Complying with Oregon Laws

This document is a general summary of laws regarding homeschooling, but does not constitute legal advice. You should read the language of the laws and rules or contact an attorney familiar with homeschooling if you have any questions. You can get more information about the laws (Oregon Revised Statutes) and rules (Oregon Administrative Rules) here.

For information about Homeschooling directly from the Oregon Department of Education go here.

1. Will your child be at least 7 years old as of September 1st of this year?

• If NO, then no further action or notification is required. OAR 581-021-0026 (11) Have fun homeschooling!


• If YES, then you need to send a one-time written notice of your intent to homeschool your child. OAR 581-021-0026 (4) The notice is sent to the Education Service District (ESD) for your county. You can find the ESD address here.

  The notice must be given within 10 days after you withdraw the child from school, or within 10 days after the first day of school if you begin homeschooling during the summer or at the start of a school year. If you move to a new county, you must notify your new ESD within 10 days. The notice must include: OAR 581-021-0026 (1)(f)
  (a) the parent's name
  (b) the child's name, address and birthdate, and
  (c) and the name of the school that the child last attended or the public school district where the child resides.

  The ESD may request additional information such as the parent's phone number or e-mail address, but providing this information is optional (you don't need to provide this if you don't want to). There is no requirement to specify your child's grade level, but you may want to if your child's grade level is different than what would be assumed given your child's birth date. Go to #2.

NOTE: As a parent, you have the choice of placing your 7 year old in 1st grade or higher. OAR 581-021-0026 (6) Once you choose a grade level placement, you should use it consistently. For example, you should not "hold back" or "skip" your child to avoid the four assessment grades (3, 5, 8 and 10). If homeschoolers do this, we will lose our flexibility to determine when our children are ready for 1st grade.

If your child re-enters public school before 10th grade, he or she will probably be placed with age-peers, regardless of the grade level you choose. Once your child has done their 10th grade assessment, you and your child have flexibility in determining when your child is ready to graduate and/or begin college. Allowing your child an extra year at the beginning (by designating their 7-year-old year as 1st grade) gives them a little extra time before their 3rd grade assessment, but does not necessarily determine their ultimate graduation year.

2. Has your child been diagnosed with a disability by a medical or other professional?
Disabilities include: autism spectrum disorder, communication disorder, deafblindness, emotional disturbance, hearing impairment, mental retardation, orthopedic impairment, other health impairment, specific learning disability, traumatic brain injury, and vision impairment. These disabilities are described in OAR 581-015-0051.

• If YES, then your child's educational progress may be assessed according to the child's Individual Education Plan (IEP) or Privately Developed Plan (PDP). OAR 581-021-0029


• If NO, then go to #3.

• If NO, then no further action is required. Have fun homeschooling!


• If YES, then your child's educational progress must be assessed this year. Go to #4.

• If YES, then no assessment is required this year. OAR 581-021-0026 (5)(a)(A) Have fun homeschooling!

  Assessments must be done by August 15th of the year that your child completes grades 3, 5, 8 and 10. However, no assessment is required during the first 18 months after a child leaves school. For example, if your child was in school for 2nd grade until at least Feb. 15th, then no assessment is required for 3rd grade, because the assessment would be within 18 months after the child leaves school.



• If NO, then go to #5.

The tester provides the results to you. The ESD may notify you that you must turn in the results to the ESD. Only the composite score (combined math and verbal) needs to be submitted. OAR 581-021-0026 (7)(a)

Was your child's composite score in the fifteenth percentile or above?

• If YES, then no further assessment is required until the next "assessment grade" (5, 8 or 10). Have fun homeschooling!


• If NO, then go to #6.

If the second composite score is lower than the first score, then the child must be assessed again the following year, and the ESD superintendent may allow the parent to continue homeschooling as before, or may require the child's education to be supervised by a person holding a teaching license (selected by and paid for by the parent). If the composite score in the next year declines again, then the superintendent may allow the parent to continue homeschooling as before, or may require continued supervision and testing, or may remand the child to school for up to 12 months. OAR 581-021-0026 (7)(b)-(d)