Moving to District of Columbia: Homeschool Checklist

Required hours

No state minimum

Required subjects

8 subjects

Notice

Required

Testing / evaluation

Portfolio review

Portfolio

Required

Jump to the full District of Columbia requirements for plain-English detail on each of these.

Where are you moving from?

Pick your current state to see how to close it out before you go, and how its homeschool rules compare to District of Columbia's.

What to do when you arrive in District of Columbia

Once you're a District of Columbia resident, you follow District of Columbia's rules, not your old state's. District of Columbia requires notice, so file with the state Department of Education to put your homeschool on record. File before you begin instruction at your new address. If your child was enrolled in a school on the way in, send that school a short withdrawal note too.

Do your homeschool records transfer?

No state, including District of Columbia, requires you to hand over homeschool records from your previous state, and there's no central transfer process. What matters is that you keep your own records: an hours or attendance log, work samples, and any grades or transcripts. Those travel with you and are what colleges and your new state may ask to see. This is exactly what Homeschool Fox is built for. Your log, hours, and reports live in one account and move with your family, so a cross-country move doesn't reset your records.

Timing your move: mid-year vs summer

Try to line your move up with District of Columbia's school-year calendar where you can. If you arrive mid-year, file District of Columbia's notice as soon as you're settled rather than waiting for fall, so there's no gap where your child looks unenrolled. A summer move is simpler: get your filing in before the new school year starts. Either way, keep dated proof of when you filed.

Moving as a military family

Military families move often, and the rule of thumb is simple: follow the homeschool law of the state you're physically living in. Once you're stationed in District of Columbia, you homeschool under District of Columbia's rules, even if your legal residency for taxes or voting is another state. The Military Interstate Children's Compact smooths public-school transfers, but it doesn't override homeschool law, so plan around District of Columbia's requirements. Keeping portable digital records makes each PCS move far less disruptive.

What Homeschool Fox tracks for District of Columbia

Everything District of Columbia expects you to keep, in one place — no spreadsheets, no lost notebooks.

• Required hours or days
• Required subjects & core hours
• Daily activity logs
• Attendance records
• Notes & portfolio records
• Printable PDF reports
• High school transcripts
• State-specific progress tracking

More District of Columbia guides

• District of Columbia Homeschool Requirements Hours, notice, assessment, and subjects at a glance.
• How to Start Homeschooling in District of Columbia A step-by-step guide from withdrawal to your first logged day.
• Homeschooling High School in District of Columbia Credits, GPA, transcripts, and graduation.
• Record Keeping in District of Columbia What to document, how to organize it, and staying compliant.
• How to Withdraw From School in District of Columbia The steps, the letter, and timing to avoid truancy issues.
• Homeschool Testing in District of Columbia What the state asks for, when, and low-score rules.