Home School Rules & Statutes

The following is a list of Oregon Revised Statutes (ORS) and Oregon Administrative Rules (OAR) relating to home school:

Oregon Administrative Rules

OARTitle
581-021-0026Examination of Children Instructed by Parent, Legal Guardian or Private Teacher
581-021-0029Home Schooling for Children with Disabilities
581-021-0033Interscholastic Activities Eligibility Requirements for Home School Students
581-021-0034Administration of Interscholastic Activities
581-021-0076Exemption from Compulsory Attendance
581-021-0077Compulsory Attendance Notices and Citation
581-021-0230 – 581-021-0300Rights and Records
581-021-0330 – 581-021-0390Disclosure of Records
589-007-0400General Educational Development Program and Certificates of High School Equivalency

Oregon State Statutes

ORSTitle
339.010School attendance required; age limits
339.020Duty to send children to school
339.030Exemptions from compulsory school attendance; rules
339.035Teaching by private teacher, parent or guardian; notice; examinations; rules; effect of low or declining score
339.257Documentation of enrollment status for students applying for driving privileges; notification of student withdrawal to Department of Transportation
339.460Home school students authorized to participate in interscholastic activities; conditions

Summary of Home School Legal Requirements

Compulsory Attendance
Effective July 1, 2016, ORS 339.010 has been amended to lower the age of compulsory attendance from 7 to 6. Children between the ages of 6 and 18 are required to attend public school unless they qualify for an exemption. Under ORS 339.030, being legally home schooled is one such exemption. A child who is not exempt and not attending public school is considered truant. Failure to send comply with compulsory attendance requirements is a Class C violation of the law and is punishable by a court imposed fine, as provided by ORS 339.925

Required Days of Instruction
None

Required Subjects
None

Teacher Qualification
None

Reporting
The parent or guardian must notify the education service district (ESD) in writing within 10 days when a child is taught at home or is withdrawn from a public school to be taught at home. When a child moves to a new ESD, the parent or guardian must notify the new ESD in writing within 10 days of such occurrence. Annual notification is not required.

The notice must include the child’s and parent’s names and addresses, the child’s birth date, and the name of the school the child is presently attending or last attended or, if the child has not attended school, the name of the public school district where the child resides.

Record Keeping
None

Testing
Students must be tested at the completion of grades 3, 5, 8, and 10, by August 15th. If the child was withdrawn from public or private school, the first test is not required in the first 18 months of home schooling.

Tests must be given by a qualified and neutral person as defined in OAR 581-021-0026(1)(i).

OAR 581-021-0026(1)(a) lists approved tests for assessment of satisfactory progress by home school students. Parents must make sure that their home schooled child is tested using a test from the list that is appropriate for the child’s grade level.

Special evaluation rules exist for students with disabilities.