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Homeschooling in Pennsylvania

Homeschool rules in Pennsylvania, in plain English

To homeschool in Pennsylvania under the Home Education Program, the parent (the supervisor) must file a notarized affidavit or unsworn declaration with the superintendent of the school district of residence before starting, and again by August 1 every year. You must teach 180 days, or 900 hours (elementary) or 990 hours (secondary), in the required subjects, and keep a portfolio. Each year an approved evaluator must send a written evaluation to the superintendent by June 30, and children in grades 3, 5 and 8 must take a standardized test.

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This explains each state's homeschool rules in plain English, from the state's own published sources. It isn't legal advice, and we aren't lawyers. Laws change and every family is different, so check with your state, your school district or a lawyer before you rely on it.

How much it asks
Detailed: notices plus tests or reviews
School age
6 through 18, or until graduation
Time
180 days a year or 900 hours a year

Option 1

Home Education Program (parent-directed, under 24 P.S. 13-1327.1)

Parents or guardians who have a high school diploma or equivalent and want to teach their own children at home. No teaching certificate is needed, and the district does not approve the program.

  1. Before you startGood to know

    Check the supervisor requirement

    The supervising parent, guardian or legal custodian must have a high school diploma or its equivalent, such as a GED.

  2. Before you startPaperwork

    File the notarized affidavit

    File a notarized affidavit, or an unsworn declaration, with the superintendent of your school district. It lists the supervisor, each child's name and age, the program address and phone number, and confirms subjects are taught in English. It must include an outline of proposed education objectives by subject, and evidence of immunization and required health services (or a religious or medical exemption). The Pennsylvania Department of Education provides sample forms.

  3. OngoingWhat to teach

    Teach the required hours and subjects

    Provide at least 180 days of instruction, or 900 hours a year at the elementary level or 990 hours at the secondary level. Teach the subjects listed for your child's level.

  4. OngoingRecords

    Keep the portfolio

    Keep a log of reading materials by title, made as you teach, plus samples of your child's writing, worksheets, workbooks and creative work. Keep it at home. You do not send it to the district.

  5. Each year your child is in grade 3, 5 or 8Testing

    Standardized testing in grades 3, 5 and 8

    Use the Pennsylvania statewide test or a nationally normed standardized test from the Department of Education's approved list, in reading or language arts and in mathematics. A parent may not be the test administrator. Put the results in the portfolio.

  6. By June 30 each yearTesting

    Get the annual evaluation

    A qualified evaluator reviews the portfolio, interviews your child, and certifies whether an appropriate education is occurring. You send the evaluator's report to the superintendent.

  7. Every year by August 1Paperwork

    Renew the affidavit

    File a new notarized affidavit or unsworn declaration with the superintendent for the coming year.

Option 2

Private tutor with a Pennsylvania certified teacher (22 Pa. Code 11.31)

Families who want a certified Pennsylvania teacher to provide the instruction, either in the home or for a group of children from one family.

  1. Before you startWho teaches

    Hire a certified tutor

    The tutor must hold a Pennsylvania teaching certificate and teach children who are members of a single family.

  2. Before you startPaperwork

    Give the district the tutor's paperwork

    Submit evidence of the tutor's certification and results of the tutor's background checks to the school district.

  3. OngoingWhat to teach

    Provide the required hours and subjects

    The tutoring must provide at least 180 days, or 900 hours (elementary) or 990 hours (secondary), of instruction in the required subjects each year.

Subjects to teach

  • Elementary (K-6): English, including spelling, reading and writing; arithmetic; science; geography; history of the United States and Pennsylvania; civics; safety education, including fire danger and prevention; health and physiology; physical education; music; and art
  • Secondary (7-12): English, including language, literature, speech and composition; science; geography; social studies, including civics, world history, and United States and Pennsylvania history; mathematics, including general mathematics, algebra and geometry; art; music; physical education; health; and safety education, including fire danger and prevention
  • Graduation courses for grades 9-12: four years of English, three years of mathematics, three years of science, three years of social studies, and two years of arts and humanities

Tests and reviews

Grades 3, 5 and 8: a nationally normed standardized test or the statewide test in reading or language arts and mathematics, given without a parent as administrator. Each year: a written evaluation based on an interview with the child and a review of the portfolio, by a licensed clinical or school psychologist, a Pennsylvania-certified teacher, or a nonpublic teacher or administrator with at least two years of teaching experience in the last ten years. The evaluator cannot be the parent or the parent's spouse. The evaluator certifies whether an appropriate education is occurring. The evaluation is due to the superintendent by June 30.

Records to keep

  • Portfolio log of reading materials by title, made as you teach
  • Samples of writings, worksheets, workbooks and creative materials
  • Standardized test results for grades 3, 5 and 8
  • Annual evaluation report

About time

Either 180 days or 900 hours at the elementary level, or 990 hours at the secondary level, per year. Secondary students need 990 hours if counted by hours.

Also good to know

  • School districts cannot require approval before you start. Once the required paperwork is filed, the district may not deny the right to homeschool unless a hearing examiner finds the program is out of compliance.
  • If a superintendent believes a program is out of compliance, the superintendent sends a letter by certified mail requiring certification within 30 days. Hearings and appeals are described in the statute.
  • Homeschooled students may take part in district extracurricular activities such as clubs, music, athletics and theatre if they meet the same eligibility criteria as other students.
  • Beginning in the 2023-24 school year, homeschooled students may join cocurricular activities and take academic courses for up to one quarter of the school day, under district policy.
  • Parents may borrow textbooks and other curriculum materials from the district of residence.
  • A supervisor who completes the graduation requirements may issue a high school diploma, or the student may earn a diploma from a Department-approved diploma-granting organization.
  • Children identified for special education: the affidavit must address the child's specific needs, and the Department says the parent does not need special skills or certification.

What we couldn’t confirm

  • How long records must be kept. The sources I read did not state a retention period.
  • Exact criminal background check rules for adults in the household. Secondary sites describe a five-year lookback, but I did not confirm it in an official source.
  • Rules for returning to public school, part-time enrollment, and withdrawal from public school. Not covered in the sources I read.
  • The full current list of approved standardized tests. Check the Department of Education page for the list.
  • Whether the Department's evaluator certification letter has its own required form name.

From Pennsylvania’s own sources

Last checked against these sources on November 7, 2026. We check every state each week.

How Study Naturally helps in Pennsylvania

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  • Set each child’s lessons, in the subjects you teach
  • A patient tutor teaches every child at their own level
  • A learning record counts days and time against what the state asks
  • Print it, save it as a PDF, or download a spreadsheet for your files

Homeschooling in Pennsylvania

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