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The Coalition for Responsible Home Education is a 501(c)3 nonprofit.
© 2013-2024
Stoughton, MA 02072
info@responsiblehomeschooling.org
media@responsiblehomeschooling.org
(617) 765-7096
The Coalition for Responsible Home Education is a 501(c)3 nonprofit.
© 2013-2024
Ohio
Homeschool Statute
Ohio law exempts children, between the ages of six and eighteen years, from attending school under the state’s compulsory attendance law if the child is “being instructed at home by a person qualified to teach.” Ohio Rev. Code 3321.04(A)(2).
No later than the first week of school for the child’s local district, or within a week of new residence in the district, or within five calendar days after commencing home education or withdrawing from a public or nonpublic school, and by the thirtieth day of August each year thereafter, homeschool parents must submit a signed notification to the local superintendent including: the child’s name, the names and contact information for parents. The child’s school attendance exemption is effective immediately upon receipt. Ohio Rev. Code 3321.042(C).
Children must be instructed by a person “qualified to teach the branches in which instruction is required.” Ohio Rev. Code 3321.04(A)(2)
The hours and term of attendance must be equivalent to the hours and term of attendance required by the district’s public school. Ohio Rev. Code 3321.07
Parents must provide instruction in English, language arts, mathematics, science, history, government, and social studies. Ohio Rev. Code 3321.042(B).
None.
None.
If there is evidence that a child exempt from school attendance is not receiving an education in the required subject areas, the child is subject to Ohio’s habitual truancy procedures. Ohio Rev. Code 3321.042(F). If a student is believed to be habitually truant, the child’s parent may be required to attend an educational program encouraging parental involvement in compelling their child’s school attendance. If, after warnings, the parent does not compel attendance, the student will be assigned to an absence intervention team. The attendance officer will file a complaint in the juvenile court alleging that the child “is an unruly child for being a habitual truant and that the parent, guardian, or other person having care of the child has violated section 3321.38 of the Revised Code.” Ohio Rev. Code 3321.19(A)-(E).
n/a
08 Schools
Ohio’s private school law allows individuals to found non-chartered, non-tax supported private schools dubbed “08 schools” that are subject to very little oversight. However, in order to form such a school parents must have truly held religious objections to government oversight. Ohio Admin. Code 3301-35-08
Parents homeschooling as 08 schools must notify the local school board within the first two weeks of each school year of the children enrolled in an 08 school. Parents homeschooling under this option must also submit annual attendance records to the treasurer of the local board of education so that they are aware of how many students in the district attend 08 schools.
Teachers must have a bachelor’s degree.
910 hours for grades 1 – 6; 1,001 hours for grades 7 – 12.
Parents must provide instruction in language arts, geography, history of the United States and Ohio, national, state, and local government, math, science, health, physical education, fine arts, including music, first aid, safety, and fire prevention.
08 schools must keep attendance records. Also, local boards of health have the authority to inspect 08 schools to ensure that they comply with fire, health, and safety laws; however, 08 schools with a small number of students may have these requirements waived.
None.
None.
Comply with state and local fire, health, and safety regulations.
Services Available to Homeschooled Students
Yes, at the district’s discretion. Whether or not homeschooled students may take individual courses or enroll part-time in public schools is up to the discretion of local school district. Ohio Admin. Code 3301-34-03(G).
Yes. School districts are required to allow homeschooled students (including both those homeschooling under the state’s homeschool statute and as 08 schools) to participate in extracurricular activities in the schools they would otherwise have attended. This includes high school athletics. If the district does not offer a given extracurricular, a homeschool student may request to participate in that activity in another district as an out-of-district student. Homeschooled students must meet the same participation requirements made of other students.
Yes and No. While public schools must offer evaluations to all students with disabilities within their districts regardless of what school they attend or whether they are homeschooled, public schools in Ohio have no obligation to provide additional services to students with disabilities homeschooled under the state’s homeschool statute. Students with disabilities homeschooled under the state’s 08 schools statute have the same access to federal funding for students with disabilities as are students enrolled in private schools.
Homeschooled students have access to the Post-Secondary Enrollment Program (PSEO), which grants funding for high school students to take dual enrollment college courses at participating Ohio colleges and universities.
Background:
Early homeschoolers made use of a provision allowing superintendents to excuse a child from compulsory attendance if such a child was “being instructed at home by a person qualified to teach the branches in which instruction is required.” Alternatively, some chose to homeschool through association with an existing Christian school and others qualified to operate as non-chartered, non-tax supported schools (also called 08 schools). In 1989, the Ohio State Board of Education adopted official regulations governing homeschooling. These rules remain in effect.
For more, see A History of Homeschooling in Ohio.
Resources:
Here’s how to report educational neglect. Have you reported educational neglect in this state? Please tell us about your experience.
Home Schooling, Ohio Department of EducationOhio’s Homeschool Regulations
Ohio’s 08 Schools Code
Ohio, International Center for Home Education Research
This overview is for informational purposes only and does not constitute the giving of legal advice. Page last updated April 2023.