Washington asks for a few specific things. Washington sets out a handful of real requirements. None of them are difficult, but the deadlines are genuine and worth putting in a calendar. Here is the whole list.

What you file, and by when

Yes. File a signed Declaration of Intent to Provide Home-Based Instruction annually with the superintendent of the public school district of residence OR of the district the parent enrolls the child in part-time. Due by September 15 each year, or within two weeks of the beginning of any public-school quarter, trimester, or semester. Must state the child's name and age and whether a certificated person will supervise the instruction; format prescribed by OSPI. Required only for children of compulsory age (8 through 17); children under 8 need not be declared.

Days or hours

Home-based instruction must be provided for at least the annual average total program hours per grade level established for approved private schools, 1,000 hours per school year for grades 1-12 (450 hours for kindergarten) under RCW 28A.195.010. The 180-day requirement that applies to schools does NOT apply to home-based instruction; parents control the calendar, scheduling, timing, and place of instruction (RCW 28A.200.020).

Subjects you must cover

Eleven subject areas must be included: occupational education, science, mathematics, language, social studies, history, health, reading, writing, spelling, and appreciation of art and music (RCW 28A.225.010(4)). They may be taught in an integrated/unit-study fashion. Parent qualification is also required, one of four routes: (1) supervision by a Washington-certificated person averaging one contact hour per week (max 30 students per supervisor), (2) 45 college quarter credits (or semester equivalent), (3) completion of a parent-qualifying course in home-based instruction at a WA community/vocational-technical college or approved provider, or (4) being deemed sufficiently qualified by the local school district superintendent.

Records you keep

Parents must keep the child's annual standardized test scores or written academic progress assessment, immunization records, and any other records relating to instructional and educational activities. These are private parental records, they are not filed with the state or district. Parents must forward the test/assessment results and immunization records to any public or private school the child later transfers into. RCW 28A.200.010 makes the assessment results part of the child's permanent record.

Testing or evaluation

Yes, annually, parent's choice of either (a) a standardized achievement test approved by the State Board of Education, administered by a qualified individual, or (b) a written annual assessment of academic progress by a certificated person currently working in the field of education. Results are NOT submitted to the state or district; they are retained by the parent. If the assessment shows the child is not making reasonable progress for their age and development, the parent must make a good-faith effort to remedy the deficiency. Home-based students are exempt from state learning standards and the state high school assessments.

Diplomas and transcripts

No state homeschool diploma. The parent (as the home-based instruction provider) issues the transcript and diploma; Washington neither accredits nor validates them. Home-based students are exempt from the state graduation requirements and High School and Beyond Plan. Key access points: Running Start (RCW 28A.600.300 et seq.) lets 11th and 12th graders take tuition-free college courses through the district for dual credit, the single most useful way to generate accredited, third-party transcripts; part-time public-school enrollment and ancillary services are available and are not affected by filing the declaration. Colleges commonly accept parent-issued transcripts; keep detailed course descriptions, credit values, and the annual test/assessment results. Some WA public colleges also accept the state's own certificates as diploma equivalents (GED at 16+ with conditions).

Where this comes from

Statute: Wash. Rev. Code 28A.225.010(4) (definition, 11 subjects, parent qualifications); RCW 28A.200.010 (declaration of intent, testing/assessment, records); RCW 28A.200.020 (parental control of curriculum/method); RCW 28A.195.010 (annual program hours, 1,000 hrs grades 1-12); RCW 28A.600.300-.400 (Running Start)

Source: https://app.leg.wa.gov/rcw/default.aspx?cite=28A.200.010

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.