Ohio asks for very little. Ohio is a light-touch state. There is something to file, and it is short. Below is exactly what, by when, and where it comes from in the code.

What you file, and by when

Yes. Annual written notification to the superintendent of the child's district of residence by August 30 each year, AND within 5 calendar days of first beginning home education, moving to a new district, or withdrawing from a public/nonpublic school. Contents required by statute are minimal: parent's name and address, child's name, and an assurance the child will be educated in the required subject areas. District must acknowledge receipt within 14 days (no approval/excusal letter anymore). NOTE: this replaced the pre-2023 regime; the old Notification of Intent with a curriculum outline, list of materials, and prior-year assessment is NO LONGER required by statute, though some districts still circulate legacy forms. Separate track: a family may instead operate as a nonchartered nonpublic school (OAC 3301-35-08), which has its own annual 'Report to Parents' filed with ODEW by September 30, teacher-degree, hours (910 K-6 / 1,001 grades 7-12) and broader curriculum requirements.

Days or hours

None for the home education option. ORC 3321.042 sets no minimum days or hours. The former 900-hour/yr requirement lived in the repealed OAC 3301-34 and no longer applies. (The nonchartered nonpublic school alternative does have hour minimums: 455 part-time K, 910 full-day K-6, 1,001 grades 7-12.)

Subjects you must cover

Six areas: English language arts, mathematics, science, history, government, and social studies (ORC 3321.042(A)(1)). Notably narrower than the repealed rule, which also listed health, PE, fine arts and first aid.

Records you keep

No state-mandated records for the home education option; nothing is submitted to the district beyond the annual notice. Parents should keep their own attendance, curriculum, grade and work-sample records for transcript, athletic-eligibility, College Credit Plus and college-admission purposes, and as a practical defense if truancy/educational-neglect questions arise (ORC 3321.042(E) preserves truancy exposure if evidence shows the required instruction is not being provided).

Testing or evaluation

None. Annual standardized testing or portfolio review by a licensed evaluator was eliminated by H.B. 33 effective October 3, 2023. Ohio home education families no longer submit any assessment to the district.

Diplomas and transcripts

Ohio does not issue or register homeschool diplomas; the parent/home education program issues the diploma and transcript, and there are no state credit or hour requirements for it. ORC 3313.6110 provides a narrow path for a home-educated senior to receive a district diploma in specified circumstances (H.B. 33 conformed it to the new home education definition). ORC 3313.612 governs a district's award/acceptance of credit for work done in a home education setting when a student enrolls or re-enrolls, placement and credit are largely local decisions, so get the district's policy in writing before senior year. Home-educated students keep access to College Credit Plus (tuition-free college credit, grades 7-12), interscholastic athletics/extracurriculars at the resident district, Jon Peterson and Autism scholarships, ACE (Afterschool Child Enrichment) funds, and the ORC 5747.72 home education expenses tax credit of up to $250 per return. Ohio does NOT have a general homeschool ESA; EdChoice vouchers are for enrollment in chartered nonpublic schools, not home education.

Where this comes from

Statute: Ohio Rev. Code § 3321.042 (home education; enacted by H.B. 33, eff. Oct. 3, 2023); former Ohio Admin. Code 3301-34 rescinded. Related: Ohio Rev. Code §§ 3313.612, 3313.6110, 3321.04, 5747.72; Ohio Admin. Code 3301-35-08 (nonchartered nonpublic school alternative).

Source: https://codes.ohio.gov/ohio-revised-code/section-3321.042

Last reviewed: July 2026 · our confidence in this entry: high

Homeschool law changes, and a page like this goes stale without announcing it. Check the statute above against your own reading before a filing deadline. If we are out of date, we would rather hear it from you than have you find out at the district office.

Keeping the records is the other half of this. Our Records System has the editable transcript with the GPA already wired, 131 course descriptions, and this same statute-cited summary for all fifty states and DC. Thirty-nine dollars, one household, however many children you have.