Washington Homeschool Law: RCW § 28A.200.010

Washington homeschool law is governed by RCW § 28A.200.010. Washington has two primary requirements that distinguish it from low-oversight states: an annual Declaration of Intent and an annual assessment by a qualified person.

  • Annual Declaration of Intent
    Filed with your local school district before the start of each school year. Must include the name and age of each child being homeschooled and confirm that instruction will be provided in the required subjects.
  • Qualified supervisor
    Must be supervised by: a certificated teacher, a parent with 45+ college credits, a parent who has completed an approved homeschool course, or a parent working under an approved organization.
  • Annual assessment
    Each year, the student must be assessed by: a standardized test administered by a qualified person, or an evaluation by a certificated teacher. Assessment results must be kept on file by the parent (not submitted to the district).
180-day requirement: Washington requires 180 days of instruction per year. DiplomaPath’s attendance tracker helps you hit 180 days and maintain the organized record your annual assessment requires.

Washington Diploma Pathway: 24 Credits

Washington public high schools require 24 credits for graduation, and this benchmark is what Washington colleges, including University of Washington, Washington State University, and Western Washington University, use when evaluating homeschool applicants. While Washington sets no credit minimums for homeschoolers in law, aligning your transcript to the 24-credit diploma pathway is essential for competitive college admissions.

Subject Area Notes Credits
Language ArtsEnglish 9–124
MathematicsAlgebra I equivalent or higher required3
Science1 must include lab component3
Social StudiesUS History, Government, Contemporary World Problems2.5
Fine Arts 1
Health / Physical Education 2
World Language / CTE 1
Electives 7.5
Total Washington Diploma pathway 24
DiplomaPath tip: Washington’s elective bucket is large , 7.5 credits. Use it strategically: add World Language (2–3 years), Career & Technical Education, additional sciences, or advanced mathematics to build a transcript that exceeds the diploma minimum and impresses admissions officers.

Required Elements of a Complete Washington Transcript

Use this checklist when building your transcript. Every item below should appear on the final document:

  • Student information
    Full legal name, date of birth, address
  • Homeschool name and district
    A consistent school name and the school district where your Declaration of Intent was filed
  • Courses organized by year
    Group by grade (9th, 10th, 11th, 12th) with subject area noted; flag lab science courses
  • Letter grades and grade points
    Include your grading scale (A = 93–100 = 4.0, etc.)
  • Credits per course
    Full-year course = 1.0 credit; semester course = 0.5 credit
  • Cumulative GPA, weighted and unweighted
    Include both; label the scale used
  • Total credits earned
  • Annual assessment note
    Note on the transcript that annual assessments were conducted per RCW § 28A.200.010; keep results on file at home
  • Parent signature and title
    Sign as “Principal” or “Administrator” using your homeschool name

GPA Calculation for Washington Homeschoolers

GPA is calculated the same way regardless of state: multiply each course’s grade points by its credit value, sum those products, and divide by total credits earned. Standard 4.0 scale; Honors courses add 0.5 points; AP and dual enrollment courses add 1.0 point for weighted GPA.

Washington colleges are experienced evaluating homeschool applicants. Including both weighted and unweighted GPA, along with your full grading scale and a note on your annual assessment method, presents a complete and credible academic record.

Want to calculate GPA automatically? Use our free Homeschool GPA Calculator, enter courses and grades and get weighted and unweighted GPA instantly.

Common Mistakes Washington Homeschoolers Make

These are the most frequent mistakes Washington homeschool families make when building a transcript:

  • 1
    Forgetting the annual Declaration of Intent
    Washington law requires a new Declaration of Intent filed with your school district before each school year begins. This is not a one-time filing, it must be renewed every year. Missing the deadline creates a gap in legal compliance that can complicate your student’s records.
  • 2
    Self-assessing instead of using a qualified person
    Washington law requires annual assessment by a qualified person, a certificated teacher, a commercial test given by a qualified evaluator, or similar. Parents cannot self-administer and self-certify the assessment. Budget for annual testing or evaluation by a credentialed third party.
  • 3
    Underusing the 7.5-credit elective bucket
    Washington’s large elective bucket is an opportunity, not just a placeholder. Fill it with World Language (2–3 years), CTE courses, or advanced academics. A strategic elective plan is one of the fastest ways to differentiate a homeschool transcript at University of Washington and Washington State.

Generate a Complete Washington Transcript Automatically

DiplomaPath supports Washington homeschoolers with 24-credit diploma tracking, 180-day attendance logging, weighted GPA calculation, and professional PDF transcript export, all formatted the way Washington colleges expect. Set your targets once and let the app track progress all year.

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