Ohio law requires all children between the ages of 6 and 18 to attend school unless they are being instructed at home. Homeschooling parents are required to instruct their children at least 900 hours during each school year.
The Ohio Administrative Code states that all students must study language, reading, spelling, writing, geography, history of the United States, Ohio state history, government, math, science, health, physical education, fine arts, health, first aid, safety and fire prevention.
Parents are not required to have college degrees to homeschool in Ohio, but they must have high school diplomas or the equivalent. If a parent has not completed high school, she may homeschool under the direction of someone who has a bachelor's degree.
A parent who wants to homeschool in Ohio must notify the district superintendent each year. This notice must include the name and address of the parent and the full name and date of birth for the child as well as a brief outline of the curriculum and textbooks that will be used.
Parents also must give assurances that they are qualified to instruct their children and that they will fulfill the 900 required hours of instruction and teach the mandatory subjects. The superintendent will review the notification and let the parents know if they are in compliance within 14 days. If a parent is not in compliance, a due-process hearing may be scheduled.
Ohio homeschooling parents are required to document educational progress by submitting a yearly assessment to the superintendent. Ohio regulations offer three options for annual assessments. Parents can submit standardized test results or written narratives supplied by certified teachers or other agreed-upon parties with samples of the children's work. They also may ask the superintendent to approve an acceptable alternative method of assessment.