How Withdrawal Works in Nebraska
Nebraska runs home schooling through an exempt school election filed with the state Department of Education. You file Form A, the Statement of Election and Assurances, to operate as an exempt school, and you notify your child's public school. There is no approval, no testing, and no state parent credential. The Form A election is what establishes your home school.
The process has two moving parts: the state filing and the school notification. Filing Form A with the Nebraska Department of Education places your home school within the law under Section 79-1601. Notifying the public school closes out your child's enrollment so attendance tracking stops. Both steps happen close together, and once they are done, your child is lawfully withdrawn.
Nebraska's compulsory school age runs from 6 through 18. Any child in that range who is not enrolled in an approved or accredited school must be covered by an exempt school filing. When you file Form A, you elect that status and step out of the public school system at the same time.
Step 1: File Form A With the State
File Form A, the Statement of Election and Assurances, with the Nebraska Department of Education. You file it when you begin your exempt school and by July 15 each year thereafter. For a mid-year withdrawal, you file when you begin rather than waiting for the next July cycle. The July 15 date is the annual renewal point for ongoing home schools, not the only window for getting started.
On the form you affirm instruction in five subject areas: language arts, mathematics, science, social studies, and health. You also affirm that the people teaching are qualified, as you judge it. Nebraska does not require a teaching certificate or specific degree. Our Nebraska homeschooling guide covers Form A in detail, including what each affirmation means and how to handle the annual July 15 renewal.
Before you finalize your plan for the first school year, a free reading and academic assessment gives you a clear picture of where your child stands. That starting point helps you choose materials at the right level and decide which subject areas deserve the most attention from day one.
Step 2: Notify the School
Send your child's public school a short written notice that the child is withdrawn to an exempt home school, so attendance tracking stops. Keep a copy of the note with your Form A. The Form A election establishes your home school with the state, and the notice closes out attendance at the public school. Both documents together give you a clean record of the withdrawal.
The notice does not need to be long. A brief letter or email stating the child's name, grade, date of withdrawal, and the reason (transfer to a home school exempt school) is enough. Send it to the school principal or the main office. Some families copy the district attendance office as well, which can prevent automated truancy notices while the public school updates its records.
For a mid-year withdrawal, file Form A and send the school notice close together so your child moves cleanly out of the public system. If you are pulling your child partway through a school year, file Form A promptly rather than waiting for the next July cycle. The mid-year timing does not change the steps; it changes when you take them.
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Step 3: Keep Records and Know Your Duties
Keep a copy of your Form A and your withdrawal notice, and request any school records you want, such as immunization records and transcripts. Because Nebraska requires no testing or curriculum approval, your Form A is your main record of a proper withdrawal and annual filing. The state does not ask for portfolios, evaluations, or academic reports beyond the Form A election.
After the withdrawal, Nebraska asks you to provide instruction in the five subject areas, with no testing and no academic report beyond the annual Form A. What you teach and how you teach it is entirely your call. Most standard curriculum packages cover all five required areas in a structured sequence. If you build your own program from individual resources, check it against the five-subject list so each area is covered through the year.
Our Nebraska homeschooling guide covers everything that comes after the withdrawal: the annual filing cycle, what the five-subject affirmation means day to day, and how to build a high school transcript. Once you know what you plan to teach, our planning guide walks through mapping subjects to a curriculum before you buy anything.
Choosing the right curriculum gets easier when you know what to teach, what to skip, and where to start.
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Special Education and Common Snags
If your child has an Individualized Education Program, the special education services provided through the public school end when you withdraw to an exempt home school. Nebraska districts may offer limited services to exempt school students, but the IEP entitlement that applies to enrolled public school students does not carry over. Contact the district's special education office before withdrawing if services are in place and you want to understand what options remain after your child leaves the public system.
The most common snag in Nebraska is treating the July 15 date as the only time to file. For a mid-year withdrawal, you file Form A when you begin, not the following July, so file promptly. Keep your copy and any confirmation from the Department of Education. Another snag is forgetting the annual renewal: mark July 15 on your calendar each year so the deadline never lapses and your exempt school stays in good standing.
A Note from Homeschool Teacher Guide: What This Really Means for You
Nebraska's exempt school label sounds formal, but it comes down to one form. File Form A with the state Department of Education to elect exempt status, send a short note to your child's public school so attendance stops, and keep your copy. July 15 is the annual cycle, but if you are pulling your child mid-year, file Form A when you begin rather than waiting.
After that the law is light: affirm the five subjects, teach, and there is no testing or extra reporting. We find that the parents who feel most settled after withdrawal are the ones who treated Form A as the real step and did not overthink the school notification. Write the note, send it, and move on. Our Nebraska homeschooling guide covers everything after Form A so you know what the rest of the year looks like before you start.