What Goes in a District of Columbia Homeschool Portfolio

Required hours

No state minimum

Required subjects

8 subjects

Notice

Required each year

Testing / evaluation

Not required

Portfolio

Required

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

The District of Columbia portfolio checklist

Assembled from District of Columbia's own requirements. Work down it once a term and the spring review stops being an event.

• A dated log of educational activities

  What you covered and which subject it served, written as you go. Reconstructing a year of this in the week before a review is the single most common portfolio scramble.

• A reading list, by title

  Every book and material named. This is the piece families most often rebuild from memory, and the piece a reviewer can check fastest.

• Samples of your student's work

  Writings, worksheets, workbooks, and creative work. A few pieces per subject spread across the year reads as evidence; a stack from one good week does not.

• A copy of anything you filed

  Your notice of intent and any correspondence with the district, dated. If a question ever comes up, dated proof that you filed on time closes it.

What District of Columbia actually requires

Under 5-A DCMR 5205.1, families keep a portfolio of the student's current work showing thorough, regular activity in a range of subjects. 5205.2 says it "should be maintained for at least one year." OSSE doesn't collect it. It may ask in writing to review the portfolio, no more than twice in a school year, at a time and place you both agree on (5206.1).

Who sees it, and when

You keep the portfolio. District of Columbia does not collect it, and nothing is submitted unless someone asks. Keep it complete anyway: the portfolio is what answers a question about your year if one is ever raised.

What Homeschool Fox tracks for District of Columbia

The records District of Columbia asks you to keep, plus the rest of your year, in one place. No spreadsheets, no lost notebooks.

• Required subjects
• Portfolio records
• Daily activity logs
• Printable PDF reports
• Progress tracking
• High school transcripts

More District of Columbia guides

Comparing states? See how all 6 states that require a portfolio compare.

• 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.
• Moving to District of Columbia What to file when you arrive and whether your records transfer.
• Public School Sports in District of Columbia Whether homeschoolers can play, what it takes, and who to ask.
• Required Subjects in District of Columbia The list, how much time each needs, and proving you taught them.
• District of Columbia Letter of Intent Who to file with, when it's due, and a free generator.