Pennsylvania homeschool requirements and record-keeping, 2026-27
In Pennsylvania you can run a home education program as the supervisor if you have a high school diploma or its equivalent. You file a notarized affidavit with your district superintendent before you start and again each year by August 1. During the year you keep a portfolio: a reading log written as you go, samples of work, and test results in grades 3, 5 and 8. Each year a qualified evaluator interviews your child and reviews the portfolio, and you send the evaluator's certification to the superintendent by June 30.
What you file and when
- Notarized affidavit: supervisor name, each child's name and age, program address and phone, outline of education objectives by subject, immunization/health evidence, and a criminal-history certification
To: Superintendent of the school district of residence. When: Before the program starts, then annually on August 1 - Evaluator's certification that an appropriate education is occurring
To: Superintendent of the school district of residence. When: By June 30 each year
Dates to keep in mind
- Annual affidavit due to the superintendent: August 1
- Evaluator's certification due to the superintendent: June 30
What you keep
- Log made at the time of instruction naming the reading materials used, by title
- Samples of writings, worksheets, workbooks or creative materials
- Results of nationally normed standardized tests (or the Statewide tests) in reading/language arts and math in grades 3, 5 and 8
- Annual written evaluation by a qualified evaluator, based on an interview and portfolio review
Portfolio. Reading log made as you go, work samples, and grade 3/5/8 test results; kept on file by the supervisor. Only the evaluator's certification goes to the district.
How long to keep it. The sources we read set no retention period. Keeping a record for at least a few years is a sensible habit.
Who evaluates. A licensed clinical or school psychologist, a Pennsylvania-certified teacher, or a nonpublic school teacher or administrator with at least two years of Pennsylvania teaching experience in the last ten years, at the matching level (elementary or secondary). Never the supervisor or the supervisor's spouse. Other qualifications need the superintendent's prior consent. A teacher or administrator evaluating a portfolio needs at least two years of experience grading the listed core subjects at that level (K-6 or 7-12).
Hours, days and subjects
- 900 hours a year (990 at the secondary level)
- 180 days a year
- Compulsory attendance ages: 6 to 18
Either 180 days, or 900 hours at the elementary level / 990 hours at the secondary level, per year.
Subjects. English (spelling, reading, writing; secondary adds language, literature, speech, composition); Arithmetic / Mathematics (secondary: general math, algebra, geometry); Science; Geography; History of the United States and Pennsylvania; Civics; Social studies incl. world history (secondary); Safety education incl. fire prevention; Health and physiology; Physical education; Music; Art.
Work out your hours for Pennsylvania with the free calculator.
Things people miss
- The reading log has to be made at the time of instruction; rebuilding it from memory at year end does not match what the law describes.
- The grade 3, 5 and 8 standardized tests may not be given by the child's own parent or guardian.
- If the June 30 certification is late, the superintendent sends a certified letter and you then have 10 days to submit it.
- Moving to another Pennsylvania district needs a registered-mail request for a letter of transfer 30 days before the move.
- The statute does not set how long to keep the portfolio; keeping at least the current and prior year is a sensible habit.
- Every listed subject counts the same under the statute; Schoolkeeper's 'core' label is only a grouping for your own totals.
Official sources
- Public School Code, Section 1327.1 Home Education Program (24 P.S. § 13-1327.1)
Verified checked on 2026-10-18 - Public School Code, Section 1327 Compulsory School Attendance (private tutor) (24 P.S. § 13-1327)
Verified checked on 2026-10-18 - Public School Code, Section 1326 Definitions (compulsory school age) (24 P.S. § 13-1326)
Verified checked on 2026-10-18
How Schoolkeeper helps
A twenty-second daily log, and then an export in the shape Pennsylvania asks for:
- A portfolio packet for your evaluator: the reading log, work samples and the grade 3, 5 and 8 test results in one place.
- An attendance record showing the days you taught, counted against 180.
- Hours by subject, totalled for the year against 900.
- A portfolio of work samples, photos and what they read, in date order.
Questions parents ask
What do I have to file to homeschool in Pennsylvania?
Notarized affidavit: supervisor name, each child's name and age, program address and phone, outline of education objectives by subject, immunization/health evidence, and a criminal-history certification, to Superintendent of the school district of residence. When: Before the program starts, then annually on August 1. Evaluator's certification that an appropriate education is occurring, to Superintendent of the school district of residence. When: By June 30 each year.
What records do I keep for homeschooling in Pennsylvania?
Log made at the time of instruction naming the reading materials used, by title; Samples of writings, worksheets, workbooks or creative materials; Results of nationally normed standardized tests (or the Statewide tests) in reading/language arts and math in grades 3, 5 and 8; Annual written evaluation by a qualified evaluator, based on an interview and portfolio review.
How many hours or days does Pennsylvania ask for?
Pennsylvania asks for 900 hours a year (990 at the secondary level); 180 days a year. Either 180 days, or 900 hours at the elementary level / 990 hours at the secondary level, per year.
Does Pennsylvania require testing or an evaluation?
A licensed clinical or school psychologist, a Pennsylvania-certified teacher, or a nonpublic school teacher or administrator with at least two years of Pennsylvania teaching experience in the last ten years, at the matching level (elementary or secondary). Never the supervisor or the supervisor's spouse. Other qualifications need the superintendent's prior consent. A teacher or administrator evaluating a portfolio needs at least two years of experience grading the listed core subjects at that level (K-6 or 7-12).
This is a plain-English summary with its sources, not legal advice. Tell us if this is wrong.