Homeschool Record Keeping in District of Columbia

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.

What to keep in District of Columbia

Good records are your best protection if anyone ever questions your homeschool. In District of Columbia, keep an organized set: a running log of what you teach and when, samples of your child's work, and any assessment or filing documents the state asks for. Depending on the rules you'll keep some at home and file others, so keep everything organized and dated.

Attendance and hours

District of Columbia does not mandate a specific number of instructional hours. Families have flexibility in determining their own schedule and pace of learning.

Portfolio and work samples

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).

How to organize your records

Keep one folder per child per school year: a running activity log, a stack of work samples, any test or evaluation results, and copies of anything you filed. Homeschool Fox does this automatically, logging hours by subject from your phone, tagging core versus non-core, and generating the District of Columbia reports and year-end summaries you may need.

Common mistakes in District of Columbia

• Being unready for a portfolio request

  OSSE can ask to review your portfolio twice in a school year. The request comes in writing and you agree on the time and place, which is enough notice to organize what you have and nowhere near enough to create a year of work you never kept.

What this looks like in Homeschool Fox

Every activity you log rolls into a compliance view for District of Columbia, so the records exist before anyone asks for them.

Free District of Columbia printables

Three ready-to-use PDFs for District of Columbia homeschoolers. No account needed.

Templates, not legal advice. Confirm the current rule with your state or district.

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

• 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.
• 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.
• District of Columbia Homeschool Portfolio What belongs in it, who can ask to see it, and a printable checklist.