- Ohio’s home education law asks for no portfolio, test or assessment.
- You send a notice to your district superintendent within five days of starting, then by August 30 every year after.
- The superintendent must answer in writing within 14 days. Keep that letter.
The papers here are the notice you send your school district and the acknowledgment letter that comes back. Anything else you keep, like a book list or a stack of worksheets, is your choice.
This page covers home education under Ohio Revised Code 3321.042. A nonchartered nonpublic school follows other rules, and online schools are not homeschooling in Ohio. See which route you’re on.
Does Ohio require a homeschool portfolio?
No. Since October 3, 2023, Ohio’s law asks for two things: a notice to your district, and teaching in six subject areas (R.C. 3321.042(B), (C)).
- English language arts
- Mathematics
- Science
- History
- Government
- Social studies
That’s the whole list. There’s no test, no assessment, no evaluator and no teacher qualification. There’s no rule on hours or days either: the 32-week attendance rule doesn’t apply to a child exempt under 3321.042 (R.C. 3321.04).
The law also says no Department of Education and Workforce (DEW) rules apply to it (R.C. 3321.042(E)). The 2023 budget law that wrote it, House Bill 33, told DEW’s director to rescind the old home education rules. Ohio’s code site no longer lists them (Ohio Administrative Code Chapter 3301-34). If a guide was written before October 3, 2023, check it against the current law.
One thing to know: if there is evidence a child isn’t being taught the six subjects, the state’s truancy law can apply (R.C. 3321.042(F); R.C. 3321.19).
The yearly notice: what it says and when
You send the notice to the superintendent of the school district where you live. Send it within five calendar days of starting home education, moving to a new district, or withdrawing your child from a school. After that, send it by August 30 every year (R.C. 3321.042(C)).
The law asks for three things in it:
- Your name and address
- Your child’s name
- An assurance that your child will be taught the six subject areas
DEW’s notification form is optional. Any format works if it has the required information (DEW). The form has a signature line, though the statute doesn’t list a signature. Signing it does no harm.
You don’t need approval. Your child’s exemption starts the moment the district receives the notice (R.C. 3321.042(C)). DEW says districts may not ask for anything the law doesn’t list.
The acknowledgment letter is the paper to keep
The superintendent must send you a written acknowledgment within 14 calendar days of receiving your notice (R.C. 3321.042(C)). It’s the closest thing Ohio has to proof that you homeschool.
You’ll use it again. To get College Credit Plus funding, you upload a copy of the letter with the application (DEW). And when your teen applies for a job or college with the diploma you grant, DEW says to pair it with the letter from the final year of home education.
HSLDA advises keeping the notices and letters from the high school years indefinitely.
The Ohio homeschool year, date by date
Ohio’s law has one fixed date: August 30. The rest count from the day you start.
| When | What | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Within 5 calendar days of starting, moving or withdrawing | Notice to your district superintendent | R.C. 3321.042(C) |
| By August 30, every year after | Notice again | R.C. 3321.042(C) |
| Within 14 calendar days of your notice | Written acknowledgment from the superintendent | R.C. 3321.042(C) |
| All year | Teach the six subject areas | R.C. 3321.042(B) |
| Feb. 1 to April 1, or Sept. 1 to Nov. 1 for the spring term | College Credit Plus funding application, with your letter uploaded | DEW |
| Final year | You may grant your teen’s diploma | R.C. 3313.6110 |
College Credit Plus is for grades 7 to 12. The windows above are DEW’s dates for the 2026-27 school year.
How long to keep homeschool records in Ohio
Ohio law sets no records rule and no time to keep anything.
HSLDA’s advice is a good default. Keep your notice and the letter, plus attendance records, a list of textbooks and workbooks, samples of schoolwork, letters with school officials, and any portfolios and test results. Keep them for at least two years, and keep high school records indefinitely.
Records help in a few real moments. If your child goes back to public school, the district places them by its own policy (R.C. 3321.042(D)). If you grant a diploma, it serves as proof your teen completed the high school curriculum (R.C. 3313.6110). And a clear record answers any question about the six subjects.
What counts as a work sample?
In Ohio, whatever you choose. The law asks for none. Examples, not rules: a dated math page, a piece of writing, a science lab sheet, a photo of a project. One per subject every month or so makes a tidy year.
Home education or a nonchartered nonpublic school
This page covers home education under R.C. 3321.042. Ohio’s other route is a nonchartered nonpublic school, set up because of truly held religious beliefs (R.C. 3301.0732).
| Home education | Nonchartered nonpublic school | |
|---|---|---|
| Law | R.C. 3321.042 | R.C. 3301.0732 |
| What you file | A notice to the superintendent, then by August 30 each year | A report to parents, with a copy to DEW by September 30, and an attendance report to the district treasurer in the first two weeks of the school year |
| Hours | None | 455 (kindergarten), 910 (all-day kindergarten to grade 6), 1,001 (grades 7 to 12) |
| Subjects | Six subject areas | A longer list, including health, physical education, fine arts and first aid |
| Teacher | No requirement | A bachelor’s degree or the equivalent |
Online schools are a separate thing. In Ohio, they are community e-schools or district online schools, not home education. A child in an out-of-state online school needs no home education notice (DEW).
Is a digital homeschool portfolio accepted?
Ohio law says nothing about paper or digital records, and Ohio has no evaluator to accept or reject a portfolio (R.C. 3321.042).
DEW’s own College Credit Plus application asks you to upload a copy of your letter. Beyond that, a college, an employer or a district decides what it accepts. A printed copy works for anyone who wants paper.
What changes in 2026 and 2027
2026
No change to Ohio’s home education law. R.C. 3321.042 has one version, in effect since October 3, 2023. No 2026 bill amends it.
House Bill 455 updates a cross-reference in the parent-diploma section, R.C. 3313.6110, effective October 9, 2026. You can still grant your teen’s diploma.
2027
No change is scheduled. Bills before the 136th General Assembly cite R.C. 3321.042, but none amends it.
The 137th General Assembly convenes January 4, 2027. Your notice is due by August 30, 2027.
Keeping the records in KidsFoldr
Ohio asks for very little paper, and a folder in a drawer works fine. If you’d rather keep it all on your phone, KidsFoldr works as a homeschool record keeping app.
- Snap the superintendent’s letter, and it’s filed under your child and grade with no sorting. Scan it for peace of mind, and every word on it is searchable.
- The paperwork keeps up: a letter that comes by email or as a PDF files the same way. Share it to KidsFoldr or forward it.
- Schoolwork files itself as you go: snap a page, and it lands under your child, grade and subject with nothing to type. Then the worksheet can go: scan it for peace of mind, then toss it, with no binder or stack to keep.
- A portfolio is ready when you want one: pick a school year by dates or grades, and it’s a PDF to share or print.
- Keepsakes stay safe. Turn on automatic backup, and every paper, artwork included, goes to KidsFoldr Cloud as it is filed. One tap on Back up copies it to your own Google Drive or iCloud.
If you build a portfolio, you pick the sections and their order. Ohio asks for none of them. You might use:
- Letters and notices, for your notice and the superintendent’s letter.
- Work samples grouped by subject, across the six subject areas.
- A reading log (title, author and date) for the year’s books.
- An activity log (a date and what you did) for field trips and projects.
- Test results, if you choose to test.
Common questions
Do I need a portfolio to homeschool in Ohio?
No. Ohio’s law asks for a yearly notice and teaching in six subject areas (R.C. 3321.042).
Do I have to test my child or get an assessment?
No. Ohio’s home education law has no test or assessment requirement.
When is the home education notice due?
Within five calendar days of starting, moving to a new district or withdrawing from a school. Then by August 30 every year.
How long do I have to keep homeschool records in Ohio?
Ohio law sets no period. HSLDA advises at least two years, and high school records indefinitely.
Do I have to track attendance or hours?
Not for home education under R.C. 3321.042. A nonchartered nonpublic school has hours rules (R.C. 3301.0732).