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1.      You must be the parent/guardian and have legal custody of the children. See law.

2.      The parent/supervisor, all adults living within the home, and persons having legal custody of the children must not have been convicted of the following criminal offenses within the past five years: criminal homicide, aggravated assault, harassment and stalking, kidnapping, unlawful restraint, rape, statutory sexual assault, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, sexual assault, aggravated indecent assault, indecent assault, indecent exposure, incest, concealing death of child, endangering welfare of children, dealing in infant children, prostitution and related offenses, obscene and other sexual materials and performances, corruption of minors, sexual abuse of children. See law.

3.      Parent/supervisor must have a high school diploma or its equivalent if students are not enrolled in a day (satellite) school.

Step-by-Step Guidelines

Click on the link below that applies to your situation:

Your child has been previously enrolled in a school.

Your child has never been enrolled in a school and is under the age of eight (the compulsory school age).

Your child has never been enrolled in a school and is eight years old.

1. If you are concerned about having difficulties with your school district, join HSLDA. (Home School Legal Defense will defend you from any unlawful requirements imposed on you by the school district.) You should join them before you have difficulties as they may not accept your case if you are already having problems with your school district.

2. Purchase your curriculum. Please refer to our K-6 or 7-12 grade pages for a list of required subjects for each grade as well as recommended tried-and-true curricula suggestions.

3. Prepare your purposes for the upcoming year.

4. Fill out affidavit and have it notarized. (Notaries can be found in the phone book yellow pages under "notary.")

5. Submit purposes, affidavit, required immunization and health records (private physician form available from your school district), and a letter to the school district's office informing them of student(s') withdrawal from institutional school into your home-school program. This may be done at any time throughout the school year for first-time home-schoolers, but prior to the beginning of your home-school program. The affidavit, purposes, and required immunization and health records must be submitted annually by August 1st thereafter. See law. Be sure you make a list of the documents that you are submitting to the superintendent and have an official sign the statement as your receipt. (Due to the great amount of materials submitted to the superintendent's office, it is remotely possible for your submissions to be separated and/or lost.)

6. You are now ready to begin your home-school program!

• Organizing your school year
• Keeping a log
• Grading your students' work
• Testing
• Portfolios
• Evaluations
If you would like to acquire your student's academic records from the school where they were previously enrolled, you may use our academic record request.

(Although it is not currently law, please note that House Bill 377, which is an act lowering the compulsory attendance age, is in the process of being approved by legislators in Harrisburg. HSLDA summarizes House Bill 377: "This bill applies to school districts of the first class. It would lower the compulsory attendance age from 8 to 6. The lower age would not apply to a child whose parents gave notice under the home-school law that the child's education was to be provided by the parent. While this would not require parents with children under 8 to comply with the home-school law, the parents would still be bound to provide some form of education to the child." Now is the time to contact Harrisburg to voice your viewpoint.)

1. If your child is under the age of eight (the current compulsory age) and has never been enrolled in a school, you may begin home-schooling without registering purposes or an affidavit since the child is under-age. If you don't register your purposes and affidavit with the school superintendent, you don't have to do a portfolio or keep a log until the child is of school age.
2. If you are concerned about having difficulties with your school district, join HSLDA. (Home School Legal Defense will defend you from any unlawful requirements imposed on you by the school district.) You should join them before you have difficulties as they may not accept your case if you are already having problems with your school district.

3. Purchase your curriculum. Please refer to our K-6 or 7-12 grade pages for a list of required subjects for each grade as well as recommended tried-and-true curricula suggestions.

4. You are now ready to begin your home-school program!

1. If you are concerned about having difficulties with your school district, join HSLDA. (Home School Legal Defense will defend you from any unlawful requirements imposed on you by the school district.) You should join them before you have difficulties as they may not accept your case if you are already having problems with your school district.

2. Purchase your curriculum. Please refer to our K-6 or 7-12 grade pages for a list of required subjects for each grade as well as recommended tried-and-true curricula suggestions.

3. Prepare your purposes for the upcoming year.

4. Fill out affidavit and have it notarized. (Notaries can be found in the phone book yellow pages under "notary.")

5. Submit purposes, affidavit, and required immunization and health records to your superintendent at the school district's office by August 1. See law. Be sure you make a list of the documents that you are submitting to the superintendent and have an official sign the statement as your receipt. (Due to the great amount of materials submitted to the superintendent's office, it is remotely possible for your submissions to be separated and/or lost.)

6. You are now ready to begin your home-school program!

• Organizing your school year
• Keeping a log
• Grading your students' work
• Testing
• Portfolios
• Evaluations