How to Withdraw Your Child From Public School in Connecticut (2026): Step by Step

How Withdrawal Works in Connecticut

Connecticut law sets one requirement for home education: your child must receive instruction equivalent to the studies taught in the public schools. There is no approval to obtain before you begin, no mandatory notice to file, and no test to administer. To withdraw your child from a Connecticut public school, you send the school a written notice that you are withdrawing to provide home instruction. The school updates its records, attendance tracking ends, and the move is complete.

What complicates Connecticut for many families is the gap between the statute and the State Board of Education's voluntary guidelines. The state offers a notice of intent form called the C-14, and it suggests an annual portfolio review. Both are guidelines only, not requirements set by law. Some districts pass them along as mandatory, which is how confusion spreads. The key in Connecticut is understanding that the law and the guidelines are not the same thing, and that your decisions about the voluntary steps belong entirely to you.

This guide focuses on the withdrawal process and the choices around the voluntary forms. For the full picture on Connecticut's equivalent-instruction standard, curriculum, high school, and what the law requires after withdrawal is complete, see the Connecticut homeschooling guide.

Step 1: Send the Withdrawal Notice

The withdrawal notice is the one required document. Send the public school a short written notice stating that you are withdrawing your child to provide home instruction. You do not need to describe your curriculum, identify your teaching method, or obtain any kind of approval. The notice tells the school your child will no longer attend, and the school closes the enrollment and stops recording absences.

A few sentences cover the legal ground. Your child's name, the effective date of withdrawal, and a statement that you are providing home instruction under Connecticut General Statutes Section 10-184 are enough. The statutory reference is optional, but naming it can be useful if the school office asks follow-up questions or is unfamiliar with home education rights in Connecticut.

Deliver the notice in a way that gives you a record of receipt. Handing it in person and asking for a date-stamped copy works. Emailing it to the school office and keeping the sent message and any reply works. Certified mail with return receipt works. Keep a dated copy in your own files. Connecticut does not require any additional state or district filing, so your copy is your primary record that the withdrawal was completed properly.

Before you begin teaching, a free reading assessment gives you a clear picture of where your child's skills stand so you can start instruction at the right level from the first day, rather than guessing where to begin.

Step 2: Decide on the Voluntary C-14

After you send the withdrawal notice, the next question is what to do about the voluntary C-14. The C-14 is a notice of intent form that the State Board of Education suggests families file with the local superintendent within ten days of starting home instruction. The Board also suggests an annual portfolio review in which families meet with school officials to show samples of the child's work and demonstrate that equivalent instruction is taking place. Both are guidelines. Neither is required by statute.

The reason families file the C-14 despite its voluntary status is that filing can create a presumption that you are providing equivalent instruction. If a question about your home school ever comes up with the district, having the C-14 on record can shorten the conversation. That practical advantage is why some families treat it as worth the step of filing, even though they are not obligated to.

Skipping the C-14 is also fully lawful. Families who do not file are not in violation of any statute, and a district cannot require approval or hold back a withdrawal because the C-14 was not submitted. The decision is yours based on whether the presumption is worth establishing a filing relationship with the district. Some families find the presumption valuable; others prefer not to invite district contact beyond the initial withdrawal notice.

Some districts present the C-14 and the portfolio review as mandatory. That is not accurate. A district cannot lawfully require either one as a condition of home schooling. If a district tells you the C-14 is required, you may choose to file anyway for the presumption it creates, but the choice belongs to you, not to the district.

Step 3: Keep Records and Know Your Rights

Keep a dated copy of your withdrawal notice in your files, along with your C-14 if you chose to file one. Beyond those documents, the most useful records to maintain are your own accounts of what you teach and samples of your child's work. Connecticut requires equivalent instruction, and your records are what demonstrate that standard is being met, even though you are not required to submit those records to anyone.

While you are communicating with the school about the withdrawal, request copies of any records you want: immunization records, report cards, transcripts, and any prior assessment results your child has on file. Gathering those records at the time of withdrawal is more direct than returning later, and having them in hand before your first lesson lets you build a curriculum plan from your child's actual starting point.

A mid-year withdrawal follows the same single step as a withdrawal at any other time of year. There is no waiting period and no required timing. Send the notice when you are ready. For planning what to teach once the withdrawal is complete, the curriculum planning guide walks you through setting up a year that covers the subjects the equivalent-instruction standard requires.

Pending Legislation and Special Education

Connecticut has weighed bills in recent legislative sessions that would create the state's first formal home education oversight. The equivalent-instruction standard with voluntary guidelines remains the law as of this writing, but the situation is worth watching each year. Before you rely on the framework described here, confirm the current rules at portal.ct.gov/sde. If new legislation passes, steps that are voluntary now could become required, and deadlines could arrive without much notice.

If your child has an Individualized Education Program, the special education services provided through the public school end when you withdraw to home instruction. Connecticut districts may offer limited services to home school students, but the mandatory IEP entitlements that apply to enrolled public school students do not carry over to a home education setting. Contact the district's special education office before you send the withdrawal notice if services are currently in place, so you understand what transitions are available and what will end when enrollment closes.

A Note from Homeschool Teacher Guide: What This Really Means for You

Connecticut rewards families who know the difference between the law and the guidelines. The law asks only that your child receive equivalent instruction in the core subjects. To withdraw, you send a written notice and keep a dated copy. We would decide on the C-14 deliberately: filing it can create a helpful presumption of equivalent instruction, while skipping it is fully lawful. Either way, keep your own records of what you teach and samples of your child's work, because those records are what demonstrate equivalent instruction if a question comes up.

Request your child's school records at the time of withdrawal. Check portal.ct.gov/sde at the start of each year, since Connecticut has been weighing new oversight and what is voluntary now could change. Our Connecticut homeschooling guide covers your rights and requirements in full, including the equivalent-instruction standard, the subjects Connecticut expects you to cover, and how to build a high school record your student can use for college applications.