Home Schooling

HCESC Home School Contact: Colissa Jordan

HCES Home School

District Contact: Brenda Miller
Email Brenda Miller

The Northwest Local School District partners with the Hamilton County Educational Service Center (HCESC) to support families interested in Home Schooling. Families with questions about Home Schooling are encouraged to email HCESC at HCES Home School.

REQUIREMENTS TO HOME EDUCATE

Parents should start by notifying the superintendent of the school district where they reside about their intent to home educate their child/or children. Notification must be made withing five calendar days after commencing home education, moving into a new school district, or withdrawing from a public or nonpublic school, and by the thirtieth day of August each year thereafter.

Here are the responsibilities of the district superintendentwhen families home educate their children.

Parents agree to:

  1. Provide instruction in English language arts, mathematics, science, history, government, and social studies, and

Notify the superintendent every year (parents may use the Recommended Notification Form)

Online or Virtual Learning

Many parents think that online schools fall into the category of home education; this is NOT true. In Ohio, online schools are considered are internet based community schools (e-schools) or district operated online learning schools.

If your student is enrolled in an online school based out of state, you must notify your district of residence that your student will be attending an out of state school.  You do not need to provide an intent to home educate.

College Credit Plus

Ohio’s College Credit Plus program gives students in grades 7-12 the chance to earn high school and college credit simultaneously by taking courses at participating Ohio colleges or universities. Tuition is free if your home educated student takes classes at a public college. There may be modest fees for private college credit. Home educated students must notify the Ohio Department of Education if they would like to participate in the program. See the College Credit Plus page for more information.

Sports and Other Activities

Legislation allows home educated students the opportunity to participate in extracurricular activities in public schools. An “extracurricular activity” is a pupil activity program that is run by a school or school district and is not included in a graded course of study. Activities include any offered at the school that the student would attend if enrolled in the public school district where the family resides. If the school district does not offer a particular activity, then the student may request to participate in another district’s program. The superintendent of the other school district may choose to allow the student to participate as an out-of-district student.

Home educated students must meet the same nonacademic and financial requirements as any other student participating in the activity. Fees and ability in sports, where there are cuts, apply.

Edchoice Scholarships

EdChoice Scholarships do not provide funding for home education, however, home educated students who choose to enroll in a nonpublic schools are eligible to participate in the program. Find more information about the EdChoice Scholarships on this webpage.

Ohio High School Diploma

Ohio law may allow for some home educated students to receive diplomas. Please see section 3313.6110 of the Ohio Revised Code.

Requirements to Home School

Parents should start by notifying the superintendent of the school district where they reside about their intent to home educate their child/or children. Notification should be provided no later than the first

About Home Education