been enrolled in a Vermont public school

Do not leave any fields blank. The AOE reviews for completeness — an incomplete form goes back to you and resets the clock.

Step 2: Wait for AOE Acknowledgment — and Keep Your Child in School

After you submit, Vermont law gives the AOE up to 10 business days to review and acknowledge your enrollment. This is not a suggestion. Your home study program is not legally active until one of two things happens: you receive the AOE's acknowledgment letter, or the 10-business-day window lapses without a response.

During those 10 business days, your child must continue attending school. Every absence is unexcused until the AOE acknowledgment is in hand. Vermont's compulsory attendance statute (16 V.S.A. § 1121) covers children ages 6 through 16. Accumulating unexcused absences can trigger truancy protocols and, in serious cases, DCF/CHINS proceedings. Families who pull their child out immediately after filing — without waiting — expose themselves to exactly this risk.

This is commonly called the "truancy trap." It is avoidable simply by waiting.

The AOE's turnaround under the streamlined Act 66 system is generally faster than the old system was, but build in the full 10 days as a buffer. Do not plan your child's last day of school until you have the acknowledgment email saved.

Step 3: Send the Withdrawal Letter to the School

Once you have the AOE acknowledgment, you send a formal written notice to your child's school. Address it to the principal by name, date it, and send it via certified mail with return receipt requested. Certified mail creates a dated, signed proof of delivery — the receipt is your protection if the school ever disputes when they received the notice.

The letter needs to accomplish four things:

1. State clearly that you are withdrawing your child, with a specific effective date. Don't leave the date vague — pick a date that follows the AOE acknowledgment.
2. Cite the legal basis — reference 16 V.S.A. § 166b and state that your child is enrolled in a home study program under Vermont law.
3. Reference the AOE acknowledgment — include the acknowledgment date. This is what converts the withdrawal from a potentially unauthorized absence into a legal transition.
4. Request your child's school records — cumulative record, transcripts, attendance history, standardized test scores, and any IEP or 504 documents. Request delivery within 10 business days.

Keep a copy of everything: the letter, the certified mail receipt, the return receipt once it comes back, and a copy of the AOE acknowledgment you referenced.

Withdrawing Mid-Year

Vermont places no restriction on mid-year withdrawal. Families can begin home study at any point during the academic year, as long as they follow the same sequence: file first, wait for acknowledgment, then withdraw.

The practical consideration with mid-year withdrawal is timing around holidays and school breaks. The AOE portal processes notices on business days. If you file in late December during a school holiday closure, the 10-business-day count doesn't begin running until staff return. Plan accordingly. A mid-year start in January, for example, works best if you file the Notice of Enrollment in mid-December and give yourself buffer time before any planned last day of attendance.

Mid-year withdrawal also affects your 175-day count. If your child starts home study in February, you're not counting from July — you're counting instructional days from your official home study start date through the end of your academic year. Keep your attendance log from day one.

Withdrawing from a Vermont Private School

The legal sequence is the same: file with the AOE, wait for acknowledgment, then send the withdrawal letter to the school. What's different is the contract dimension.

Most Vermont private schools — independent schools, Catholic schools, Waldorf schools — have enrollment agreements with financial terms. Common clauses include:

• Non-refundable enrollment deposits
• Semester tuition obligations that survive mid-year withdrawal
• Advance notice requirements (typically 30, 60, or 90 days) with financial penalties for shorter notice
• Conditions governing tuition refunds

These clauses affect your financial obligation, not your legal right to withdraw. You can remove your child from a private school on any date you choose after the AOE acknowledges your enrollment. The school cannot hold your child's enrollment hostage over money owed. What they can do is pursue the outstanding tuition through normal collection or small claims channels.

Before sending the withdrawal letter, read the enrollment contract carefully. Calculate what you owe under the contract terms, and decide whether to negotiate a reduced obligation, pay what's owed, or let the dispute run its course. Include a records request in your letter regardless — you are entitled to your child's academic records even if there is a financial dispute with the school.

What Happens After Withdrawal

Once the school receives your letter and your child's final day has passed, your home study program is active. Your obligations under Vermont law are:

• 175 days of instruction in all required subjects under your MCOS
• A year-end assessment using one of the five approved options: parent portfolio review (four work samples per subject minimum), Vermont-certified teacher evaluation, standardized test, online academy grades, or GED
• Record retention — assessment records must be kept for at least two years; for high schoolers, keep permanently

You do not need to submit lesson plans, grades, or attendance logs to anyone. Vermont's system under Act 66 operates on attestations and private record-keeping. The AOE does not audit your teaching. Your records are yours.

The Vermont Legal Withdrawal Blueprint provides a complete withdrawal packet: the Notice of Enrollment checklist, a withdrawal letter template pre-built to reference the correct statute, a private school withdrawal variant with contract clause guidance, and an IEP revocation addendum for families with special education students. Everything is organized around Vermont's specific sequence — not a generic form from another state that doesn't account for the 10-day AOE waiting period.

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