Washington homeschool requirements
Washington requires an annual declaration of intent by September 15, a qualified parent-teacher, instruction in eleven required subjects, and annual testing or a certified-teacher assessment kept privately by the family.
Program
United States — Washington · Washington Home-Based Instruction
What the Washington process looks like
1.Establish the program
File the declaration of intent (by Sept 15)
File a signed declaration of intent annually by September 15 (or within two weeks of the start of a public-school term) with the local district superintendent, giving the child's name and age. Meet a parent-qualification: 45 college quarter credits, a parent-qualifying course, being supervised by a certified teacher, or a district ruling that the parent is qualified.
Withdraw from prior school (if applicable)
Withdraw the child from any current school.
2.During the year
Teach the eleven required subjects
Provide instruction in reading, writing, spelling, language, math, science, social studies, history, health, occupational education, and art and music appreciation.
3.End of year
Test or obtain an assessment
Each year either administer an approved standardized achievement test (by a qualified person) or obtain a written assessment from a Washington-certified teacher. Results are private and are NOT reported to the state or district.
Sources · Last reviewed 2026-07
Take the Washington checklist with you
The same phases and tasks as a one-page PDF you can print, plus the app that tracks them for you.