How to Start Homeschooling in Pennsylvania

Yes. Homeschooling is fully legal in Pennsylvania. It has been since Act 169 was signed into law in 1988. The Home Education Program under 24 P.S. Section 13-1327.1 gives you a clear right to educate your children at home.

Pennsylvania also offers two additional pathways. Private Tutoring under 24 P.S. Section 13-1327 allows a Pennsylvania-certified teacher to tutor your child. The tutor files credentials with the superintendent as a notice, not for approval. A third option, the Religious Day School Extension under 24 P.S. Section 13-1327(d), lets families enroll as part of a religious day school. That pathway is less clearly defined in statute and may vary by district.

The Home Education Program is the pathway most families choose. Pennsylvania is a high-regulation state, but the trade-off is clarity. The rules are explicit, which means your rights are too. This guide focuses on the Home Education Program.

Pennsylvania requires education for children ages 6 through 18 under 24 P.S. Section 13-1327. Kindergarten is not compulsory. This catches some families off guard. If your child is 6, they are already in the compulsory range — even if you think of them as "kindergarten age." You need to file your PA homeschool affidavit.

If your child is 4 or 5 and you are exploring homeschooling, you have breathing room. Use it to research curricula and connect with local homeschool families. But once your child turns 6, file your notarized affidavit before you begin instruction. There is no grace period.

Here is how to start homeschooling in Pennsylvania, step by step. It takes more paperwork than most states. But every step is clear once you know what goes where.

Step 1: Confirm you qualify as a supervisor. Pennsylvania calls the teaching parent a "supervisor." You must be the child's parent or guardian. You need a high school diploma or GED. You must also certify that you have not been convicted of certain criminal offenses within the past 5 years under Pennsylvania's Criminal History Background Check provisions. No separate background check is needed. You self-certify in the affidavit. These requirements come from 24 P.S. Section 13-1327.1(a).

Step 2: Write your PA homeschool affidavit. This is the document that makes it official. Include all of the following. Your full name and address. The full names and ages of every child you will homeschool. The address where instruction will take place. A statement that you will teach all required subjects. A statement that instruction will be in English. Your criminal history certification. Certification that your children have required immunizations and health screenings. On a separate page, write out proposed educational objectives for each subject area and attach it.

Step 3: Get the affidavit notarized. Take the completed affidavit and a photo ID to a notary public. Most banks offer free notary services for account holders. UPS stores, AAA offices, and public libraries often have notaries too. Do not skip this. Un-notarized affidavits will be rejected. This is the most common mistake new Pennsylvania homeschoolers make.

Step 4: Mail it to your superintendent. Send the notarized affidavit and educational objectives to the superintendent of your school district of residence. Use certified mail for proof of delivery. The annual deadline is August 1. Starting mid-year? File before you begin instruction. There is no waiting period. You can start teaching the same day.

Step 5: Withdraw your child (if enrolled). Send a withdrawal letter to your child's school. Include their name, date of birth, current grade, and withdrawal date. State that you are beginning a home education program under 24 P.S. Section 13-1327.1. File the affidavit before or at the same time you send the withdrawal letter. Withdrawing without a filed affidavit can trigger a truancy accusation.

Step 6: Start teaching and building your portfolio. Log your hours from day one. Save work samples. Keep a running list of every book your child reads, by title. You will need all of this by June 30. Starting early makes the end-of-year submission painless.

Homeschool requirements in Pennsylvania come down to two deadlines and one testing requirement under 24 P.S. Section 13-1327.1(b).

By August 1 each year: File your notarized affidavit and educational objectives with the superintendent. This is also your annual renewal. Same process, same deadline, every year.

By June 30 each year: Submit your Pennsylvania homeschool portfolio and evaluator's written certification to the superintendent. The portfolio must contain a log of reading materials by title, samples of writing and math work, a log of instruction with hours, and evidence of instruction in all required subjects.

At grades 3, 5, and 8: Include standardized test results in reading/language arts and math with your portfolio. Acceptable tests: Iowa Tests, CAT, Stanford, Terra Nova, or PSSA.

If your child is in school right now, here is how to bring them home.

First, complete and notarize your home education affidavit. Second, mail it to your superintendent. Third, send a withdrawal letter to the school. This order matters. Filing the affidavit first is what keeps your child from being marked truant.

Your withdrawal letter should include four things. Your name and contact information. Your child's full name, date of birth, and current grade. The withdrawal date. And this statement: "I am withdrawing my child to begin a home education program under 24 P.S. Section 13-1327.1." Send it by certified mail or email with read receipt.

There is no waiting period. You can begin homeschooling the day you file the affidavit. Your child does not have to keep attending school while paperwork is processed.

Pennsylvania lists required subjects by grade level under 24 P.S. Section 13-1327.1(c). The list is specific, but it covers what most families naturally teach.

Elementary grades (K-6): English (spelling, reading, writing), arithmetic, science, geography, history of the United States and Pennsylvania, civics, safety education including fire prevention, health and physiology, physical education, music, and art.

Secondary grades (7-12): English (language, literature, speech, composition), mathematics (general math, algebra, geometry), science, geography, social studies (civics, world history, U.S. history, Pennsylvania history), safety education including fire prevention, health and physiology, physical education, music, and art. Trigonometry, biology, and chemistry may be included at your discretion but are not required.

Two common assumptions that are wrong. World languages are not required by the homeschool statute. And while many families teach biology and chemistry, those subjects are optional under the statute — listed as courses that "may include, at the discretion of the supervisor."

Pennsylvania sets minimum instructional hours under 24 P.S. Section 13-1327.1(c). Elementary (grades 1-6): 900 hours per year. Secondary (grades 7-12): 990 hours per year.

You pick your own schedule. No required school calendar. No mandated daily hours. You need to hit the yearly total and keep a log to prove it.

Practical math: 900 hours over 180 days is 5 hours per day. Teaching 4 days a week over 36 weeks means about 6.25 hours per day for elementary. Many families find that one-on-one instruction covers material faster than a classroom. These totals are usually easier to reach than they look.

Pennsylvania homeschool testing requirements have two parts: an annual portfolio review and standardized testing at certain grades.

Portfolio review (every year). A certified evaluator reviews your child's portfolio and writes a certification that appropriate education is happening. The statute at 24 P.S. Section 13-1327.1(e) lists who qualifies: a Pennsylvania-licensed teacher, a teacher at a PA-licensed private school, a psychologist, or another person with qualifications defined in the statute. A well-meaning friend without credentials will not satisfy the requirement. Book your evaluator early. Experienced ones fill up between April and June. Ask local homeschool groups for recommendations.

Standardized testing (grades 3, 5, and 8). Your child takes a nationally normed test in reading/language arts and math. Acceptable options: Iowa Tests, CAT, Stanford, Terra Nova, or PSSA. Arrange testing through your evaluator, a homeschool testing group, or a private service. If your child struggles with tests, remember: the results are just one piece of a portfolio that shows everything your child learned all year.

What if the superintendent pushes back? Your portfolio, certification, and test results must reach the superintendent by June 30. If the superintendent finds the program inadequate, you get written notice of the deficiencies. Respond within the timeline stated in that notice. You have the right to a hearing if you disagree. Do not ignore superintendent correspondence. Failure to respond can lead to truancy proceedings.

Pennsylvania offers three legal pathways for home education, plus a fourth option that is not technically homeschooling.

Home Education Program (24 P.S. Section 13-1327.1). The most common choice. Affidavit, portfolio, evaluator, and standardized testing. This guide covers it in detail.

Private Tutoring (24 P.S. Section 13-1327). A Pennsylvania-certified teacher tutors your child. The tutor files credentials with the superintendent — no approval is needed. No portfolio or testing required. The certified teacher provides accountability. Hiring a credentialed tutor makes this impractical for most families, but it eliminates portfolio and testing requirements entirely.

Religious Day School Extension (24 P.S. Section 13-1327(d)). Families enroll through a religious day school extension program. Requirements may differ and vary by district. Primarily used by families with religious motivations. Less clearly defined in statute.

Cyber Charter Schools. Students learn from home but are public school students following the cyber charter school's rules, not homeschool law. Tuition is paid by the student's school district of residence. This is not homeschooling in the legal sense.

Mark two dates now. August 1 for your affidavit. June 30 for your portfolio. Set reminders a month before each. These two deadlines are the backbone of Pennsylvania homeschool laws.

Use your public school access rights. Act 67 of 2005 lets your home-educated child participate in extracurricular activities at the local public school, including sports. Act 55 of 2022 extends that access to cocurricular activities and academic courses on a part-time basis. PIAA bylaws govern interscholastic athletic eligibility. Call your district's main office and ask about part-time enrollment options.

Special needs families: you have options. If your child has an IEP or qualifies for special education, you can homeschool and still access support. Pennsylvania allows districts to make special education services available to homeschooled students by mutual agreement, though districts can decline and fewer than half provide them. Your child may access speech therapy, occupational therapy, and behavioral services through dual enrollment. Submit a written request to your district's special education department. One key detail: your homeschool program for a child with special needs must be approved by a certified special education teacher or licensed school psychologist.

Be careful with co-ops. Co-ops are great for community. But Pennsylvania flags this as a high-risk area. A paid tutor must hold PA teaching certification and may only teach children from one family. Safe structures: parent-taught groups where parents are primary instructors, and unpaid volunteers leading enrichment. Risky structures: hiring a non-certified tutor, or hiring any tutor for children from multiple families. If your co-op uses paid instructors, confirm they hold valid PA teaching certificates.

You issue the diploma. When your child finishes high school, you create and issue the diploma yourself. Pennsylvania does not provide a state homeschool diploma. Create your own transcript too — there is no state template. The portfolio with your evaluator's certification serves as the primary academic record. Most Pennsylvania colleges accept homeschool portfolios and transcripts.

Your portfolio is more than compliance. Over the year, your portfolio becomes a record of your child's growth. The reading log, the writing samples, the creative work. Start it on day one, add to it regularly, and by June you will have something to be proud of.