Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania homeschool laws & record-keeping (2026)
Pennsylvania asks for a lot: an affidavit and objectives by August 1, a log and reading list, a portfolio with work samples, tests in grades 3, 5, and 8, and an evaluator review by June 30.
- Regulation level
- High
- Notice or filing
- Affidavit by Aug 1; evaluator review by June 30.
- Instructional days
- 180 per year
- Instruction hours
- 180 days, or 900 hours (elementary) / 990 hours (secondary).
- Testing grades
- 3, 5, 8
Homeschoolio counts your 180 required days as you log and builds the records Pennsylvania expects.
See how it worksRequired filings in Pennsylvania
How to start homeschooling in Pennsylvania
The sequence below is the order most families work through. Nothing here replaces the primary sources at the bottom of this page, which are where the letter of the law lives.
- Check who can teach and which children are covered
Compulsory attendance ages vary, so the first thing worth confirming is whether your child is old enough that Pennsylvania expects them to be enrolled somewhere, and whether the person teaching meets any qualification the state sets. Most states ask only that a parent or guardian provide the instruction. A few add a diploma or credential requirement, and a few let you teach through an umbrella school instead.
- File your notice
Affidavit by Aug 1; evaluator review by June 30. This is the single step families most often miss, because it is the one with a date attached and the one that has to happen before instruction counts.
Send it in a way that leaves you proof. Email with a read receipt, certified mail, or an online submission that gives you a confirmation number all work. Keep that proof with your records: if a district ever says it never received your notice, the receipt is what settles it.
- Choose your subjects and materials
Decide what you will teach before the year starts, even loosely. You do not need a boxed curriculum, and you can change course midyear, but having the subject list written down makes every later record, report, and transcript easier to assemble.
Many states name a set of subjects they expect to see covered, usually some combination of reading, writing, mathematics, science, and social studies. The primary sources linked at the bottom of this page are the place to confirm what Pennsylvania lists.
- Start keeping records on day one
Pennsylvania measures instruction in 180 instructional days and hours (180 days, or 900 hours (elementary) / 990 hours (secondary)), so the count starts the day you do. Backfilling a year of attendance in June from memory is the single most painful thing a homeschool parent can do to themselves, and it produces the least trustworthy record.
Records also outlive the requirement. Transfers back into school, dual enrollment, community college, and college admissions all tend to ask for something, and the family who logged as they went can produce it in an afternoon.
- Put the testing years on your calendar now
Pennsylvania expects a nationally standardized test in grades 3, 5, 8. Testing years sneak up because they are years apart, and test dates are set by whoever administers the test, not by you.
Find out in the fall how families in your area test, whether that is a group administration through a local co-op, a certified administrator, or an online proctored option. Keep the score report with your records once it arrives.
What a homeschool year looks like in Pennsylvania
Your year opens with paperwork: affidavit by Aug 1; evaluator review by June 30. Everything after that is instruction and record-keeping.
Through the year you are working toward 180 instructional days, with 180 days, or 900 hours (elementary) / 990 hours (secondary). Neither number has to be hit in a conventional Monday-to-Friday pattern, and most states count a day as a day regardless of how the hours inside it are arranged.
The dated obligations are affidavit & objectives (Aug 1), annual evaluation (Jun 30). Put those on a calendar with a reminder a few weeks ahead of each, not the day before, because most of them need records you have to assemble first.
Close the year by filing whatever is required, then archiving what you kept. A finished year folder, with the log, the samples, and any test or evaluation results, is what makes the next year straightforward and what answers any question that comes later.
What records to keep in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania asks enough of families that records are not optional housekeeping, they are the thing you will be judged on. The good news is that the records that satisfy the state are the same records that make your own year easier, so there is no separate compliance busywork if you set it up once.
In practice, keep attendance, as a running count rather than a reconstruction; what you taught, by subject and date; samples of work across the year, not just the best pieces; standardized test results for the required grades; copies of everything you filed, dated; a reading list, which is the easiest record to keep and the most convincing to read.
High-school years deserve more care than the rest, because they turn into a transcript. Record the course title, the credit value, and the grade as you go. Reconstructing four years of coursework from memory during application season is the situation every homeschool parent wants to avoid, and it is entirely avoidable.
Switching to homeschooling, or moving to Pennsylvania
If your child is currently enrolled in a public school, withdraw formally rather than simply stopping attendance. Ask the school for written confirmation of the withdrawal date and request a copy of the cumulative file, which usually holds transcripts, test scores, and immunization records that are far easier to collect now than later.
If you are moving into Pennsylvania from another state, treat your filing obligation as new: affidavit by Aug 1; evaluator review by June 30. A notice filed with your previous state does not carry over, and the timing usually keys off when you establish residency or when you begin instruction, whichever your district applies.
Keep the records you built in your previous state either way. Days, hours, and coursework completed elsewhere still happened, and they still belong on a transcript.
Common questions about homeschooling in Pennsylvania
Do I have to notify the state to homeschool in Pennsylvania?
Affidavit by Aug 1; evaluator review by June 30.
How many days or hours do I have to homeschool in Pennsylvania?
Pennsylvania requires 180 instructional days per year (180 days, or 900 hours (elementary) / 990 hours (secondary).).
Is standardized testing required in Pennsylvania?
Yes. Pennsylvania ties standardized testing to grades 3, 5, 8. The overview at the top of this page describes how Pennsylvania handles it, including whether results are submitted or simply kept on file, and the primary sources at the bottom carry the exact wording.
What records do I need to keep in Pennsylvania?
Keep the documents Pennsylvania asks for, such as affidavit & objectives, log of educational activities, portfolio & work samples, standardized tests, annual evaluation. Homeschoolio builds these from what you log.
Do I need a teaching degree to homeschool in Pennsylvania?
In most states the answer is no, and the instruction is expected to come from a parent or guardian. A small number of states attach a diploma or credential condition, and some allow an umbrella or cover school to satisfy it instead. Check the primary sources linked at the bottom of this page for Pennsylvania's exact wording before you rely on it.
What happens if I miss a deadline in Pennsylvania?
Treat a missed deadline as something to fix immediately rather than something to hide. Districts generally deal with a late filing far more easily than with a child who appears to be enrolled nowhere, since the latter can start an attendance or truancy process. File as soon as you notice, keep proof of when you sent it, and ask the district in writing what else they need. Consequences vary by state and district, so confirm with Pennsylvania's department of education or your district rather than assuming.
Can I homeschool part time or combine it with public school in Pennsylvania?
Access to public school classes, sports, or dual enrollment for homeschooled students varies widely, and is often decided district by district rather than statewide. Ask your district directly what a homeschooled student may participate in, and get the answer in writing. Where part-time enrollment is allowed, it can also change what records the school expects from you.
How do I make a high-school transcript for a homeschooler in Pennsylvania?
A homeschool transcript lists courses by year with credit values and grades, plus a weighted or unweighted GPA and a graduation date. No state issues it for you; the parent or the umbrella school produces it. Build it as you go rather than at the end, and keep course descriptions for anything a college might question.
How Homeschoolio helps in Pennsylvania
Homeschoolio logs your day in seconds, tracks your 180 required days, and generates the actual records and filings Pennsylvania expects, as review-ready PDFs built from data you already logged. Everything works offline, and your records are always yours to export.
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Helpful guides
Sources
This page was checked against the primary sources below in June 2026. Start there when you need the letter of the law.
Homeschoolio helps you keep records. It isn't legal advice. Homeschool requirements vary by district and change over time, so always verify your state and district's current rules.