How to Start Homeschooling in Pennsylvania (2026)

The Path · Getting Started

The Pennsylvania year, walked calmly - five steps in the order they happen.

№ 01

01

Confirm you qualify, and pick your route.

Most families homeschool under the Home Education Program in 24 P.S. § 13-1327.1: the supervising parent needs a high school diploma or equivalent, plus a clean five-year criminal-history certification for the adults in the home. A second route - a paid, Pennsylvania-certified private tutor under § 13-1327(a) - suits the few families who have one.

Supervisor requirements

High school diploma or its equivalent
Certification: no disqualifying convictions in 5 years (all adults in the home)
Willingness to keep a portfolio & calendar
Tutor route instead: PA-certified, paid, one family

02

File the notarized affidavit with your superintendent.

Before you begin - and every year after by August 1 - file a notarized affidavit (or unsworn declaration) with the superintendent of your resident district. Your program legally begins when it's filed; the district files it, it doesn't approve it. Attach your outline of proposed education objectives by subject area and the immunization and health-services evidence (or exemptions).

The affidavit packet

Supervisor's name, address & phone; each child's name & age
Assurance subjects are taught in English
Objectives outline, by subject area
Immunization + health services evidence or exemptions
Criminal-history certification

03

Plan the required subjects and the required time.

Pennsylvania lists subjects at both levels - English, math, science, geography, U.S. and Pennsylvania history, civics, health and physiology, physical education, music, art, and safety education including fire prevention - taught over 180 days or 900/990 hours (elementary/secondary). The list is long, but it describes a well-rounded education most families would choose anyway; the methods and materials remain entirely yours.

Time, your choice of measure

180 days of instruction, or
900 hours/year for elementary
990 hours/year for secondary
High school: 4 English, 3 math, 3 science, 3 social studies, 2 arts/humanities

04

Build the portfolio as you go - not in May.

The portfolio is Pennsylvania's working record: a log kept contemporaneously with instruction naming reading materials by title, samples of writings, worksheets, and creative work, and - in grades 3, 5, and 8 - results of an approved standardized test someone other than you administers. Fifteen minutes a week keeps it current; it goes to your evaluator, not the district.

Portfolio contents

Contemporaneous log of reading materials, by title
Work samples: writings, worksheets, workbooks, creative materials
Approved test results in grades 3, 5 & 8 (parent may not administer)
Kept for the evaluator - not filed with the district

05

Get the annual evaluation; file the certification by June 30.

Each year a qualified evaluator - a licensed psychologist, a PA-certified teacher with two years' experience, or a nonpublic-school teacher or administrator with two of the last ten years' experience - reviews the portfolio and interviews your child, then certifies whether an appropriate education is occurring. You file that one-page certification with your superintendent by June 30. Then the cycle rests until the next August 1 affidavit.

Who can evaluate

Licensed psychologist
PA-certified teacher, 2+ years' experience
Nonpublic-school teacher/administrator, 2 of last 10 years
Not the supervisor or their spouse
Many evaluators charge a modest per-child fee

The Law · Pennsylvania

Two legal routes - one for nearly everyone, one for the rare fit

№ 02

Home education has been expressly legal in Pennsylvania since 1988 under 24 P.S. § 13-1327.1, which created the supervisor-led Home Education Program - affidavit, portfolio, testing, and annual evaluation. A separate provision, 24 P.S. § 13-1327(a), recognizes instruction by a paid, Pennsylvania-certified private tutor. Act 196 of 2014 lightened the load meaningfully: portfolios now go to your chosen evaluator rather than the district, and supervisor-issued diplomas carry full state recognition.

Option 01

Home Education Program

Best for nearly every Pennsylvania family - the standard, supervisor-led route with full curriculum freedom inside a defined annual cycle.

Notarized affidavit before starting, then annually by Aug 1
Teach the required subjects 180 days or 900/990 hours
Portfolio + approved testing in grades 3, 5 & 8
Evaluator's certification filed by June 30
Governed by 24 P.S. § 13-1327.1

Option 02

Private Tutor

Best for families with access to a Pennsylvania-certified teacher willing to provide the majority of instruction - and for certified parents tutoring another family.

Tutor holds current PA teaching certification
Paid, serves the children of a single family
Files certification & criminal history with the superintendent
No affidavit, portfolio, or annual evaluation cycle
Governed by 24 P.S. § 13-1327(a)

Requirements · Curriculum

The subjects Pennsylvania spells out by name.

№ 03

Pennsylvania's subject list is the most detailed in the country - but read closely, it simply describes a full, well-rounded education. The statute names what must be covered at the elementary and secondary levels; it says nothing about which curriculum, schedule, or methods you use. Grouped, the list looks like this:

01

English Language Arts

Spelling, reading & writing early on; language, literature, speech & composition in secondary years.

02

Mathematics

Arithmetic through the secondary sequence: general math, algebra & geometry.

03

Science

Inquiry, observation, life sciences, physical sciences, earth & space.

04

Geography

Maps, regions, and how people and places shape one another.

05

History of the U.S. + Pennsylvania

American and Commonwealth history, with world history at the secondary level.

06

Civics

Government structure, citizenship & participation in democratic life.

07

Health, Physiology & PE

The body, wellness, and regular physical education - plus safety education, including fire prevention.

08

Music & Art

Making and understanding music and visual art across the years.

Aug 1

Affidavit deadline

The notarized affidavit goes to your district superintendent before you begin, then annually by August 1.

180

Days of instruction

Or count hours instead: 900 per year at the elementary level, 990 at the secondary level.

3

Testing checkpoints

Approved standardized tests in grades 3, 5, and 8 - administered by someone other than the parent, filed in the portfolio.

June 30

Evaluation filed

Your evaluator's certification that an appropriate education is occurring reaches the superintendent by June 30 each year.

Questions · Answered Honestly

The questions Pennsylvania parents ask - answered without spin

№ 04

Do I need a teaching degree to homeschool in Pennsylvania?

No. The supervisor of a home education program needs a high school diploma or its equivalent - no college degree or teaching certificate. The affidavit also includes a certification that the supervisor and all adults living in the home have no disqualifying criminal convictions within the past five years. Only the separate private tutor option (24 P.S. § 13-1327(a)) requires Pennsylvania teacher certification.

Can I withdraw my child from public school mid-year?

Yes. Your home education program legally begins when the notarized affidavit is filed with your district superintendent - so file first, then withdraw. Hand-deliver it or send it certified mail and keep dated proof. A mid-year start prorates naturally into the 180-day/900-or-990-hour count, and your first evaluation is still due by the June 30 that ends that school year.

Does the school district approve my homeschool or my curriculum?

No. The superintendent receives your affidavit and objectives outline; the law gives the district no power to approve, deny, or edit them, and your objectives outline is sufficient if it names the subjects. Oversight runs through your own chosen evaluator, whose June 30 certification is what the district sees. If a superintendent ever has cause to believe appropriate education is not occurring, the statute prescribes a specific notice-and-hearing process - it is not at the district's whim.

What exactly goes in the portfolio, and who sees it?

Three things: a log kept as you go that names reading materials by title; samples of writings, worksheets, workbooks, and creative work; and, in grades 3, 5, and 8, results of an approved standardized test administered by someone other than you. Since Act 196 of 2014, the portfolio goes to your evaluator - not the school district. Build it weekly and the year-end review becomes a formality.

Who can be our evaluator, and what does the evaluation involve?

A licensed psychologist, a Pennsylvania-certified teacher with at least two years' teaching experience, or a nonpublic-school teacher or administrator with two of the last ten years' experience - but not you or your spouse. The evaluator reviews the portfolio, interviews your child, and certifies whether an appropriate education (sustained progress in the overall program) is occurring. You file that certification with the superintendent by June 30. Most families pay a modest per-child fee; experienced evaluators advertise through state homeschool groups.

Can my homeschooled child play public-school sports in Pennsylvania?

Yes. Act 67 of 2005 requires school districts to permit home education students to participate in extracurricular activities - athletics included - in their resident district, under the same Section 5-511 umbrella as enrolled students. Eligibility details (tryouts, physicals, practice rules) follow district and PIAA procedures, so contact the athletic director before the season starts.

Is a Pennsylvania home education diploma actually recognized?

Yes - fully, since Act 196 of 2014. A supervisor may issue a home education diploma on PDE's form once the statute's graduation requirements are met (4 years English, 3 math, 3 science, 3 social studies, 2 arts/humanities) and the final-year evaluation is done. Diplomas from PDE-recognized diploma-granting organizations carry the same weight. Colleges, employers, and the military treat them as they would any other diploma.

Does Pennsylvania offer an ESA or homeschool funding?

Not currently. Pennsylvania has no ESA or homeschool stipend; its EITC and OSTC tax-credit scholarships fund private school tuition, not home education programs. Proposals surface in Harrisburg regularly, so check current legislation - but as of 2026, Pennsylvania homeschooling is self-funded and, in exchange, the state has no financial strings on how you teach.

Resources · Pennsylvania

Where Pennsylvania families get their bearings

№ 05

Official - State

Pennsylvania Department of Education

PDE's home education pages: the statute, affidavit guidance, approved test list, diploma forms, and the official Home Education and Private Tutoring guide.

Visit PDE

Community - Statewide

Christian Homeschool Association of Pennsylvania (CHAP)

Pennsylvania's largest homeschool organization - evaluator directories, legislative updates, support groups, and a major annual convention.

Visit CHAP

Legal - National

Home School Legal Defense Association

Plain-language summaries of Pennsylvania law, plus member legal help with affidavit disputes, evaluations, and district overreach.

Read the Law

The Pennsylvania Getting Started Kit

Pennsylvania runs on a calendar - here's yours, pre-built.

The Pennsylvania Getting Started Kit turns 24 P.S. § 13-1327.1 into paperwork you can actually file - five polished, print-ready documents matched to the affidavit-portfolio-evaluation cycle, so the state's heaviest paperwork year starts organized instead of overwhelming.

Pennsylvania Affidavit packet template - every element 24 P.S. § 13-1327.1 requires, including the objectives outline by subject area, ready for the notary and your superintendent's office.
Pennsylvania Annual Cycle Checklist - the whole year on one page: affidavit by August 1, portfolio built as you go, grades 3-5-8 testing, evaluator certification filed by June 30.
Portfolio & Reading Log - a contemporaneous log formatted to the statute (reading materials by title) with work-sample dividers and a 180-day / 900-990-hour tracker.
Weekly Planning Template - built around Pennsylvania's named subjects, from English and math to safety and fire-prevention education.
First 30 Days Roadmap - a day-by-day action plan from decision through filed affidavit to your first week of teaching.

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