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Homeschooling in Pennsylvania

A year-round Pennsylvania homeschool marketplace — curriculum, tutoring, therapy, STEM, arts and enrichment providers, plus a plain-English guide to Pennsylvania's home education law, the annual evaluation, homeschool diplomas, where Pennsylvania stands on school choice, district classes and PIAA sports, and driver's licenses for home-educated teens.

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Pennsylvania Homeschool Options at a glance

Overseen by: Home education programs report to the superintendent of the school district of residence under 24 P.S. § 13-1327.1. The Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) publishes the Home Education and Private Tutoring Guide (revised May 2026), sample affidavits, the approved test list and the diploma form, and recognizes diploma-granting organizations. No district approval is required to start (22 Pa. Code § 11.31a).
Start and renew: the affidavit: A notarized affidavit — or an unsworn declaration, signed under penalty of perjury instead of notarized — goes to the superintendent before the program begins, then by August 1 each school year (July 1–June 30). It names the supervisor and child, gives the program's address and phone, states the subjects will be taught in English, and attaches an outline of education objectives, immunization and health-services evidence, and a statement that no adult in the home has certain criminal convictions in the past five years.
Instruction required: 180 days, or 900 hours (elementary, K–6) or 990 hours (secondary, 7–12) a year, in the subjects the law lists for each level. Compulsory ages are 6 to 18 (since the 2020–21 school year); kindergarten is not required.
Portfolio and evaluation: A portfolio with a log made at the time of instruction naming the reading materials, samples of the student's work and — in grades 3, 5 and 8 — reading and math results from the state tests or a PDE-approved nationally normed test. A qualified evaluator interviews the student, reviews the portfolio and certifies in writing whether an appropriate education is occurring; the supervisor sends the evaluation to the superintendent by June 30. The portfolio itself is not sent to the district.
Diplomas: Since October 31, 2014 (Act 196 of 2014), a supervisor-issued diploma on PDE's form (PDE 6008), co-signed by the twelfth-grade evaluator, or a diploma from a PDE-approved diploma-granting organization is state-recognized. Minimum courses in grades 9–12: four years of English, three of math, three of science, three of social studies and two of arts and humanities.
Homeschool funding: None. EITC and OSTC scholarships pay tuition and school-related fees at schools; an opportunity scholarship may not be awarded for enrollment in a home education program (Public School Code § 2009-B(c)). OSTC maximums for the 2025–26 school year: $8,500, or
5,000 for a student with a disability.
School choice status: As of November 2026, Pennsylvania has no ESA or voucher. It has the EITC and OSTC business tax-credit scholarships (statutory caps of $590 million and $90 million a fiscal year), public charter and cyber charter schools, and district dual enrollment. The
00 million PASS scholarship appropriation was line-item vetoed on August 3, 2023; the 2025 PASS and Lifeline bills (SB 10, HB 1489) have not passed. Pennsylvania is not on the IRS list of states taking part in the federal scholarship tax credit for 2027 (as of October 22, 2026).

Read the full guide: Pennsylvania Homeschool Options — Home Education Law, the Annual Evaluation, Homeschool Diplomas, Where Pennsylvania Stands on School Choice, District Classes and PIAA Sports

Coming up in Pennsylvania

Tue, Nov 17, 2026 · Erie Bluffs After Dark
Lake City · Erie Bluffs State Park · Free
Evening 1.5-mile guided walk (6–7:30 p.m.) on moderate terrain exploring the wildlife of this Lake Erie shoreline park.
Tue, Nov 17, 2026 · Homeschool Day at the Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium
Pittsburgh · Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium ·
6 (adults and children 2 and up; no member discount)
Homeschool Day at the zoo, 10 a.m.–2 p.m., with keeper chats, special feedings and animal ambassador meet-and-greets throughout the zoo.
Wed, Nov 18, 2026 · Homeschool in the Park: Birds of a Feeder (Lackawanna State Park)
Dalton · Lackawanna State Park · Free
DCNR program (10 a.m.–2 p.m.) on observing birds at feeders and sharing observations through community science projects.
Wed, Nov 18, 2026 – Thu, Nov 19, 2026 · The Hershey Story Homeschool Program: Movie Magic
Hershey · The Hershey Story, 63 West Chocolate Avenue ·
7 ages 3 and up; 2 and under free
Hands-on program on the history of moving pictures (10 a.m. and 1 p.m.): early moving-picture inventions, sound effects, storyboards and a chocolate creation, plus museum admission.
Wed, Nov 18, 2026 · York County History Center Homeschool Day: Would You Surrender?
York · York County History Center Museum
Hands-on homeschool class (11 a.m.–noon or 1–2 p.m.). Students explore York during the Civil War, when the town was surrendered to Confederate forces, and how Yorkers reacted.
Thu, Nov 19, 2026 · Asbury Woods Homeschool in the Woods: Migration Mysteries
Erie · Asbury Woods, 4105 Asbury Road ·
2 program fee (
0 supporting donors); chaperones free
Two-hour environmental education program (1–3 p.m.) on how and why birds migrate, with pre-lessons and extension activities.
Thu, Nov 19, 2026 – Thu, May 13, 2027 · Home Education Family Programs at Greenwood Furnace State Park
Huntingdon · Greenwood Furnace State Park, park office
Monthly Thursday programs (10 a.m.–noon) with park and Huntingdon County Conservation District educators: Nov. 19 and Dec. 10, 2026; Jan. 14, Feb. 25, Mar. 11, Apr. 15 and May 13, 2027.
Thu, Nov 19, 2026 · Reading Public Museum Homeschool Day: Tracking the Past in Medieval Europe
Reading · Reading Public Museum, 500 Museum Road · $30 non-members /

Homeschooling in Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania homeschooling by topic

Pennsylvania Homeschool Options at a glance

Coming up in Pennsylvania

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