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Homeschool laws in California

California offers several legal ways to homeschool, including filing as a home-based private school, using a private school satellite program, or hiring a credentialed private tutor. The most common independent route is the private school affidavit option, which brings annual filing and basic private-school recordkeeping.

Last verified

2026-04-20

Compulsory age range

6-18

Quick-start checklist

What parents need to do first

This is the plain-English checklist a parent can follow to get started without reading a mountain of legal text.

  1. 1Choose your legal homeschool path before you begin teaching.
  2. 2If your child is leaving public school, withdraw them according to local school procedures.
  3. 3If you are using the home-based private school route, file your Private School Affidavit during the state filing window.
  4. 4Pick a curriculum that covers the main school subjects for your child’s grade level.
  5. 5Set up basic records, including attendance, course lists, and samples of student work.
  6. 6Build a transcript as your student moves into high school.
  7. 7Check local rules early if you want sports, special education support, or dual enrollment.

California homeschool law hub

These state-specific guides turn the core law summary into focused SEO pages for the questions parents search most: requirements, forms, records, testing, graduation, and support groups.

Requirements

Plain-English California homeschool requirements: notice, subjects, hours, testing, records, teacher qualifications, and source links.

Letter of intent

Find out whether California homeschool parents need a letter of intent, who receives it, timing, and what to include.

Recordkeeping

Plain-English guide to homeschool records in California: attendance, portfolios, grades, transcripts, and what parents should keep.

Graduation

How homeschool graduation works in California, including diplomas, transcripts, college admission, dual enrollment, and high-school records.

Testing

Plain-English California homeschool testing guide: whether tests or evaluations are required, how often, and what records to keep.

Co-ops & support groups

How to think about homeschool co-ops, umbrella schools, virtual options, sports access, and local support while homeschooling in California.

Popular California homeschool searches

These guides connect the state law checklist to the long-tail questions parents actually search: curriculum by grade, secular options, ADHD support, public-school comparisons, teacher qualifications, and testing.

Best 1st grade curriculum in CaliforniaBest secular 4th grade curriculum in CaliforniaHomeschooling a child with ADHD in CaliforniaHomeschool vs public school in CaliforniaCan you homeschool without a degree?Do homeschoolers need testing?

What to do next: choose curriculum after you understand the law

The legal checklist tells you what California expects. Curriculum is the next decision. Start with your child’s age, learning style, parent prep time, and whether you want faith-based, secular, online, workbook, or literature-rich materials.

New homeschoolers

Pick a simple open-and-go core for math and language arts first. Add science, history, and enrichment after your routine is stable.

Busy parents

Favor programs with clear lesson plans, independent student work, grading support, or online components if parent prep time is limited.

High school

Choose courses you can document with credits, grades, descriptions, labs where needed, and a transcript-friendly record from day one.

Curriculum recommendation links will only be added after official affiliate/tracking URLs are approved and verified. No placeholder affiliate links are used on this page.

Free printables

Download the homeschool starter kit

Print these before you start: a state startup checklist, letter-of-intent template, attendance tracker, and high-school transcript template.

View all downloads

New homeschool families

State homeschool startup checklist

A printable first-week checklist for choosing your pathway, handling notices or withdrawal, tracking deadlines, and setting up records.

Download PDF →

Notice or withdrawal paperwork

Homeschool letter of intent template

A parent-safe fill-in notice/withdrawal template with reminders to use official state forms when required.

Download PDF →

Recordkeeping

Homeschool attendance tracker

A simple school-year tracker for days, hours, holidays, field trips, and notes you can keep with your records.

Download PDF →

High school planning

Homeschool transcript template

A fill-in high-school transcript starter with course records, credit summary, and parent certification lines.

Download PDF →

These printables are general planning tools, not legal advice. Always verify the current rule on your state page and official source links before filing deadlines.

Full breakdown

Every field is designed to answer the real-world compliance questions parents ask first.

Legal status
Homeschooling is legal in California, but families need to choose one of the state’s legal pathways and follow the rules for that option.
Compulsory age range
6-18
Notification required
Yes, in most common homeschool setups. Families using the home-based private school route file a Private School Affidavit each year, while other legal options have different paperwork.
Who you notify
Usually the California Department of Education for the private school affidavit route; families withdrawing from public school may also need to notify the local school.
Notification deadline
For the private school affidavit route, file annually between October 1 and October 15. If starting later, families should review the current CDE instructions for late filing.
Required subjects
English, Mathematics, Science, Social studies, Other branches of study commonly taught in public school
Hours or days required
California does not set a simple homeschool hourly minimum for every pathway, but private schools are generally expected to offer instruction comparable in scope to public school branches of study.
Record keeping
For the private school affidavit route, keep attendance records, course information, and the basic records required of private schools. Many families also keep work samples and transcripts.
Testing and evaluation
No statewide testing is required for families homeschooling independently through the private school or private tutor routes.
Testing frequency
Not required for independent homeschooling.
Teacher qualifications
No teaching credential is required for a parent running a home-based private school, but the private tutor option requires a California teaching credential.
Curriculum freedom
Broad overall, though families should provide real instruction and cover the branches of study expected for students of similar ages in public school.
Umbrella school option
Yes. Many families use a private school satellite program or similar private-school umbrella instead of filing their own affidavit.
Virtual school option
Yes. California has public charter and independent study programs, but those are public-school options rather than independent homeschooling.
Special education
Access to special education services can be limited for independent homeschoolers and may depend on district practices or whether the student is enrolled in a public charter or other public program.
High school diploma
Parents operating a private homeschool or private school program can generally issue a diploma and transcript.
College admission
California colleges commonly review homeschool transcripts, course descriptions, and test or community college records when applicable.
Sports access
Access to public school sports is not guaranteed statewide for independent homeschoolers and often depends on local district, charter, or league rules.
Dual enrollment
Yes. Many homeschool students use community college dual enrollment, subject to local college rules.
Notes
First-pass draft generated from HSLDA and California DOE/statute sources. California has multiple legal homeschool pathways, so this entry mainly reflects the common home-based private school route and flags where rules differ for private tutor or charter-based options.

From our sister site

Overwhelmed by curriculum choices?

Now that you know the laws, find the right curriculum. Take the free 5-minute quiz at The Curriculum Compass — matched to your child, your teaching style, and your family values.

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Official sources

Parent-friendly reminder

This page is designed to reduce confusion, not replace legal advice. If something changes or feels unclear, verify with your state Department of Education before making compliance decisions.

Want more homeschool guidance and encouragement? Follow Dani at @thedanicerrato.