Superintendents are required to provide homeschool students with access to extracurricular activities at the public school that they would otherwise be assigned to.

Homeschooled students in 7th–12th grades are eligible for participation in the College Credit Plus program. Payment for homeschooled students is based on available funding allotted to the program by the General Assembly, and students must apply separately for the funding.

Ohio Revised Code § 3313.5312

  1. A student who is receiving home education in accordance with section 3321.042 of the Revised Code shall be afforded, by the superintendent of the school district in which the student is entitled to attend school under section 3313.64 or 3313.65 of the Revised Code, the opportunity to participate in any extracurricular activity offered at the district school to which the student otherwise would be assigned during that school year. If more than one school operated by the school district serves the student's grade level, as determined by the district superintendent based on the student's age and academic performance, the student shall be afforded the opportunity to participate in extracurricular activities at the school to which the student would be assigned by the superintendent under section 3319.01 of the Revised Code. If a student who is afforded the opportunity to participate in extracurricular activities under division (A) of this section wishes to participate in an activity that is offered by the district, the student shall not participate in that activity at another school or school district to which the student is not entitled to attend.
  2. The superintendent of any school district may afford any student who receives home education under section 3321.042 of the Revised Code, and who is not entitled to attend school in the district under section 3313.64 or 3313.65 of the Revised Code, the opportunity to participate in any extracurricular activity offered by a school of the district, if the district to which the student is entitled to attend does not offer that extracurricular activity.
  3. In order to participate in an extracurricular activity under this section, the student shall be of the appropriate age and grade level, as determined by the superintendent of the district, for the school that offers the extracurricular activity, and shall fulfill the same nonacademic and financial requirements as any other participant

    If the student did not receive home education in the preceding grading period, the student's academic performance during the preceding grading period shall have met any academic standards for eligibility to participate in the program established by the school district.
  4. Eligibility for a student who leaves a school district mid-year for home education shall be determined based on an interim academic assessment issued by the district in which the student was enrolled based on the student's work while enrolled in that district.
  5. Any student who commences home education after the beginning of a school year and who is, at the time home education commences, ineligible to participate in an extracurricular activity due to failure to meet academic standards or any other requirements of the district shall not participate in the extracurricular activity under this section until the student meets the applicable academic requirements as verified by the superintendent of the district. No student under this section shall be eligible to participate in the same semester in which the student was determined ineligible.
  6. No school district shall impose additional rules on a student to participate under this section that do not apply to other students participating in the same extracurricular activity. No district shall impose fees for a student to participate under this section that exceed any fees charged to other students participating in the same extracurricular activity.
  7. No school district, interscholastic conference, or organization that regulates interscholastic conferences or events shall require a student who is eligible to participate in interscholastic extracurricular activities under this section to meet eligibility requirements that conflict with this section.

Ohio Revised Code § 3365.02

  1. There is hereby established the college credit plus program under which, beginning with the 2015-2016 school year, a secondary grade student who is a resident of this state may enroll at a college, on a full- or part-time basis, and complete nonsectarian, nonremedial courses for high school and college credit. The program shall govern arrangements in which a secondary grade student enrolls in a college and, upon successful completion of coursework taken under the program, receives transcripted credit from the college. . . .
  2. Any student enrolled in a public or nonpublic secondary school in the student's ninth, tenth, eleventh, or twelfth grade; any student enrolled in a nonchartered nonpublic secondary school in the student's ninth, tenth, eleventh, or twelfth grade; and any student who is exempt from the compulsory attendance law for the purpose of home education under section 3321.042 of the Revised Code and is the equivalent of a ninth, tenth, eleventh, or twelfth grade student, may participate in the program, if the student meets the applicable eligibility criteria in section 3365.03 of the Revised Code. If a nonchartered nonpublic secondary school student chooses to participate in the program, that student shall be subject to the same requirements as a home-educated student who chooses to participate in the program under this chapter.

Ohio Revised Code § 3365.07

The department of education and workforce shall calculate and pay state funds to colleges for participants in the college credit plus program under division (B) of section 3365.06 of the Revised Code pursuant to this section. For a nonpublic secondary school participant, a nonchartered nonpublic secondary school participant, or a home-educated participant, the department shall pay state funds pursuant to this section only if that participant is awarded funding according to rules adopted by the chancellor of higher education, in consultation with the department of education and workforce, pursuant to s​e​c​t​i​o​n​ 3​3​6​5​.​0​7​1 of the Revised Code. The program shall be the sole mechanism by which state funds are paid to colleges for students to earn transcripted credit for college courses while enrolled in both a secondary school and a college, with the exception of state funds paid to colleges according to an agreement described in division (A)(1) of section 3365.02 of the Revised Code.

Things to keep in mind:

Public school access includes participation in public school classes, sports, activities, etc.

States use a unique vocabulary in this area: “extracurricular,” “cocurricular,” “curricular,” “interscholastic,” “program,” “activity,” etc. Care should be taken to distinguish one from another. When a state defines a word, it is important.

While athletic association rules are not “law,” public schools are generally constrained to operate within them, or their teams could be disqualified. We therefore refer to association rules of particular importance in a number of entries.

We strive toward keeping this information 100% up to date in this rapidly changing area of the law. However, this post should not be considered authoritative because of the possibility of unobserved changes in association rules, statutes, regulations, or case decisions, and because of lag time between changes and the publication of updates. 

Please note: The information on this page has been reviewed by an attorney, but it should not be taken as legal advice specific to your individual situation.