The Johnson Crew!

If you’re ready to pull your kids out of public school and homeschool them this year, you might be wondering what the next steps are. Don’t let this part overwhelm you. I’m Sarah, and my husband and I run a wedding photography business in Savannah, Georgia, while I homeschool our kids. Here’s how to find your state’s rules, and exactly what Georgia requires.

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Step 1: Find your state’s rules

I don’t know the rules for every state, but finding yours is easy. Google “pull my kids out of public school” plus the name of your state, and look for your state’s Department of Education website in the results. That’s where you’ll find the steps you need to complete.

Step 2: File Georgia’s Declaration of Intent

In Georgia it’s really very simple. You file a Declaration of Intent, a short form on the Georgia Department of Education website. You file it once a year, and it asks for:

• Your kids’ names and ages
• The dates of your school year
• Your name and address
• Your school district

Super easy.

Step 3: Withdraw from your school

Contact your child’s school to find out their specific withdrawal procedures. It shouldn’t be anything difficult. While you’re at it, ask how to get your child’s official transcripts.

Step 4: Planning to re-enroll later? Ask about validation

If homeschooling is a temporary solution and you plan to put your child back in public school, ask your local school district about their validation process. Basically, find out what records they’ll want to see when you re-enroll, so you can keep them while you homeschool.

Step 5: Know the testing requirement

The only other Georgia requirement is testing every three years, and it doesn’t start until the end of third grade. For the tests, the Department of Education website says you can:

• Search for nationally standardized tests online and contact the testing vendor directly, or
• Contact a homeschool association in your area for test times and locations.

Nothing too crazy.

What about curriculum?

If choosing curriculum is what has you hung up, I know there are a million options out there. It’s easy to get overwhelmed. Try not to feel like you have to read every single review before you decide. If you know someone who homeschools, pick their brain about what they use. Use the resources around you.

Key takeaways

• Search “pull my kids out of public school” plus your state to find your Department of Education rules.
• In Georgia, file the Declaration of Intent once a year.
• Ask your school about withdrawal procedures and official transcripts.
• If you might re-enroll, ask your district what records to keep.
• Georgia requires standardized testing every three years, starting at the end of third grade.

What viewers say

Thank you I’m in Georgia and this is what I needed !❤❤

@SimoneRollock on YouTube

Very helpful..I live in Georgia too…and am looking to homeschool my youngest. He'll be going into the 7th

@patrickghenry100 on YouTube

Things we mentioned

• Georgia Declaration of Intent form

Want more help getting started with homeschool? Come hang out with our crew on YouTube. Subscribe to The Johnson Crew on YouTube.

FAQ

How do I start homeschooling in Georgia?

File a Declaration of Intent on the Georgia Department of Education website, then contact your school about withdrawal and transcripts.

How often do I file the Declaration of Intent?

Once a year.

Does Georgia require homeschool testing?

Yes, every three years, starting at the end of third grade. You can find a nationally standardized test online or ask a local homeschool association about test dates and locations.

What if I want to put my child back in public school later?

Ask your local school district about its validation process so you know which records to keep.

More from our crew

• How to Start Homeschooling Your Child Today
• Watch This Before Buying Homeschool Curriculum
• 5 Tips to Start the School Year Off Right! + Preparing to Use a New Curriculum

Full transcript

Hi welcome to my channel if you're already a subscriber then welcome back if you're new here hit subscribe and let's be friends I'm Sarah I have four kids from the ages of 1 to 7 and homeschool my second grader and kindergartner and my husband and I run a wedding photography business and Savannah Georgia if you haven't seen my last video is homeschooling right for you for fall 2020 this is the follow-up to that video if you're wanting to move forward and pull your kids out of public school

And homeschool them this upcoming year simply Google pull my kids out of public school plus the name of your state and look for your state's Department of Education website within that search there you should be able to find the steps you need to complete don't let this part overwhelm you now I don't know the rules for every state and Georgia it's really very simple here they have you file what's called a declaration of intent which is a very simple form on Georgia's Department of Education website

And this is something you file once a year it's a super short form where you just fill in your kids names and ages the dates of your school year your name address and your district super easy you would need to contact your school to find out what their specific withdrawal procedures are which should not be anything difficult you should also ask your school how to acquire your child's official transcripts now if this is just a temporary solution and you're planning to re-enroll your child in public school at some point then you will also need to ask your local school district about their validation process basically what kind of records do you need to keep while you're homeschooling that they're gonna want to see when

You're re enrolling them back into public school the only other requirement that Georgia has is they require testing every three years and that doesn't even start until the end of third grade for these tests the Department of Education website says you can search nationally standardized tests online and contact the testing vendor directly or you can contact a homeschool Association in your area to get the information on test times and test locations nothing too crazy now if you're thinking what in the world curriculum do I use I know there's a million out there if that's a piece that has you hung up on this I am gonna do another video on what curriculums we use

So look out for that next I will say there are a lot of options out there and it can be really easy to get overwhelmed so try not to feel like you have to read every single review on all the curriculums before you make your decision and if you know someone who homeschools pick their brain on what they're using use the resources around you if you found this video helpful please give it a thumbs up and don't forget to subscribe and hit the little button

So you don't miss another video thanks for joining me today see you soon