How to withdraw your child from public school and homeschool in New Jersey

Step by step

1. Step 1. Know what New Jersey requires to start

   No filing, registration or approval is required by law to homeschool in New Jersey. The Department of Education FAQ says it encourages parents to notify the local board of education so compliance questions do not arise, and that the board is neither required nor authorized to review or approve the curriculum. No official notice form was found, and the notice has no state-specified content.

2. Step 2. Leave the school the right way

   The state requires nothing separate to leave a public school, except that for a high school student the parent completes a transfer form stating the intent to provide instruction elsewhere than at school, used to collect enrollment data. The FAQ also says a board that has credible evidence of noncompliance may ask for a letter of intent, and that the mere fact a child was withdrawn to be homeschooled is not itself credible evidence of a violation. Whether a district asks for a signed form or exit meeting is not stated in state law.

3. Step 3. Watch the deadlines

   No deadline in the statute or the FAQ. Notice is encouraged, not timed, and there is no annual renewal.

4. Step 4. Ask for your child’s records

   The FAQ says a board is not required to create a record for a child educated elsewhere, but may keep a record solely to document that the child is receiving an education. FERPA (34 CFR 99.10) gives a parent the right to inspect and review the child's education records, and the school must respond within a reasonable time, not more than 45 days after the request.

5. Step 5. If your child has an IEP or a 504 plan

   Per the FAQ, a district must review a written request for special education evaluation for a homeschooled child, and if the child is eligible it must make a free appropriate public education available only if the child enrolls in the district; otherwise any services are at the district's choice under a service plan. Under 34 CFR 300.300(b)(4), a parent can revoke consent in writing for special education services; the school must give prior written notice and then stop providing the services, and it is not considered to have denied a free appropriate public education.

Before you pull your child out

A letter you can fill in

Fill in the boxes and copy the letter. It is built from what we found above for New Jersey: it goes to your child's current school to withdraw, and the state filing described above is a separate step. Check it against the state office before you send it.

[today's date]

To: The local board of education, c/o the superintendent [name and address]

Re: Withdrawal from school and home education, [child's full name]

Dear Sir or Madam:

I am the parent of [child's full name], born [date of birth], who is currently enrolled in grade [grade] at [name of current school]. Please accept this letter as notice that I am withdrawing my child from [name of current school], effective [start date]. I will be providing a home education program under N.J.S.A. 18A:38-25.

I also request a copy of my child's education records, including the cumulative file, attendance and any testing records. Please send them to the address below.

Thank you.

Sincerely,

[your name]
[your address]

Who to ask in New Jersey

NJ Department of Education, Non-Traditional Schooling (Homeschooling FAQ), last checked October 2026.

A plain-language summary of public sources, not legal advice. Laws and forms change, so confirm the current rules with the state office before you send anything.

Questions