Homeschool Record Keeping in District of Columbia

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.

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, families keep a portfolio of the student's educational materials showing regular activity across the required subjects for at least one year. OSSE doesn't collect the portfolio — it reviews it on request, no more than twice per school year, with at least 30 days' written notice (5-A DCMR 5206.1).

Assessment and evaluation records

DC doesn't require standardized testing. OSSE instead relies on a portfolio review — the office may ask to review a child's portfolio up to twice a year at a mutually agreed time to confirm thorough, regular instruction.

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.

Free District of Columbia printables

Two 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

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.