Moving to Washington: Homeschool Checklist

Required hours

1000 hrs/year

School days

180 days/year

Required subjects

12 subjects

Notice

Required

Testing / evaluation

Parent's choice (testing, portfolio, or evaluation)

Recordkeeping

Recommended

Jump to the full Washington 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 Washington's.

What to do when you arrive in Washington

Once you're a Washington resident, you follow Washington's rules, not your old state's. Washington requires notice, so file with your local school district 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 Washington, 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 Washington's school-year calendar where you can. If you arrive mid-year, file Washington'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 Washington, you homeschool under Washington'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 Washington's requirements. Keeping portable digital records makes each PCS move far less disruptive.

What Homeschool Fox tracks for Washington

Everything Washington expects you to keep, in one place — no spreadsheets, no lost notebooks.

• Hours toward your 1000-hour goal
• Required subjects & core hours
• Daily activity logs
• Attendance records
• Notes & portfolio records
• Printable PDF reports
• High school transcripts
• State-specific progress tracking

More Washington guides

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