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(a) allows a Pennsylvania-certified teacher to tutor your child. The tutor files a copy of the certification and the required criminal history record with the superintendent. A third option is enrollment in a religious day school under 24 P.S. Section 13-1327(b), a day school operated by a bona fide church or other religious body.

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. 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. Your affidavit must also include a certification, signed by you, that you, all adults living in the home, and anyone with legal custody of the child have not been convicted of the criminal offenses listed in Section 111(e) of the School Code within the past five years. These requirements come from 24 P.S. Section 13-1327.1(a) and (b)(1).

Step 2: Write your PA homeschool affidavit. This is the document that makes it official. Under 24 P.S. Section 13-1327.1(b)(1), include all of the following. The name of the supervisor. The name and age of every child you will homeschool. The address and telephone number of the home education program site. A statement that the required subjects are offered in English, with an outline of proposed educational objectives by subject area. Evidence that your child has been immunized and has received the health and medical services required for the child's age or grade. A statement that your program will comply with the law. Your criminal history certification. If your child has been identified as needing special education services, also include written notice that a teacher certified in special education or a licensed clinical or certified school psychologist approved your program (24 P.S. Section 13-1327(d)).

Step 3: Get the affidavit notarized. Take the completed affidavit and a photo ID to a notary public. The law requires a notarized affidavit, so do not skip this step.

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 written notice of the withdrawal to the superintendent of your school district of residence. Include your child's name, date of birth, current grade, and withdrawal date, and state that you are beginning a home education program under 24 P.S. Section 13-1327.1. File your affidavit before you begin home instruction.

Step 6: Start teaching and building your portfolio. Keep a log, made as you go, of the reading materials you use by title. Save samples of writing, worksheets, workbooks and creative work. Your evaluator reviews this portfolio before writing the certification you submit by June 30.

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 the evaluator's certification that an appropriate education is occurring to your district superintendent (24 P.S. Section 13-1327.1(h.1)). You keep the portfolio. It must contain a log, made contemporaneously with the instruction, of reading materials by title, samples of your child's writings, worksheets, workbooks or creative materials, and in grades 3, 5 and 8, standardized test results in reading/language arts and math.

At grades 3, 5, and 8: Include standardized test results in reading/language arts and math with your portfolio. Choose a nationally normed test from the Pennsylvania Department of Education's list, or the statewide tests. The results stay in your portfolio.

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

First, complete and notarize your home education affidavit. Second, file it with the superintendent of your school district of residence before you begin. Third, send written notice of the withdrawal to that superintendent.

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 a method that gives you proof of delivery, such as certified mail.

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).

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, physical education, music, and art. Economics, biology, chemistry, foreign languages and trigonometry 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."

Under 24 P.S. Section 13-1327.1(c), your program must provide either 180 days of instruction or the minimum hours for your child's level. Elementary: 180 days or 900 hours per year. Secondary: 180 days or 990 hours per year.

You pick your own schedule. The law sets no required calendar and no daily hours.

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

Portfolio review (every year). A qualified evaluator interviews your child, reviews the portfolio, and certifies whether an appropriate education is occurring. Under 24 P.S. Section 13-1327.1(e)(2), the evaluator can be a licensed clinical or school psychologist, a Pennsylvania-certified teacher, or a nonpublic school teacher or administrator with at least two years of teaching experience in a Pennsylvania public or nonpublic school within the last ten years. The evaluator needs experience at your child's level (elementary or secondary). Others may evaluate only with the superintendent's prior consent. The evaluator cannot be you or your spouse. 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 from the Pennsylvania Department of Education's list, or the statewide tests. The test may not be given by the child's parent or guardian. Arrange testing through 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 has questions? The evaluator's certification must reach the superintendent by June 30. If it is late, the superintendent must send a certified letter giving you ten days to submit it. If the superintendent has a reasonable belief during the year that appropriate education may not be occurring, the superintendent may send a certified letter, stating the basis, that asks for an evaluator's certification within 30 days. If a required certification is not submitted, the school board must provide a hearing before an impartial hearing examiner, who may set up a remedial education plan agreed to by you and the superintendent. Respond to superintendent letters promptly.

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). Affidavit, portfolio, evaluator, and standardized testing. This guide covers it in detail.

Private Tutoring (24 P.S. Section 13-1327(a)). A Pennsylvania-certified teacher, paid for the instruction, provides most of the instruction to children of a single family. The tutor files a copy of the certification and the required criminal history record with the superintendent. No portfolio is required, and testing and attendance records are not required of the family by state law. The tutor reports your child's enrollment, any withdrawal, and any three days of unexcused absence to the school district (24 P.S. Section 13-1332).

Religious Day School (24 P.S. Section 13-1327(b)). A day school operated by a bona fide church or other religious body, which provides the statute's minimum days or hours and required courses, with the principal's notarized affidavit filed with the Department of Education. Testing and attendance records are not required of the family by state law, and no withdrawal letter is required. The school reports enrolled children, withdrawals, and any three days of unexcused absence to the school district (24 P.S. Section 13-1332).

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 evaluator's certification. Set reminders a month before each. These two deadlines are the backbone of Pennsylvania homeschool laws.

Use your public school access rights. Under 24 P.S. Section 13-1327.1(f.1), added by Act 67 of 2005, your school district of residence must let your home-educated child participate in activities such as clubs, musical ensembles, athletics, and theatrical productions, if your child meets the eligibility and tryout criteria. Under Section 13-1327.1(f.2), beginning with the 2023-2024 school year, districts must also permit participation in cocurricular activities and in academic courses equaling up to at least one quarter of the school day, under district policies. Call your district's main office and ask about options.

Special needs families: you have options. If your child has been identified as needing special education services, your home education program must address the child's specific needs and be approved by a teacher certified in special education or a licensed clinical or certified school psychologist, with written notice of the approval submitted with your affidavit (24 P.S. Section 13-1327(d)). You may ask the school district or intermediate unit to provide services. When both you and the district or intermediate unit agree, services are provided in the public schools or a licensed private school.

Think through co-op arrangements. Co-ops are great for community. Keep in mind that Pennsylvania's private tutoring option is defined as a paid, Pennsylvania-certified teacher who provides most of the instruction to children of a single family (24 P.S. Section 13-1327(a)). In a home education program, you as supervisor remain responsible for your child's instruction. If a co-op uses paid instructors, ask how it fits your program.

Plan for the diploma. Pennsylvania sets graduation requirements for home education programs: four years of English, three of mathematics, three of science, three of social studies, and two of arts and humanities in grades 9 through 12 (24 P.S. Section 13-1327.1(d)). A student who completes them can receive a diploma awarded by the supervisor on the Department of Education's standardized form, signed by the student's twelfth grade evaluator, or a diploma from a Department-approved diploma-granting organization (Section 13-1327.1(d.1)). Create your own transcript too; there is no state template.

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.