Rhode Island Homeschool Withdrawal: Does It Work If You're Leaving Private School?

Most Rhode Island homeschool resources assume you are withdrawing from public school. If you are leaving a private school, several things work differently — and if you apply the public school process to a private school situation, you may end up doing more (or different) paperwork than you actually need.

Here is what changes and what stays the same.

The Public School Process, Briefly

Under RIGL §16-19-1 through §16-19-3, Rhode Island requires homeschooling families to submit a Letter of Intent to the superintendent of their local public school district and receive school committee approval before homeschooling is fully authorized. The withdrawal letter goes to the public school principal.

This process is designed around public school enrollment. It exists because the local school district is responsible for compulsory attendance compliance for all children in its geographic area — whether they attend public school, private school, or no school.

What Changes When You Leave Private School

When you withdraw from a private school, you do not send a withdrawal letter to the public school district. You notify the private school directly — typically a simple written notice to the head of school or admissions director, stating your child's last day of enrollment.

The private school has no legal authority over your homeschool program and is not part of the approval process. Your relationship with the private school ends when you give notice.

What does not change: You still must submit a Letter of Intent to your local public school district superintendent and receive school committee approval before homeschooling. This requirement applies to all Rhode Island families homeschooling regardless of where the child was previously enrolled.

The local public school district is your compulsory attendance authority. Even if your child has never set foot in a public school, the public school district must still approve your homeschool program.

The Practical Steps for Private-to-Home

1. Notify the private school that your child will not be returning. Check your enrollment contract for notice requirements — some schools require 30 or 60 days written notice, or charge tuition through the end of a term. This is a contractual issue, not an educational law issue.

2. Prepare and submit your LOI to the superintendent of your local public school district. The LOI requirements are the same regardless of your child's prior school type: required subjects, instructional plan, parent qualifications, assessment method.

3. Begin instruction once you have submitted the LOI. You do not wait for committee approval, and you do not wait for the private school's academic calendar to align with your withdrawal date.

4. Attend or monitor the school committee meeting where your LOI will be reviewed. Approval is typically granted at the next regular meeting.

Does the Private School Share Records?

When a child leaves public school, the district retains enrollment records and attendance history. Private schools operate differently — there is no mandatory transfer of records to the public school district.

If your child has an IEP or 504 plan from their time at private school (some private schools do develop these), be aware that IEP services through the public school district may or may not carry over. Under Kimberly J. v. Coventry (2000), Rhode Island courts confirmed that children with IEPs can be homeschooled. If your child has an IEP, discuss what, if any, services the public district is obligated to continue providing.

For children without special education needs, the records issue is simpler: get transcripts or grade reports from the private school for your own files, and move on.

One Common Confusion: Religious Schools

Some Rhode Island families leave Catholic or other religious private schools to homeschool with a faith-based curriculum. The approval process is the same — you still submit an LOI to the public school district. There is no religious exemption from the school committee approval requirement.

Your homeschool program can be faith-integrated. The LOI just needs to show that the secular required subjects (reading, writing, geography, arithmetic, history, government, health, PE) are covered. "We use Sonlight curriculum, which integrates Christian worldview throughout our history and literature instruction" is fine as a description. What the committee is checking is subject coverage, not curriculum philosophy.

What the Private School Cannot Do

The private school cannot:

• Report your child as truant to the public district
• Require you to complete a form before withdrawal takes effect
• Withhold records needed for your homeschool program

What the private school can do:

• Enforce contractual notice periods for tuition purposes
• Require you to return school-issued materials (uniforms, devices, etc.)

Your homeschool process does not depend on the private school's cooperation or timeline. Separate the contractual relationship with the private school from the legal process of establishing a homeschool program under state law.

Whether you are transitioning from public or private school, the LOI and school committee process in Rhode Island is the same. The Rhode Island Legal Withdrawal Blueprint includes templates and guidance built around the state's approval-based framework.

See more United States homeschool guides →