Home Instruction Information

In This Section

Please Contact

Judy Woolfrey or Renee Honaker with questions about home instruction.

homeinstruction@ocss-va.org

540-661-4550

Home Instruction Information Must be Submitted Annually

Parents must ensure that their child attends school in compliance with the state compulsory attendance law, when the child has reached their fifth birthday on or before September 30 of any school year and has not passed their 18th birthday. The compulsory attendance law requires that unless the child falls within one of the specified exceptions, that they attend a public or private school or receive an education through one of the other Code of Virginia alternatives to school attendance. Home instruction (also referred to as “home schooling”) is one alternative to school attendance. Parents may home school “when the requirements...of the Code have been satisfied.”

The Code requires parents who home instruct to provide their local school division with:

Evidence of having met one of the criteria for providing home instruction,
A notice of intent to home instruct,
A list of the subjects to be studied for the coming year, and
Evidence of academic progress at the end of the school year, by August 1

Additional Resources

VDOE

Home Instruction Information

Home Instruction Handbook

Criteria for Providing Home Instruction

The Code of Virginia requires the parent providing home instruction to submit evidence to their local school division that they meet one of the following options:

Option I: The parent holds a high school diploma or a higher credential
Option II: The parent meets the qualifications of a teacher as prescribed by the Virginia Board of Education
Option III: The parent provides the child with a program of study or curriculum which may be delivered through a correspondence course or distance learning program or in any other manner
Option IV: The parent provides evidence that the parent can provide an adequate education for the child

Notice of Intent for Home Instruction

Submit a Notice of Intent - Notice of Intent to Provide Home Instruction is due August 15.
Select a home instruction option and provide the required documentation for the option selected.
Submit a list of subjects that the student(s) will study.
Submit evidence of achievement at the end of the school year.

Submitting Intent to Provide Home Instruction can be done online, by downloading and completing the Notice of Intent form, via email, or U.S. Mail. Information on each method can be found below.

Submit Documents by Electronic Submission
Submit Printed Documents

Submit Documents by Electronic Submission

Use this method to complete the online intent form and submit all documents electronically.

Submitting the intent online requires a Google account to submit the form. If you would like to use the online form but do not currently have a Google account, you can easily obtain an account using your existing email address.

Before accessing the online intent form, be sure you have the following documents in electronic format so that they can be uploaded.

One (1) of the following documents is required to confirm that you will be able to provide adequate education for your child.

High school diploma or a higher credential;
Qualifications prescribed by the Board of Education for a teacher;
Program of study or curriculum, which may be delivered through a correspondence course or distance learning program or in any other manner; or
Statement to provide adequate education.

List of subjects to be studied during the coming school year (for informational purposes only).

Go to Online Intent Form

Submit Printed Documents

Use this method to download and submit a printed version of the intent form and submit all documents via U.S. Postal Service regular mail or by email to homeinstruction@ocss-va.org.

Please print, fill out, and mail or email the following documents:

Notice of Intent Form
Forms Demonstrating Eligibility to Provide Home instruction (Submit one ( 1) of the following documents depending on how you wish to be recognized as eligible):

High school diploma or a higher credential. I have a high school diploma or a higher credential.
Teacher Qualifications. I have the qualifications prescribed by the Board of Education for a teacher.
Program of Study. I will provide a program of study or curriculum which is to be delivered through a correspondence course or a distance learning program or in some other manner.
Statement to provide adequate education. I have attached to this notice a statement which describes why I am able to provide an adequate education for my child(ren).

As prescribed in § 22.1-254.1 of the Code of Virginia, include a list of subjects to be studied during the coming school year (for informational purposes only).

Mail completed form and supporting documentation to:

Orange County Public Schools
Attention: Home Instruction
200 Dailey Dr
Orange, VA 22960

Direct any questions to homeinstruction@ocss-va.org

Evidence of Achievement is due August 1.

Parents may submit the following evidence by email to homeinstruction@ocss-va.org or by US Mail to Orange County Instruction Department, 200 Dailey Drive, Orange, VA. 22960.

Per the Code of Virginia § 22.1-254.1 (C ) Evidence of Achievement can be submitted in one of the following ways:

Evidence that the child has attained a composite score in or above the fourth stanine on any nationally normed standardized achievement test, or an equivalent score on the ACT, SAT, or PSAT test; or
An evaluation letter from a person licensed to teach in any state, or a person with a master’s degree or higher in an academic discipline, having knowledge of the child’s academic progress, stating that the child is achieving an adequate level of educational growth and progress; or
A report card or transcript from an institution of higher education, college, distance learning program, or home-education correspondence school.

Waiver of Compulsory Attendance - Religious Exemption

Parents seeking a religious exemption must petition the School Board and show that, by reason of bona fide religious training or belief, the pupil, together with the pupil's parents, is conscientiously opposed to attendance at school. The term bona fide religious training or belief “does not include essentially political, sociological, or philosophical views or a merely personal code.” (§ 22.1-254.B.1, Code of Virginia)

Parents interested in religious exemption should contact Judy Woolfrey, Executive Director of Elementary Instruction or Renee Honaker, Executive Director of Secondary Instruction at (540) 661-4550 or homeinstruction@ocss-va.org for information on the process for seeking this exemption.