Taking a child out of school, state by state
The order matters. In several states withdrawing before you have filed is what turns an ordinary decision into a truancy problem.
Do these in the right order
Almost every state expects the same two steps — establish the home program, and tell the school — but not in the same order, and getting it backwards is the single most common way a family ends up with a truancy letter.
In Massachusetts the approval must come first, and a child removed before it is granted is counted absent. Several states run a clock instead: notice is due within a fixed number of days of starting, and the clock begins the day the child stops attending, not the day you get round to it.
The first move, by state
| State | Start here |
|---|---|
| Alabama | Enroll the child in a church school (or set up/enroll in a private school), then file the church school enrollment form, countersigned by… |
| Alaska | Not required by law for home education by a parent, but it is wise to send the school a written notice that the child is withdrawing to be… |
| Arizona | Withdraw the child from the school and file the homeschool affidavit (with proof of identity, usually a certified birth certificate) with… |
| Arkansas | File the notice of intent (online or with the district). |
| California | Withdraw the child from the public school (informing the district avoids truancy confusion) and file the Private School Affidavit to… |
| Colorado | File the notice of intent with a school district at least 14 days before starting the home-based program, and notify the current school of… |
| Connecticut | Under current law there is no statutory withdrawal procedure for homeschooling; SDE asks parents to notify the district central office… |
| Delaware | Register the homeschool and enroll the child in it first; once DOE approves, download the Acknowledgement Letter from the NPS application… |
| District of Columbia | Tell the current school you intend to withdraw and file the Notification of Intent with OSSE (15 business days ahead). |
| Florida | File the notice of intent with the county superintendent's home education office (the program is established when filed), then notify the… |
| Georgia | File the declaration of intent with GaDOE and formally withdraw the child from the current school (follow the school's procedure, or send… |
| Hawaii | Submit Form 4140 or a letter of intent to the principal of the child's local public school; homeschooling begins on submission. |
| Idaho | No legal withdrawal procedure, but the State Department of Education advises notifying the school office in person or in writing… |
| Illinois | No formal state procedure. |
| Indiana | Tell the principal in writing that the child is withdrawing to homeschool (no state approval needed). |
| Iowa | Notify the school in writing that the child is withdrawing to private instruction (IPI or CPI); if using an option that requires Form A… |
| Kansas | Register the homeschool with KSDE, then notify the current school in writing that the child is transferring to a nonaccredited private… |
| Kentucky | Notify the local superintendent of your intent to homeschool within two weeks of withdrawal (names, ages, address of each child); the… |
| Louisiana | A public school cannot refuse a withdrawal. |
| Maine | File the Notice of Intent within 10 days of withdrawing (portal or paper form to the resident superintendent). |
| Maryland | Submit the MSDE notification form to the local superintendent (regulation says 15 days before starting; HSLDA says filing on the day of… |
| Massachusetts | Notify the district in writing, submit a home education plan, and wait for approval before removing the child. |
| Michigan | No legal requirement to notify, but MDE suggests telling the school (phone call or written note) so the child is not marked absent and… |
| Minnesota | For a child 7 or older, file the report with the resident superintendent within 15 days of withdrawing: child's name, birth date and… |
| Mississippi | Withdraw the child from the public school (a written notice is recommended) and file a certificate of enrollment marked 'home instruction'… |
| Missouri | Give the public school written notice that you intend to pursue another educational option under RSMo 167.031 and ask that the child be… |
| Montana | File the home school notice with the county superintendent. |
| Nebraska | File the exempt school election with NDE first (NDE advises withdrawing only after it has received your submission), then notify the… |
| Nevada | Formally withdraw the child from the public school (written notice recommended) and file the notice of intent with the district… |
| New Hampshire | Give the public school a signed declaration of home education (student's name, date of birth and current address, stating the child is… |
| New Jersey | For a high school student, complete the district's transfer form indicating intent to homeschool. |
| New Mexico | Register the home school with PED (online or paper) within 30 days of starting, and tell the current school the child is withdrawing to… |
| New York | Send the district superintendent a written letter of intent to homeschool within 14 days of starting. |
| North Carolina | File the Notice of Intent with DNPE online and wait for DNPE's acknowledgment (usually 3-5 business days) before withdrawing the child or… |
| North Dakota | File the statement of intent (with immunization record and proof of identity) with the district superintendent at least 5 days before… |
| Ohio | Send the district superintendent the notice (parent's name and address, child's name, assurance of instruction in the required subjects)… |
| Oklahoma | No statutory procedure. |
| Oregon | Notify your ESD in writing within 10 days of withdrawing the child. |
| Pennsylvania | File the affidavit/unsworn declaration with the attachments with your district superintendent; you may begin once it is filed (no district… |
| Rhode Island | Submit your request for home-instruction approval to the school committee/superintendent and formally withdraw the child from the school… |
| South Carolina | Enroll in your chosen option first (join SCAIHS or a 50+ member association, or obtain district approval under Option 1), then formally… |
| South Dakota | File the Alternative Instruction Notification (online or paper) within 30 days of starting homeschooling and let the school know the child… |
| Tennessee | Independent home school: file the Intent to Home School form (with proof of your diploma/GED) with your district's home school… |
| Texas | Give the school a signed, dated written withdrawal letter (or the district's withdrawal form) stating the child will be homeschooled and… |
| Utah | Send the district of residence's local school board a one-time notification (a letter of intent is fine) that you are withdrawing the… |
| Vermont | Submit the Notice of Intent (and report card or Independent Professional Evidence) to AOE at least 10 business days before starting; keep… |
| Virginia | Notify the school the child is leaving. |
| Washington | File a signed declaration of intent with the district superintendent (within two weeks of the start of the quarter/trimester/semester if… |
| West Virginia | Give the county superintendent a notice of intent (with a copy of your diploma or equivalent) on or before the day home instruction starts. |
| Wisconsin | Submit, or update, the online PI-1206 on or before the day your child stops attending. |
| Wyoming | Tell the school district in writing that you are enrolling the child in a home-based educational program. |
The opening step only. Each state page carries the rest of the sequence, what the district may and may not demand of you, and the deadline that follows.