Homeschooling in Oregon

Taking your child out of school in Oregon

First move: Notify your ESD in writing within 10 days of withdrawing the child.

Informing the school is courteous but the legal notice goes to the ESD, which must acknowledge it in writing within 90 days and reports homeschooled students to districts annually. No notice is required when you stop homeschooling; contact the ESD/school if the child returns.

The legal routes

3 routes exist in Oregon. They carry different duties, and families often do not know the alternatives to the obvious one.

Home schooling by parent or legal guardian

Exempt from compulsory attendance under ORS 339.030 when educated at home by a parent or legal guardian; requires written notice to the Education Service District (ESD) and testing in grades 3, 5, 8 and 10.

Private teacher

A child taught by a private teacher is also exempt; the same ESD notice and testing rules (ORS 339.035) apply.

Private school

Enrollment in a private or parochial school satisfies compulsory attendance; homeschool notice and testing rules do not apply.

The notice, and who receives it

Goes to

Your local Education Service District (ESD), the ESD that contains your resident school district

Deadline

Within 10 days of withdrawing the child from school, of the child reaching compulsory age (start of the school year), or of moving into a new ESD

Renews

one-time

Form

Written notification to the ESD (no single state form; many ESDs offer their own form or online submission). Must include child's and parent's names and address, child's birth date, and the school last attended (or resident district if never enrolled).

No official state form was found online for this route; the body above supplies it, or a letter serves.

Compulsory school age

6 to 18, unless the student has completed 12th grade. A child counts as 6 if the sixth birthday is on or before September 1 before the school year begins; if the child turns 6 after September 1, notice is not due until the next school year.

Teaching time

Oregon sets no required number of teaching hours or days, so what counts as a full year is yours to define. The courses here are planned as a 36-week year of about 180 sessions, which is the ordinary shape of one.

Who may teach

Oregon sets no qualification for the parent teaching at home: no teaching certificate, no college degree, and no requirement that you hold a high school diploma.

Testing and evaluation

Nationally normed achievement test from the State Board's approved list in grades 3, 5, 8 and 10, given by a qualified neutral person (from the ODE tester list; not related by blood or marriage). First test is at least 18 months after withdrawal from school, or by end of grade 3 if never enrolled; homeschooling less than one academic year needs no test.

Parent pays. Results go to the parent and must be sent to the ESD only if it asks. A composite score below the 15th percentile triggers a retest within a year; continued decline can lead the ESD superintendent to require licensed-teacher supervision (at parent expense) or school attendance for up to 12 months. Students with an IEP or privately developed plan are evaluated for progress under that plan instead.

Deadline: August 15 at the end of the testing year (grades 3, 5, 8, 10)

Records to keep

None required by law. Keep test results (the ESD can request them) and a copy of your notice and the ESD's acknowledgment.

High school, diplomas and transcripts

Parent issues the diploma/transcript; no state homeschool graduation requirements. Public high schools may decline to award credit for homeschool coursework on transfer.

ODE notes some colleges accept homeschool transcripts but some programs (military, apprenticeships, some scholarships) may want a GED.

Public school classes, sports and activities

Part-time enrollment in classes is at each district's discretion. Under ORS 339.460, districts must let homeschoolers join interscholastic activities (OSAA athletics, music, speech, etc.) at their resident school if they meet eligibility rules and score at or above the 23rd percentile on an approved test taken before the school year, or meet an alternative standard agreed with the district (e.g. portfolio).

For grades K-8 this covers only before/after-school activities.

Funding: education savings accounts, vouchers and tax credits

None known (no ESA, voucher or homeschool tax credit).

What changed recently

No enacted changes found for 2023-2026. 2025 HB 3624 (would have required ESDs to offer the required tests free, at least three times a year) passed the House but stalled in the Senate Education Committee without becoming law.

What we could not confirm

The 10-day notice and 90-day acknowledgment periods come from OAR 581-021-0026 (the statute requires notice and written acknowledgment without those time limits). HB 3624 (2025) shows as still in Senate Education Committee; it did not become law (2025 session ended).

Listed because a legal summary that hides its gaps is harder to trust than one that names them. How these pages are checked.

Statutes and sources

Statute and regulation

• ORS 339.010
• ORS 339.030
• ORS 339.035
• ORS 339.460
• OAR 581-021-0026
• OAR 581-021-0029
• OAR 581-021-0076

Statute text

• ORS 339.035 (oregon.public.law)
• ORS 339.010 (oregon.public.law)
• ORS 339.460 (oregon.public.law)
• OAR 581-021-0026 (oregon.public.law)
• Oregon Revised Statutes ch. 339 (2025 Edition, Oregon Legislature)

State agency

• Oregon Department of Education - Homeschool information for families
• Oregon Department of Education - Homeschool statutes and rules
• Oregon Legislature - HB 3624 (2025) overview

Secondary sources

• Coalition for Responsible Home Education - Oregon