Home Education

Home education gives Ohio families the option to direct their child’s education at home rather than enrolling the student full-time in a public or chartered nonpublic school. Parents have significant flexibility to select the curriculum, materials, schedule and instructional approach that best meet their child’s needs. Ohio law requires home-educated students to receive instruction in English language arts, mathematics, science, history, government and social studies, and parents must notify their resident school district superintendent when beginning home education and annually thereafter. Families are generally responsible for the costs of home education, but home-educated students may have access to certain publicly funded educational opportunities, including College Credit Plus.

Families can join a co-op or support group to complement their home education, which allows them to connect socially with other homeschooling families and share teaching responsibilities and materials. No funding is available for homeschooling, but families have access to several types of state-funded resources.

Note: Students enrolled in online schools are not considered as being home educated.  Tuition-free, online schools are public community (charter) schools. Families that pay tuition to enroll their child in an out of state online school are also not considered to be home educated and must register their child with their district as being enrolled in an out of state school.

Getting Started

Once families make the decision to pursue home education, they should contact the superintendent of the school district in which they reside and provide notice of their intent to educate their child at home. (Districts may have a specific notification form they suggest you use.)

When choosing homeschool, parents agree to:

• Provide instruction in English Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, History, Government, and Social Studies, and
• Notify the superintendent each year (parents may use the Recommended Notification Form)

Additional Resources

Ohio Department of Education Homeschooling Information

Ohio Department of Education Homeschooling Frequently Asked Questions

District Superintendent’s Responsibilities

Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA)

Christian Home Educators of Ohio

Ohio Revised Code 3321.04 – Compulsory Attendance Statute

Ohio Administrative Code – Home Schooling Regulations