Required Homeschool Subjects in District of Columbia

District of Columbia requires instruction in language arts, math, science, social studies, art, music, health, and physical education. Beyond the list you're free to teach whatever else fits your family.

District of Columbia's required subject list

• Language Arts
• Math
• Science
• Social Studies
• Art
• Music
• Health
• Physical Education

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 subjects District of Columbia names

District of Columbia names 8 required subjects: language arts, math, science, social studies, art, music, health, and physical education. The statute stops at the subject names and leaves the teaching to you. A boxed curriculum, a set of programs picked one at a time, and a shelf of library books can each satisfy the same list.

How much time each subject needs

District of Columbia attaches no hours to individual subjects. What it expects is regular instruction in each one. Your records should show each required subject turning up through the year, rather than a single week where you covered geography and moved on.

Choosing curriculum for each one

District of Columbia law requires no approved or accredited curriculum. Take a math program from one publisher, a reading program from another, and cover history through library books if that works for your family. Instruction has to happen and you have to be able to show it. Switching curriculum mid year is fine as long as the subject keeps getting taught.

Showing you taught them

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).

Adding subjects beyond the list

Treat the required list as your starting point. Art, music, a second language, coding, shop, and whatever else your family cares about all count as instructional time on top of the requirements. In District of Columbia those hours count toward your totals the same as any other.

Your District of Columbia subject checklist

Set this up once at the start of the year and the rest falls out of logging.

1. 1

   Set up a subject for each requirement

   One subject per item on the District of Columbia list, named the way the statute names it, so your records line up with the law without translation.

2. 2

   Mark the core subjects

   District of Columbia draws no line between core and non core subjects. Flagging the required ones still makes it clear at a glance whether each is getting taught.

3. 3

   Attach each activity to a subject

   A generic "school" bucket leaves you with a pile of hours. Tagging the subject turns the same hours into evidence that each requirement got covered.

4. 4

   Watch for a subject going quiet

   One requirement can drift for a month before you notice. A per-subject breakdown surfaces it while you can still fix it.

5. 5

   Save a work sample per subject

   Two or three dated samples per subject per term covers you, and pulling them as you go spares you a hunt through a year of paper in June.

What this looks like in Homeschool Fox

Set up one subject per District of Columbia requirement and every logged activity rolls up under the right one.

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 31 states that name required subjects 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.
• 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.