Homeschooling in Pennsylvania— one of the most structured homeschool states in the country.
Pennsylvania asks for more paper than almost any other state — a notarized affidavit by August 1, 180 instructional days, 900–990 hours by grade, standardized tests in 3, 5, and 8, and an evaluator interview every June. None of it is hostile; all of it adds up. Lightstead built the compliance scaffold (affidavit wizard, contemporaneous log, portfolio export) so you can keep teaching instead of bookkeeping.
The compliance shape, at a glance.
- Notice
Aug 1 · annually
Notarized affidavit OR unsworn declaration (28 U.S.C. § 1746) to district superintendent. Includes objectives + parent criminal background certification.
- Days / hours
180 days
900 hrs elementary · 990 hrs secondary. Either-or — meet one and you're compliant. Most PA families track days first; hours are the safety net.
- Subjects
10 / 9 by level
Elementary and secondary subject lists differ. Lightstead's subject scaffold ships with both presets and surfaces which apply by grade.
- Assessment
Test + eval
Standardized test in grades 3, 5, 8 from PA's approved list · Annual evaluator portfolio review by June 30.
- Pathway
4 legal options
Affidavit (most common) · Private tutor · Religious satellite school · Accredited day school satellite.
- Evaluator
PA-certified
2+ years experience required. Licensed psychologists and nonpublic school teachers/administrators also qualify.
- Recordkeeping
Contemporaneous log
Materials used, samples of writing & work, test results — kept as you go, not reconstructed at year's end.
- Background check
Required
Parent criminal background certification (clearances under Acts 34/151/114) ships with the affidavit.
§1
File your affidavit (or declaration) by August 1.
PA gives you two filing options — a notarized affidavit, or an unsworn declaration under 28 U.S.C. § 1746. Either one goes to your district superintendent annually, every year, before August 1. The filing must include your objectives by subject area, a list of educational materials used, and a parent criminal background certification covering Acts 34, 151, and 114. The affidavit is the path most PA families take. The declaration option is legally equivalent and skips the notary step entirely. A new homeschool started mid-year files within a few weeks of beginning — there's no waiver for late starts, but PA's history is to accept on-time filings without follow-up.
24 P.S. § 13-1327.1
Open the Filings tab, pick "PA affidavit," and the wizard generates the affidavit with the statutory subject objectives and the Act 34/151/114 certification language pre-written. Export a notary-ready PDF. The August 1 deadline shows on Today's dashboard from July 1 onward — you don't get blindsided.
How filings work in Lightstead
§2
180 days or 900/990 hours — pick the easier path.
PA's instructional minimum is two-part — 180 days of instruction OR 900 elementary / 990 secondary hours of instruction per academic year. The statute uses "or," which means one is enough. Most families track days first because they're simpler to count; hours become the safety net when life gets noisy and a stretch of weeks falls below normal pace. The state cares that you can prove either measure. Days mean "days where instruction happened" — full school days, not partial. Hours mean instruction-time across all subjects. Field trips count when they're instructional. Curricular co-op meetings count. Reading aloud to a child counts in the early grades.
24 P.S. § 13-1327.1(c)
Attendance is calendar-first. Drop a green dot for present, blue for field trip, gray for holiday. The compliance card on the homeschool dashboard shows current days, total hours, and exactly how far you are from PA's minimum — per child, per academic year. When the evaluator asks, you export an attendance summary in one click.
How attendance + hours rolls up
§3
Standardized tests in 3, 5, 8 — and an evaluator every year.
PA requires standardized testing in grades 3, 5, and 8 from an approved list of about a dozen tests — including CAT, Iowa Tests of Basic Skills, Stanford Achievement, Terra Nova, WIAT-III, CTP IV, MAP, Metropolitan Achievement Test, Peabody, Woodcock-Johnson, and the PSSA — administered by a neutral party (not the parent). The test is scored against national norms. PA does not impose a minimum percentile to pass; the test is for documentation, not gatekeeping. On top of testing, every homeschooled child gets an annual interview-and-portfolio review by a qualified evaluator, due June 30. The evaluator interviews the child, reviews the portfolio, and writes a one-page letter stating that an "appropriate education" occurred. That letter goes to the superintendent with next year's affidavit.
24 P.S. § 13-1327.1(e)(1)
Lightstead tracks test events on the family calendar with escalating dashboard severity tiers as the test date approaches (60+ days, 30+ days, 14 days and under), stores score certificates with the child's record, and stages the portfolio (work samples, writing, tests) for evaluator export — one PDF, signed and dated. The evaluator letter has its own slot so it doesn't get lost in email attachments.
Standardized tests + evaluator portfolio
§4
A contemporaneous log — not a year-end scramble.
PA wants a log of materials used, samples of writing and student work, and the standardized test results. "Contemporaneous" is the load-bearing word — it means kept as you go, not reconstructed at the end of the year. The evaluator reviews it; the district can request it. A reconstructed portfolio is usually obvious, and it's a legal vulnerability if the district challenges. The portfolio is a body-of-work argument, not a checklist. Three writing samples per subject, three or four work samples showing growth across the year, a reading log, the test certificate, the evaluator's letter, and a list of curricula used. Most evaluators want to see breadth more than depth — that a child engaged with the full subject list and made measurable progress.
24 P.S. § 13-1327.1(b)(2)(i–iii)
Lesson plans and reading-log entries flow into the year's record as you log them; work samples are uploaded with a per-sample child + subject tag. When the evaluator asks, you export the year as a single inspection-ready PDF — chronologically ordered, subject-tagged, ready for the June 30 review.
Portfolio export + inspection packet
What people search for when they look up Pennsylvania homeschooling.
Do I have to register my homeschool in PA?
Yes. PA requires an annual affidavit or unsworn declaration to your district superintendent by August 1. There is no waiver — even families who started mid-year file within a few weeks of beginning. The declaration option (under 28 U.S.C. § 1746) skips the notary step and is legally equivalent to the notarized affidavit.
How many hours of homeschool does PA require?
900 hours of elementary instruction or 990 hours of secondary instruction per academic year. You can also satisfy the requirement with 180 days of instruction — the statute is an either-or. Most families track days as the primary measure because they're simpler to count, and use hours as a safety net.
What is a PHEAA portfolio?
A contemporaneous record of materials used, work samples, writing samples, and standardized test results, kept across the year for the annual evaluator review. "PHEAA" is a common misnomer — Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency is unrelated. PA evaluators care most about breadth (full subject coverage) and growth (measurable progress).
Who can evaluate a PA homeschool portfolio?
A PA-certified teacher with at least 2 years of experience, a licensed psychologist, or a nonpublic school teacher or administrator. Some evaluators advertise to local homeschool support groups; the support group is usually the best lead. Evaluators charge a per-child fee (typically $35-100 in 2026).
When do PA homeschool standardized tests happen?
Grades 3, 5, and 8. The test must come from PA's approved list — about a dozen tests including CAT, Iowa Tests of Basic Skills, Stanford Achievement, Terra Nova, WIAT-III, CTP IV, MAP, Metropolitan Achievement Test, Peabody, Woodcock-Johnson, and the PSSA — and be administered by a neutral third party. The parent cannot administer the test. There is no minimum percentile required to pass.
Do I need a high-school diploma to homeschool in PA?
Yes. PA requires the supervising parent to hold at least a high-school diploma or equivalent, plus the parent criminal background certification (Acts 34, 151, 114 clearances) that ships with the affidavit. Foreign credentials of equivalent level are accepted.
Can I use a tutor instead of filing an affidavit?
Yes — the private tutor pathway lets a PA-certified teacher instruct your child. It comes with different paperwork (the tutor files their teaching credentials with the district once) but skips the affidavit, test, and evaluator requirements that come with the home education statute. It's less flexible, more expensive, and uncommon.
Does PA require notarization?
Only if you choose the affidavit option. The unsworn declaration option under 28 U.S.C. § 1746 is legally equivalent and skips the notary step. The declaration's wording is fixed by federal statute, so it must be reproduced verbatim — Lightstead's PA wizard includes the boilerplate.
Related state guides
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