Homeschooling in Ohio
Welcome, Ohio homeschool family. Ohio’s home-education process is straightforward: send a short notice to your resident district superintendent, teach six required subjects, and organize the records your family will need along the way. Here is how to begin with confidence.
Who this applies to
Ohio defines home education as education directed by a parent for a child who is at least six years old and under eighteen. A child receiving home education under ORC § 3321.042 is exempt from compulsory public-school attendance.
A child younger than six who has been enrolled in kindergarten is also considered of compulsory school age unless the child is formally withdrawn from kindergarten.
Send your home-education notice
Send the notice to the superintendent of your child’s school district of residence. Submit it within five calendar days after beginning home education, moving into a new district, or withdrawing your child from a public or nonpublic school. Submit a new notice by August 30 each year thereafter.
Your child’s exemption takes effect immediately when the superintendent receives the notice. You do not have to wait for permission or approval. The superintendent must send you a written acknowledgment within fourteen calendar days after receiving it.
What Ohio asks for
What Ohio asks for
- Compulsory age
- Initial notice
- Annual notice
- Where to send it
- Notice contents
- Required subjects
- Approval
- District response
- State form
How to handle it
- Generally beginning at age six and continuing while the child is under eighteen; a younger child enrolled in kindergarten remains compulsory unless formally withdrawn
- Send it within five calendar days after beginning home education, moving districts, or withdrawing from a public or nonpublic school
- Send a new notice by August 30 each year thereafter
- Transmit it to the superintendent of the child’s resident school district
- Provide the parent’s name and address, the child’s name, and assurance of instruction in all six required subjects
- Teach English language arts, mathematics, science, history, government, and social studies
- None; the exemption is effective immediately when the superintendent receives the notice
- The superintendent must provide written acknowledgment within fourteen calendar days
- Optional; a family may send its own written notice containing the three statutory items
What Ohio asks for
How to handle it
- Compulsory age
- Generally beginning at age six and continuing while the child is under eighteen; a younger child enrolled in kindergarten remains compulsory unless formally withdrawn
- Initial notice
- Send it within five calendar days after beginning home education, moving districts, or withdrawing from a public or nonpublic school
- Annual notice
- Send a new notice by August 30 each year thereafter
- Where to send it
- Transmit it to the superintendent of the child’s resident school district
- Notice contents
- Provide the parent’s name and address, the child’s name, and assurance of instruction in all six required subjects
- Required subjects
- Teach English language arts, mathematics, science, history, government, and social studies
- Approval
- None; the exemption is effective immediately when the superintendent receives the notice
- District response
- The superintendent must provide written acknowledgment within fourteen calendar days
- State form
- Optional; a family may send its own written notice containing the three statutory items
What the notice includes
Ohio law requires three things in the notice: the parent’s name and address, the child’s name, and an assurance that the child will receive instruction in English language arts, mathematics, science, history, government, and social studies. Those are the only notice contents identified in ORC § 3321.042; a curriculum outline is not part of the statutory notice.
The Ohio Department of Education and Workforce provides a one-page form, but using it is optional. Families may prepare their own written notice with the three statutory items. The Department form also contains a school-year blank, signature and date lines, and an optional privacy statement. Those additions are not statutory notice contents.
Subjects, testing, records, and hours
Provide instruction in Ohio’s six required subjects: English language arts, mathematics, science, history, government, and social studies. The current home-education statute does not prescribe a particular curriculum, daily schedule, or minimum number of instructional hours.
Ohio’s current home-education law does not require the former standardized testing, portfolio assessment, teacher-qualification, or curriculum-outline procedures. Families may still keep attendance, grades, work samples, course descriptions, and transcripts as practical academic records.
Parent-issued high school diplomas
Ohio law allows a parent or guardian to grant a high school diploma when the student completed the final year of education at home under ORC § 3321.042 and successfully fulfilled the high-school curriculum applicable to that student. Both conditions must be satisfied.
A diploma granted under ORC § 3313.6110 serves as proof that the student successfully completed the applicable high-school curriculum and satisfies legal requirements calling for that proof. For employment applications, it is considered proof of completion of a high-school education.
Your home base: SchoolhouseTeachers.com
Ohio keeps the legal notice concise while placing the educational plan in the parent’s hands. SchoolhouseTeachers.com gives your family curriculum and organizational tools in one HOME BASE.
One online family membership gives every child unlimited access to hundreds of online, self-paced courses from preschool through twelfth grade, all from a Biblical worldview, with graduation and college-preparation resources.
You will also find Virtual School Boxes, self-grading iST courses, World Book Online, and thousands of family-friendly videos.
The Homeschool Records & Compliance Center gives you tools to plan the year, document progress, and prepare the records that support a strong Ohio homeschool program:
- Education Plan Builder for mapping each child’s subjects and courses
- Custom Schedule Builder for organizing your instructional year
- Gradebook and report cards for tracking academic progress
- Portfolio Builder for collecting work samples
- Transcript tools for high-school planning and diploma documentation
- Applecore recordkeeping for grades, attendance, courses, and credits
- Certificates of Completion for documenting finished courses
One family membership. Every child in your HOME. No fee per child. No fee per course. No limits.
“SchoolhouseTeachers.com is just amazing! I’ve had my account for almost two years, and I still don’t think I’ve seen everything!”
Ammy Quinn, SchoolhouseTeachers.com member
Questions? Call 1.888.718.HOME or email
customerservice@theoldschoolhouse.com.
A real homeschooler answers.
Requirements vary and change. Confirm current requirements with the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce, your resident school district, and current Ohio law. SchoolhouseTeachers.com provides curriculum and recordkeeping tools. It is not a school, it is not accredited, and nothing on this page is legal advice.
Sources: ORC §§ 3321.01 and 3321.042; ORC § 3313.6110; Ohio Department of Education and Workforce Home Schooling page and Home Education Notification Form; H.B. 33, 135th General Assembly; H.B. 114 and H.B. 455, 136th General Assembly.
Last reviewed: August 2026
