The key requirements, timelines, and paperwork for Pennsylvania home education — distilled from the state's Home Education and Private Tutoring Guide into a simple, parent‑friendly checklist.
This tool is for organizational reference only. For legal guidance, contact HSLDA or the Christian Homeschool Association of Pennsylvania (CHAP).
| Deadline | Action | Submit To | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| August 1 | File home education affidavit (or unsworn declaration) with educational objectives by subject, immunization information, health/medical statements, and criminal‑offense certification for adults in the home | Local school district superintendent | ✓ Annual |
| Ongoing | Maintain portfolio: contemporaneous log of instruction/reading + work samples collected throughout the year | Keep at home — portfolio stays with family | Ongoing |
| Grades 3, 5, 8 | Standardized testing in reading/language arts and mathematics (PSSA or approved nationally normed test) | Include results in portfolio | Grade‑triggered |
| By June 30 | Submit evaluator's written certification that an appropriate education is occurring | Local school district superintendent | ✓ Annual |
Your educational objectives should cover all of the required subjects for your child's level. You don't need separate lesson plans — one learning experience can count for more than one subject at the same time.
Below are the required subjects by level. Choose the elementary or secondary view that matches your child's grade to see what must be covered in your year. Click each level to expand.
Elementary (K–6) — Choose ONE:
Secondary (7–12) — Choose ONE:
You choose either days or hours — you don't have to track both. At about 5 hours a day, 5 days a week, 900 hours works out to roughly 36 weeks of learning time. Unschoolers who count cooking, nature play, reading, and life skills almost always exceed this. For secondary (7–12), the time requirement is 180 days or 990 hours to cover the expanded set of required courses.
Your annual evaluator must be one of:
The evaluator cannot be you (the supervisor) or your spouse. They interview your child and review the portfolio, then provide a short written certification that an appropriate education is occurring, which you submit to the district by June 30.
Find a CHAP Evaluator ↗Objectives can be broad and philosophy‑aligned, as long as you include each required subject for your child's level. You don't need daily lesson plans — a couple of sentences per subject for the year is enough.
Example for unschooling families:
The supervisor (you), all adults living in the home, and any person with legal custody of the children must certify in the affidavit that they have not been convicted of certain listed criminal offenses within the 5 years before you file. This is a self‑certification on the affidavit — you do not submit separate background checks to the district for a home education program.
Some families use 529 plans or other savings to help pay for curriculum, books, tutoring, standardized tests, dual‑enrollment courses, or educational therapies. Tax rules change frequently and vary between federal and Pennsylvania law. For current guidance on how your education expenses are treated for tax purposes, consult a qualified tax professional.
A dated record of what you're learning — kept during the year, not recreated from memory at the end. Pennsylvania law calls this a "contemporaneous log," and your learning log in this OS is designed to serve that purpose.
"Samples of any writings, worksheets, workbooks, or creative materials."
Best practice (not a legal minimum): aim for 3–5 samples per subject spread across the year — early, mid, and late. Drawings, dictated stories, math pages, science observations, and art all qualify.
Only the evaluator's letter goes to the district. Your full portfolio stays at home. During the annual interview, the evaluator reviews the portfolio and then writes a short certification stating that an appropriate education is occurring.
For home education programs, standardized tests are required in reading/language arts and mathematics in grades 3, 5, and 8. Include the test results in your portfolio; they are not sent directly to the district. Testing is tied to grade level, not age.
You must have at least a high school diploma or equivalent. A GED, HiSET, or 30 college credits also satisfies this requirement.
You and all adults living in the home must self‑certify in the affidavit that you have not been convicted of certain listed criminal offenses within the 5 years before you file. This is a self‑certification, not a formal background check submission.
Not required. Once you file your notarized affidavit with the district, you may begin immediately. The district does not approve or deny your program — they acknowledge receipt of your filing.