________________
To: ________________
I am withdrawing ________________ from your school. My child will be educated at home under the law of Pennsylvania.
Please send me a copy of my child's school records.
Thank you.
SignatureDate
Withdrawing from school to homeschool in Pennsylvania
How to take your child out of school to homeschool in Pennsylvania, step by step: what to file first, what to tell the school, and a letter to print.
- Pennsylvania law
- This year's checklist
- Letter of intent
- Withdrawing from school
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.
Deadlines, forms and amounts checked on against the sources linked on this page.
Step by step
- Before your child's last day, do what Pennsylvania asks of a new homeschool. Before the program starts: File a notarized affidavit with the superintendent of your school district of residence. Fill in the Pennsylvania letter of intent.Source: Pennsylvania Public School Code, section 1327.1 Home Education Program (General Assembly)
- Tell the school. We did not find a Pennsylvania rule on how to tell the school. A short dated letter, with a copy kept, gives you a record of the day your child left.
- Ask for your child's records (report cards, test results, any evaluations or plans) so you know where your child stands. Good practice, not a legal step.
- If your child has an IEP or a 504 plan, ask the district before you leave what, if anything, it offers homeschooled students, and get a copy of the plan. Good practice, not a legal step.
- Keep copies of everything you send and anything you get back, with the dates. Good practice, not a legal step.
- Start your records on day one. 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.Source: Pennsylvania Public School Code, section 1327.1 Home Education Program (General Assembly)
A letter to the school
Fill this in and print it. It tells the school your child is leaving to be taught at home and asks for the records. It is not the state's notice; that is the letter of intent.
Your letter
Keep a copy with the date you handed it in or mailed it.
Where this comes from
- Pennsylvania Public School Code, section 1327.1 Home Education Program (General Assembly) (the law)
- Pennsylvania Public School Code, section 1326 Definitions (General Assembly) (the law)
- Department of Education: Home Education and Private Tutoring (state agency)
- Department of Education: Home Education and Private Tutoring Guide, May 2026 (state agency)
- Department of Education: Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit Program (state agency)
Checked on October 29, 2026. This is general information, not legal advice. Laws and forms change; confirm a date with your school district or the state agency before you rely on it. For legal advice, ask a lawyer licensed in Pennsylvania; homeschool legal-help organizations and your state's homeschool groups can also point you to help. Something out of date? Tell us and we will fix it.