California Homeschool Laws and CA State Homeschooling Requirements

California requires all children from ages 6 to 18 to submit to compulsory full-time education. All children in private schools or taught by private tutors are required to learn the same subjects taught in the public schools and are required to be taught in the English language by an instructor "capable of teaching." While the state requires an attendance register be maintained, it does not set any requirements regarding the number of days of attendance. There are also no testing requirements.

One of the most popular options for homeschooling in California is for parents to file an affidavit to get recognized by the state as private schools. Although the state does not recognize the rights of parents to teach their kids, it does allow parents to form their own private schools. Once they have achieved private school status, their only requirements are to teach the same subjects as the public schools and teach in the English language. They do not have to use the same curriculum or materials as the public schools so this allows parents a lot of liberties. To get started with this option, all parents intending to homeschool kids from ages 6 to 18 must file an affidavit to their local public school district superintendent by October 15 of each year. The affidavit must include the names and addresses of the school directors and teachers along with information about the number of students enrolled in each grade level.

Homeschool parents who do not want to register as a private school have another option of enrolling their student in an independent study program with an existing private school. With this option, the state does not require the school to submit any notifications or records or to conduct any testing. However, the school might have their own requirements that they impose upon the parents. This option has the benefit of providing parents with more support and direction from the private school compared to doing it on their own.

For parents who can afford it, there is another option of using a private tutor. Although this has obvious eduactional benefits, it can get very expensive. The state requires all tutors to have a teacher certification. Children taught by private tutors are required to attend instruction 3 hours per day for 175 days each school year. Beyond that, California does not require tutors to submit any notifications or records to the school board and does not require any testing.

Finally, there is another option which is likely to be far less appealing to most homeschool parents. This is the option of enrolling in an independent study program offered through the public school. Under this option, the child is actually enrolled in a public school, and is therefore considered a public school student. For many homeschool parents, this option defeats the purpose for homeschooling because the student is required to use the same curriculum that the public school uses. However, it satisfies some of the concerns of homeschool parents because the student is not exposed to other public school kids because they do not physically attend the public school. Because these students are enrolled in the public school, they must abide by all school rules and policies, including attendance, subjects, recordkeeping, and testing.

Don't give up hope Californians, homeschooling remains alive and well for those who are determined to homeschool and willing to comply with California state laws.