CALIFORNIA
Homeschooling in California: Requirements, Paperwork, and How to Start
California has no homeschool law. Instead there are four legal routes, and the one most families take is a single annual filing with no approval and no testing. Here is what each asks of you.
Homeschooling in California, Summarized
The Seven Things California Asks of You
Legal in California
Yes
via four routes, not one statute
Compulsory ages
6 to 18
Your two options
Four routes — affidavit, umbrella school, tutor or charter
Do I notify anyone?
Yes — annually on the common route
the affidavit
Paperwork load
Very low to medium
depends entirely on the route
Parent qualification
None on the affidavit route
the tutor route needs a credential
Standardized testing
Charter route only — and waivable
CAASPP
Legal requirements last reviewed: June 2026 · Plain English · Not legal advice
Homeschooling is legal in California
What You Need to Know
No dedicated homeschool statute here — four routes under the Education Code do the work. Most families file a Private School Affidavit and run a home-based private school: one filing a year, no approval, no testing. An umbrella school can file for you. The tutor route needs a credential. A charter brings money and testing.
What California Asks of You
Four routes, and they differ more than the names suggest.
Must do
File the Private School Affidavit with the Department of Education online, each year
Keep an attendance register noting every absence of a half-day or more
Keep courses of study, teacher qualifications and immunisation records on file
Dates that matter
1 to 15 October is the statutory window; the Department accepts filings from 1 August to 30 June
New schools may file when they open
Good practice — not required
Retain records at least two years; keep high-school records permanently
Nothing is submitted after the affidavit — but the records must exist if asked for
No state approval, no curriculum review, no testing and no ongoing reporting. After the annual filing you owe the state nothing further.
Must do
Enroll with a licensed private school satellite program
Meet whatever that program asks of you — it varies
Dates that matter
Enrollment deadlines are set by each program; its own filing window is 1 to 15 October
Good practice — not required
Compare programs: this route is about who carries the paperwork, so the terms matter
The trade-off
You are dependent on the program's standards and continued operation
The program files one consolidated affidavit covering its enrolled families and takes on the recordkeeping.
Other routes
California's affidavit route asks you to hold records but never submit them. StudyPug keeps them, so they exist if asked.
Funding for California Home Education
The key numbers before the details.
PROGRAM
Charter instructional funds — the only public channel
AMOUNT
Reported around $2,200-4,500 a year · varies by charter
HOW IT'S CLAIMED
Through the charter's purchasing portal and vendor list
WHO QUALIFIES
Enrolled charter or independent-study students only
How It Works
From registration to reimbursement, step by step.
1
Enroll in a charter program
Only the charter route carries public money — there is no education savings account or voucher in California. Enroll in a nonclassroom-based charter or a district independent-study program.
2
Spend through the charter's portal
Each charter runs its own approved-vendor list and purchasing system. Amounts differ between charters and grade levels, so confirm what yours offers rather than relying on a published figure.
3
Show the learning
Submit work on the schedule in your master agreement, usually weekly or fortnightly, and sit the statewide assessments in the spring.
Funding rules move faster than law. Amounts and eligibility can change every school year and every legislative session — always confirm with the official program sources below before you spend. Funding facts last reviewed: August 2026.
What StudyPug Handles for You
Not templates you fill in — records that fill themselves in.
Work-samples portfolio that assembles itself
Hours & attendance log that fills itself in
Progress reports you can download and share
Courses of study on file, ready for your annual affidavit
One-click package for your charter's work-submission schedule
Every child in one account — up to 5
Questions About Homeschooling in California
Quick answers for homeschooling families.
Is homeschooling legal in California?
Yes, though not through a homeschool statute — California has none. Four routes under the Education Code do the work: filing a Private School Affidavit, enrolling with a private school satellite program, using a credentialled private tutor, or enrolling in a charter or district independent-study program.
Do parents need a teaching certificate?
Not on the affidavit route, which is the one most families use — EC 48222 asks only that private-school teachers be capable of teaching. The credentialled-tutor route is the exception and requires a valid California credential for the grade taught, which is why it is rare.
Does California fund homeschooling?
Only through charter enrollment. There is no education savings account or voucher in California. Families in a nonclassroom-based charter or a district independent-study program receive discretionary instructional funds, reported at roughly $2,200 to $4,500 a year by charter and grade. Confirm the figure with the charter.
What is the Private School Affidavit, exactly?
An annual online filing with the Department of Education declaring that you are operating a private school in your home. The statutory window is 1 to 15 October, though the Department accepts filings from 1 August to 30 June. There is no approval process — you file it, and that is that.
Do I have to use the California curriculum?
No, but the affidavit is not a formality: you attest that the school teaches the branches of study required in public schools. Within that, the affidavit, satellite and tutor routes leave the curriculum to you. The charter route is different — your child is a public-school pupil and follows its program.
What records should I keep, and for how long?
On the affidavit route: an attendance register noting every absence of half a day or more, your courses of study, and records of teacher qualification. None of it is submitted, but it must be producible. Practitioner guidance is to keep records at least two years, and high-school records permanently.
Which route should I choose?
Most families file the affidavit, because it asks the least. A satellite program suits you if you would rather someone else carried the paperwork. The charter route is the one to consider if the funding matters more to you than the autonomy — it brings money, but also state testing and a public-school enrollment.
Official Sources
Confirm the rules and apply directly with your state.
Private School Affidavit
→Filing the affidavit — the window, the portal and what it attests.
cde.ca.gov — Private School Affidavit
Schooling at Home
→The Department's overview of the routes open to families.
cde.ca.gov — Homeschool
Independent Study — Legal Requirements
→The charter route: master agreements, attendance and testing.
cde.ca.gov — Independent Study
EC 48224 — Private Tutor
→The credential, the three hours a day and the 175 days.
leginfo.legislature.ca.gov — EC 48224
Other States:
Homeschooling in Colorado·Homeschooling in Connecticut·Homeschooling in Delaware— each reviewed against its own official sources
See How Families Run Their Homeschool on StudyPug
Lessons, practice, and the records above — one family plan.
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StudyPug is a records tool, not legal advice. Homeschool rules, funding amounts, and deadlines change at least yearly — always confirm with the official sources above before you act. Requirements can also differ at the school-board or district level, so check with your local board or district too. We review every jurisdiction page and show you the date we last checked it; each requirement in your dashboard carries its own source and last-verified date.
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