Homeschooling a Child With Autism or ADHD in West Virginia

What West Virginia asks of a homeschool family

These are the homeschool rules we have on file for West Virginia, last verified 2026-08. Our West Virginia page has the full list, with sources.

Getting started (notice)

a one time notice of intent to the county superintendent giving the name, address and age of each child. It is not repeated annually.

Records you must keep

the annual assessment result, kept by you.

Testing / evaluation

an annual academic assessment. The portfolio option has a certified teacher review samples of the child's work and write a narrative on progress in reading, language, mathematics, science and social studies, noting anything needing improvement. Results must be submitted to the county superintendent at grades 3, 5, 8 and 11, by June 30 of the year the assessment was given.

Special education and your homeschooled child in West Virginia

We researched this from West Virginia's statutes and administrative code, the state education department and the US Department of Education, last checked October 2026. Where a source was missing, old or in conflict, the line says so instead of guessing. Federal law (IDEA) gives a child placed in private school by a parent no individual right to services, only a share of the district's equitable-services funds, and each state decides how a home school is counted.

How the state counts a home school

Its own category, not a private school

W. Va. Code 18-8-1(c) makes home instruction its own exemption from compulsory attendance, and the state's special education rule (Policy 2419, 2023) lists 'home schooled' students separately from students 'enrolled in private schools, including religious schools' in its child find list.

Asking for an evaluation

Policy 2419 requires each school district (LEA) to include home-schooled students within its geographic boundaries in child find, and says a referral for a home-schooled student goes directly to the district's special education director or designee. If a parent refuses consent to an initial evaluation, the district cannot use mediation or due process to override it for a home-schooled child.

Services and IEPs

Policy 2419 defines a service plan for a parentally placed student 'enrolled in a private school' and its equitable services chapter is written for private school students; it was not found to say that home-schooled children receive a service plan, so entitlement is unclear. W. Va. Code 18-8-1(c)(1) directs the state board to develop guidelines for home schooling special education students, and those guidelines were not located. Whether an existing IEP continues after withdrawal: not found in primary sources.

Less certain: the sources on this were thin or in conflict. Confirm with the state office before relying on it.

Part-time classes, therapies and activities at the public school

W. Va. Code 18-2-25(d) requires the state secondary school activities commission to treat a home-instructed student as eligible for public school interscholastic athletics and other extracurricular activities if the student meets listed conditions, including demonstrated academic progress and an age limit. Part-time classes or therapies at the public school: not found in primary sources.

Scholarships and funding for a child with a disability

The Hope Scholarship (W. Va. Code 18-31-1 et seq.) is a general education savings account, not a disability program, and it allows an at-home 'individualized instructional program'. An 'eligible recipient' generally must have been enrolled full-time in public school (or be of kindergarten age), with a provision that could broaden eligibility from July 1, 2026 depending on program participation, which our check could not confirm; a long-time homeschooler may therefore not qualify. Parents of students with a disability must be told that Hope participation is a parental placement under IDEA.

Also worth knowing

Under 18-8-1(c)(2), home-instruction families file a notice of intent and obtain an annual academic assessment; one allowed option is an alternative assessment mutually agreed by the parent and the county superintendent. The statute says the county board, on request, must notify parents in writing of services available to assess a child's eligibility for special education, and that identification of a disability does not preclude home schooling.

State office to ask: West Virginia Department of Education, Office of Special Education.

Sources we read

A plain-language summary of public sources, not legal advice. Scholarship and school-choice programs change often, and we have left dollar amounts out on purpose. Confirm current rules with the state office before you act.

Pace, testing and the plan

Check the testing and evaluation line above for West Virginia, since it can depend on how you homeschool. Where a test or an evaluation applies, remember that Learning Supports change how lessons look and feel while your child learns. They are not part of a test or an evaluation. Whether a child can be given accommodations on the test, or with the evaluator, is something to ask the test provider or evaluator before the day, and we cannot tell you what West Virginia allows.

Records in West Virginia

Check the records line above for West Virginia. Letters & Devotion logs instructional hours automatically while your child works, tracks mastery per skill as a ready-made portfolio record, and prints a transcript in one click. Turning supports on or off does not change that record, and nothing in it names a condition, because Letters & Devotion never stores a diagnosis.

Six Learning Supports you can switch on

A parent ticks what helps, never a condition. Each support is a bundle of single switches, and any switch can be changed on its own. After about three weeks the parent side asks whether a support is helping.

Reading support
Often chosen for dyslexia
Read-aloud with each word highlighted, a clearer font, extra spacing and answer buttons.
Focus support
Often chosen for ADHD
Short pieces, one question on screen and movement breaks.
Predictable routine
Often chosen for autism
The same layout, a heads-up before changes, a calm look and plain wording.
Math support
Often chosen for dyscalculia
Pictures and a calculator, with nothing timed.
Writing support
Often chosen for dysgraphia
Answer out loud, with ideas counted over spelling.
Low-pressure mode
Often chosen for anxiety or perfectionism
No scores, calm feedback and a free second try.

What this is not

It does not diagnose anything or store a diagnosis. Your child never sees a condition name.
It is not special education, therapy or an evaluation, and it is not a substitute for an IEP.
Read-aloud is a computer voice, not a person, and answering out loud needs the microphone switch.
Some lesson rewrites, such as plainer literal wording, are pre-written, so not every lesson has one.

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Questions

Can I homeschool a child with autism or ADHD in West Virginia?

West Virginia's homeschool rules are summarized on this page. On special education: W. Va. Code 18-8-1(c) makes home instruction its own exemption from compulsory attendance, and the state's special education rule (Policy 2419, 2023) lists 'home schooled' students separately from students 'enrolled in private schools, including religious schools' in its child find list. Policy 2419 requires each school district (LEA) to include home-schooled students within its geographic boundaries in child find, and says a referral for a home-schooled student goes directly to the district's special education director or designee. If a parent refuses consent to an initial evaluation, the district cannot use mediation or due process to override it for a home-schooled child.

Does Letters & Devotion store my child’s diagnosis?

No. You pick supports, never a condition, nothing stores a diagnosis, and your child never sees a condition name. Support settings are never sent to analytics.

Does this replace an evaluation or an IEP?

No. The setup screen says it plainly: these change how lessons look and feel, and they are not a substitute for an evaluation or an IEP.

Do the supports work with West Virginia's testing rules?