Families in Oregon enjoy substantial freedom and flexibility to homeschool their children, which OCEANetwork works year-round to protect and expand. However, homeschool laws in our state do include some requirements.
One requirement is for homeschool students to complete standardized testing in grades 3, 6, 8, and 10. You can read more about that requirement in our Summary of Homeschool Law. Parents are also required to notify their Educational Service District (ESD) of their intent to homeschool.
This notification of intent to homeschool is NOT the same thing as “registering” to homeschool. The reason why this distinction is significant is that to “register” implies joining or enrolling with the state in a homeschool program, or gaining official permission to begin homeschooling. In Oregon, parents are simply required to let the ESD know in writing of their intent to homeschool instead of sending their kids to public school.
[Read: 7 Important Facts About Your Letter of Intent to Homeschool]
How to Send Your Letter of Intent to Homeschool
When your child will be 6 years old on September 1 of the current school year, mail a letter of your intent to homeschool to your ESD. OCEANetwork recommends not using any online system provided by the ESD because of the additional information they require, which may include email address and telephone number.
Oregon homeschool law requires only the following information be included in your letter of intent:
- Child’s name
- Child’s birthdate
- Parent’s name
- Address
- School the child is presently attending, or has last attended, or if the child has not attended school, the name of the public school district in which the child resides
For your convenience, we have provided a template and instructions for sending a paper notification, as well as a Letter of Intent to Homeschool PDF Generator to make it easier.
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Letter of Intent to Homeschool PDF Generator
