Homeschool benefits: Renton School District
Renton School District's H.O.M.E. Program (Homeschool Opportunities for Merging Education) is a public alternative learning experience for grades K-10: your child takes onsite classes with certificated teachers at least one hour a week, and you teach the rest at home under a written learning plan. The program is full for 2026-27, so new families join a waitlist.
Who qualifies
In kindergarten through grade 10
The program serves grades K-10. Students who want Running Start after 10th grade must enroll in another school.
Lives in Renton or transfers
The program registers students who live in the Renton School District before choice transfer students from other districts.
Attends a weekly teacher class
Your child must take at least one class a week with a certificated teacher, and you report absences to the office to stay within state ALE rules.
Family volunteers on campus
Every family must volunteer, and parents of elementary students stay onsite. Students in grades 6-10 may be dropped off with a signed behavior contract and the facilitator's approval.
What the program asks and gives
The hours and due dates come from the H.O.M.E. Program FAQ and handbook, which subtract onsite class hours from the 28 plan hours.
- Class with a certificated teacher
- 1 hour a week minimum
- Hours on the plan, grades 1-10
- 28
- Hours on the plan, kindergarten
- 14
- Plan review with a teacher consultant
- Monthly
- Home progress update in SDS
- Monthly, usually the 15th
- Class materials or lab fees
- Paid before day one
Families who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch can get scholarships for class fees; ask office manager Lizbeth Loreto.
From the waitlist to staying enrolled
- Now
Join the waitlist
Fill out the Interest Application. The program is at capacity for 2026-27 and adds new families to its waitlist.
- When space opens
Tour and meet
The program contacts waitlisted families to schedule a tour and a meeting with the program facilitator.
- Before enrolling
Sign the ALE notice
State ALE rules require you to sign that you understand the difference between home-based instruction and enrollment in an alternative learning experience.
- Each month
Report home progress
Update home-based progress in School Data Solutions (SDS) by the due date and meet with your child's certificated teacher consultant to review the plan.
- If progress slips
Follow the intervention plan
Unsatisfactory progress triggers an intervention plan, and three months in a row of unsatisfactory progress means the program must consider moving your child to another setting.
What it includes
Included
- Onsite classes with certificated teachers
- A written student learning plan
- Onsite core classes for high school credit
- Virtual electives through Edgenuity
Not included
- Cash or reimbursement for home materials
- Class materials and lab fees
- Onsite special education instruction
- Grade 11 and 12 enrollment
Onsite class hours count toward the 28 plan hours, and you document the remaining hours as home-based coursework.
Good to know
H.O.M.E. students are public school students
Students are enrolled in the Renton School District, and Washington does not count them as homeschooled. The program describes itself as a public school program, not a homeschool cooperative.
Who to contact about H.O.M.E.
The office at 2607 Jones Ave S. in Renton answers waitlist, enrollment, and attendance questions Monday through Thursday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
425-264-7741 Interest application
Homeschool rules and statewide help in Washington
You must file a declaration of intent by September 15 for the school year, or within two weeks after the start of a public-school quarter or term for a later start.
Washington sets these rules:
- Subjects: Teach occupational education, science, mathematics, language, social studies, history, health, reading, writing, spelling, and art and music appreciation. Provide hours equivalent to the annual program hours per grade for approved private schools under RCW 28A.195.010 and .040.
- Testing: Each year, obtain a state-board-approved standardized test administered by a qualified person or a written assessment by a Washington-certificated person currently working in education.
- Records: Keep annual test or assessment results permanently, along with immunization records. Forward required records if your child transfers to a public or approved private school.
- Teachers: The parent needs 45 college quarter credits or the semester equivalent, a home-instruction course at a postsecondary or vocational-technical institute, supervision by a certificated teacher, or the superintendent’s finding of sufficient qualifications. Teacher supervision includes planned objectives, an average of at least one contact hour per week with the child each month, and progress evaluation; the teacher may supervise no more than 30 children.
Read the Washington homeschooling guide See statewide programs in Washington
Questions parents ask
- Can a family that has been homeschooling apply to H.O.M.E.?
- Yes. The interest form asks whether your child has been homeschooled for 60 or more days, and the program was started in 1998 to support homeschooling families.
- Do I have to stay at the school during classes?
- Yes, if your child is in elementary school. You do not have to sit in class, but you must be on campus and help with volunteer jobs.
- What if my child has an IEP?
- Your child gets IEP services at your neighborhood school. The program does not deliver specially designed instruction onsite, so it works with that school and schedules that instruction first.
- Will credits from our earlier homeschool years count?
- Only if you have an official transcript from an accredited institution. High school math students also take a placement test.
Turn support into your child’s next lesson
Put eligible education funds toward a curriculum that teaches the courses and grades the work. Check the program’s purchasing rules before paying.
$149/month per child after the trial.
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