Homeschooling in Pennsylvania: Guidance for Getting Started

According to the Home School Legal Defense Association, homeschooling is closely regulated in Pennsylvania. Do those layers of requirements make it hard to homeschool in the Keystone State? Here’s what Sonlight moms have to say when asked if it’s easy to homeschool in Pennsylvania:

At first glance, one would think that it’s challenging to homeschool in PA. I have to disagree! While we do have a few requirements, like submitting paperwork and having our children evaluated yearly, it really is very simple!” —Sarah C., a Sonlighter in Pottstown, PA

PA isn't exactly easy. It's is ranked #3 in terms of laws and requirements. But it's easier than it looks.” —Joanna P. of Leechburg, PA

Jen P., currently of Williamsburg VA but who formerly homeschooled in PA for seven years, sees the upside of the extra regulations:

Having to do an evaluation every year keeps you organized and on top of goals.”

It's easy to homeschool in PA because although there are some annoying hoops to jump through, none are difficult, and there is a lot of community support. The requirements are a bother, but they aren't prohibitive.” —Michelle S., a Sonlighter in Indiana, PA

Don’t let Pennsylvania’s stricter regulations turn you away from offering your child a customized, robust education at home if you are feeling pulled toward homeschooling. You can do it just like these moms have!

You can find official, up-to-date stats about Pennsylvania homeschooling here. The spreadsheet provided by the PA Dept. of Education provides exact numbers of homeschooled and privately tutored children in each county. The data is also divided by ages 5-11 and 12+, presumably to match the elementary and secondary divisions.

For example, as per the 2020-2021 school year, here are the six counties with the largest number of home education students:

Pennsylvania homeschooling hour requirements are as follows: 

The five main requirements listed below apply to homeschoolers and not to parents with teacher certification who are educating at home under the private tutor banner.

Pennsylvania homeschool requirements include

1. a notarized letter of intent (also called an affidavit) and immunization records, submitted annually to your school district
2. mandatory courses (see the list below)
3. minimum days and hours of instruction
4. an annual portfolio review
5. graduation requirements (for high schoolers)

State homeschool regulations outline the specific list of academic areas that must be covered at both the elementary and secondary levels.

Homeschool law expert Beth Phillips says you’re not required to cover every subject every single school year. Of course, you want to emphasize your core subjects of English, math, science, and history every year. But topics like fire safety, music, or Pennsylvania history only need to be covered at least once during the elementary years and at least once during the secondary years. 

Your primary piece of proof is your homeschool portfolio. Keeping this collection of student work is required by Pennsylvania homeschool law

In order to demonstrate that appropriate education is occurring, the supervisor of the home education program shall provide and maintain on file the following documentation for each student enrolled in the home education program: (1) A portfolio of records and materials. The portfolio shall consist of a log, made contemporaneously with the instruction, which designates by title the reading materials used, samples of any writings, worksheets, workbooks or creative materials used or developed by the student and in grades three, five and eight results of nationally normed standardized achievement tests in reading/language arts and mathematics or the results of Statewide tests administered in these grade levels.

You, the homeschool parent, are the “supervisor of the home education program” indicated in the statute. It’s your job to keep records throughout the school year of the work your child does. Your aim in keeping this collection of work is to show that your child is receiving an appropriate education. Make sure you have documentation of the core subjects, work that shows progress from the beginning of the year to the end, and a list of resources used. You can also include things like field trips, co-op classes, volunteering experiences, family travel, photos of projects/crafts, artwork, etc.

Although you aren’t required to submit this portfolio to your school district, an evaluator will use the portfolio to certify that you are providing an acceptable at-home education. It’s also a valuable artifact of proof in case any official were to question your practices. With your portfolio, you could even throw an end of the year homeschool showcase like Deana does here.

Watch the videos below and read this great article for more about keeping a homeschool portfolio in Pennsylvania.

Pennsylvania law never requires a curriculum, per se. However, your homeschooling affidavit will ask for your education objectives, listed by the mandated subject areas. And your portfolio will reflect the topics you’ve covered throughout the year.

So the safest and most seamless way to adhere to PA homeschool regulations is to use a curriculum.

Joanna P. is a homeschooler in Leechburg, PA. She loves the convenience of drawing from a curriculum to create her annual portfolio, “...

Sonlight helps with [homeschool requirements]. Each year, I have to put together a portfolio and list of books read for each of my kids. The evaluator who looks through it and writes up a report for me to submit to my school district is always so impressed with the quality and quantity of books we read. The book list is so easy to compile, because Sonlight has a book list in the front of each Instructor's Guide.

In some cases, your Pennsylvania school district may offer to loan you textbooks or materials to use at home. Unfortunately, the curriculum they proffer may not translate well to an at-home environment with an only child or a sibling group that spans several grades. 

In short, yes, you need a curriculum—specifically a homeschool curriculum—when you homeschool. A well-planned program erases the thousands of tiny decisions you’d have to make on your own otherwise. It’s already laid out for you. You just open and go. 

For example, a Sonlight All-Subjects Package covers what Pennsylvania requires and makes it easy to create your end-of-year portfolio so your evaluator has zero questions about the quality of the education you’re providing your child. 

Before you’ve even filed your letter of intent, it’s a good idea to begin at least planning what materials you’ll use to teach the mandatory courses for the required days/hours. 

Watch this video for a helpful introduction to homeschooling with Sonlight. 

Yes, in Pennsylvania, homeschoolers must take the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA) or other nationally normed standardized test for reading/language arts and math at three grade levels: third, fifth, and eighth. These results should be included in the homeschool portfolio for students in these grades. 

In the private Sonlight Connections Facebook group, we asked Pennsylvania homeschoolers what perks they have. Sharolyn C. of Perkasie, PA said,

I don’t know of any perks we have that aren’t universal to all homeschoolers other than a ton of amazing places to visit.” She continued to say that the benefits of homeschooling in Pennsylvania are the “same as homeschooling anywhere else—being able to be in the front row of watching your kids grow up and helping them develop fully into the individual God designed them to be.”

If you’re eager to get these same perks for your own family, here’s how to get started with homeschooling in Pennsylvania.

With any big project, the hardest part is often getting started! Feeling like a newbie is uncomfortable and can make us want to give up before we get the momentum we need to keep going. Go into your new homeschool venture with a growth mindset: I can do hard things! Read our extensive guide to getting started here. And download this free printable getting started checklist

School is compulsory between the ages of 6 and 18 in Pennsylvania. 

Yes! Because compulsory school begins at age 6, kindergarten (typically done at age 5) is optional. If you want to homeschool your five-year-old, you don’t need to notify anyone because school is not mandatory at that age. When your child reaches age 6, though, you will need to officially file as a homeschooler (or send your child to public school). 

To unofficially homeschool before age six, choose from these 3 early years Sonlight programs.

You may notice that these programs have age ranges which can be confusing for some parents. Reach out to an Advisor for help choosing the best fit for your young child.