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Pennsylvania homeschool law

Notice, days or hours, subjects, testing and records, in plain words, with the source for each.

This is general information, not legal advice; check your state's own page. Laws change, and Pennsylvania's own statute and education department are the final word. The links below go straight to them.

Checked on against the sources linked on this page.

What to file in Pennsylvania

File
A notarized affidavit with objectives by subject and proof of immunization and health services. §
To
Superintendent of the school district where you live. §
By
Before the program starts, then every year on August 1. §
Keep
A portfolio per child: a log listing reading by title, work samples, and the grade 3, 5 and 8 test results. 180 days, or 900 hours (elementary) / 990 (secondary). §
Test
A yearly evaluator's review, to the superintendent by June 30; standardized tests in grades 3, 5 and 8. §

The law's number: 180 days. In its words: “180 days of instruction a year”, “or 900 hours a year at the elementary level or 990 hours a year at the secondary level”. Your Record Book offers it as a target; it is never filled in for you.

Starting this year
  • Before the program starts: File a notarized affidavit with the superintendent of your school district of residence.
  • By June 30: Give the superintendent the evaluator's certification that an appropriate education is occurring.
  • In grades 3, 5 and 8: Put the results of a nationally normed achievement test (or the statewide tests) in reading/language arts and math in the portfolio.
Already homeschooling
  • By August 1: File this year's notarized affidavit.
  • By June 30: Give the superintendent the evaluator's certification that an appropriate education is occurring.
  • In grades 3, 5 and 8: Put the results of a nationally normed achievement test (or the statewide tests) in reading/language arts and math in the portfolio.

Open your attendance recordWrite the letterStart the Tap Clock

What Pennsylvania's law asks you to keep, as tools: Attendance · Hours log · Portfolio · Reading log · Evaluation packet. The same rows for every state: what to file, by state.

Checked . § = source: Pennsylvania Public School Code, section 1327.1 Home Education Program (General Assembly). Information, not legal advice.

Quick answers

Notice
Notice every yearFile a notarized affidavit with the superintendent of your school district before the home education program starts, and again every year on August 1. It names the person who will teach, each child's name and age, the address and phone of the program, an outline of education objectives by subject, and proof of immunization and the health services the law lists. It also certifies that no adult in the home has been convicted of the listed crimes in the past five years. Checked October 27, 2026. Source: Pennsylvania Public School Code, section 1327.1 Home Education Program (General Assembly)
Days or hours
Days and hoursThe law says 180 days of instruction a year, or 900 hours a year at the elementary level or 990 hours a year at the secondary level. A family may count either days or hours. Checked October 27, 2026. Source: Pennsylvania Public School Code, section 1327.1 Home Education Program (General Assembly)
Subjects
Elementary: 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: English (language, literature, speech, composition), science, geography, social studies, mathematics (general math, algebra, geometry), art, music, physical education, health and safety education. Checked October 27, 2026. Source: Pennsylvania Public School Code, section 1327.1 Home Education Program (General Assembly)
Testing or evaluation
An evaluationEvery year an evaluator (a certified teacher, a licensed psychologist, or a qualified nonpublic school teacher or administrator) interviews the child, reviews the portfolio and writes whether an appropriate education is occurring; the parent gives this to the superintendent by June 30. In grades 3, 5 and 8 the portfolio must also hold results of a nationally normed achievement test or the statewide tests in reading/language arts and math. The parent may not give the test. Checked October 27, 2026. Source: Pennsylvania Public School Code, section 1327.1 Home Education Program (General Assembly)
Records
The parent keeps a portfolio for each child: a log made at the time of teaching listing the reading materials by title, samples of writing, worksheets, workbooks or creative work, and the grade 3, 5 and 8 test results. School districts do not review the portfolio; the evaluator does. Only the evaluator's certification goes to the superintendent. Checked October 27, 2026. Source: Pennsylvania Public School Code, section 1327.1 Home Education Program (General Assembly)
Who must attend school
Compulsory school age runs from the time parents choose to start their child in school, no later than age 6, until age 18, unless the child holds a high school graduation certificate (24 P.S. 13-1326). Source: Pennsylvania Public School Code, section 1326 Definitions (General Assembly)
Education savings accounts and vouchers
No program foundWe did not find a state-funded education savings account or voucher open to homeschool families on the Pennsylvania Department of Education pages we checked (2026-10-27). Pennsylvania's scholarship tax credit programs (Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit) pay for a scholarship to attend a participating public or nonpublic school, so they are for school tuition. Check the department's school-choice pages for changes. Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit Program. Source: Department of Education: Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit Program

What to do first

  1. Read Pennsylvania's own pages, linked under each row below, so you know what applies to your situation.
  2. Notice: Before the program starts, then every year on August 1 To: Superintendent of the school district where you live.
  3. Plan the year around the days or hours and the subjects below.
  4. Start your records on day one: a simple attendance log, a list of books read and a work sample or two for each subject.
  5. Put the testing or evaluation date on your calendar.

The state's own form or page: pa.gov/agencies/education/programs-and-services/instruction/elementary-and-secondary-education/home-education-and-private-tutoring

Other legal routes in Pennsylvania

  • Private school. Pennsylvania lists private schools, including church-related ones, as an option. The Department of Education says these are in-person, brick-and-mortar schools and do not include online or correspondence courses.
  • Private tutor. A private tutor who is a Pennsylvania certified teacher can satisfy attendance rules instead. The Department says a parent may be the tutor for their own children if they hold that certificate, and background checks and other rules apply.

Records to keep

The parent keeps a portfolio for each child: a log made at the time of teaching listing the reading materials by title, samples of writing, worksheets, workbooks or creative work, and the grade 3, 5 and 8 test results. School districts do not review the portfolio; the evaluator does. Only the evaluator's certification goes to the superintendent. Whatever the law asks, many families also keep a simple attendance log, a list of books read and a few work samples for each subject; they cost nothing and help if you move or return to school.

Good to know

  • Who may teach: the parent, guardian or person with legal custody who has a high school diploma or its equivalent.
  • Sports and clubs: the school district must let a home education student take part in school activities such as clubs, bands, athletics and theatre, if the child meets the same eligibility and tryout rules as district students.
  • Classes: since the 2023-2024 school year a district must let a home education student take academic courses and cocurricular activities such as band or orchestra, up to at least one quarter of a full-time student's school day, and career and technical education under the district's policies.
  • Diplomas: a diploma signed by the parent as supervisor, or issued by an approved diploma-granting organization, has the same rights as a school-issued diploma if the student completed the graduation courses: four years of English, three of math, three of science, three of social studies and two of arts and humanities.
  • If the superintendent has a reasonable belief that the program is out of compliance or that appropriate education is not occurring, the superintendent can send a certified letter asking for a certification within 30 days; if it is not provided a hearing follows. A hearing examiner who finds no appropriate education can require the child to be enrolled in a school.

Where this comes from

Checked on October 27, 2026. This is general information, not legal advice; check your state's own page, and confirm with your school district or the department before you rely on a date. Something out of date? Tell us and we will fix it.