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Homeschooling in California

What California actually asks of a family teaching their own children. Written plainly, and honest where the answer is that nobody asks for anything.

United StatesFiling required

Who is in charge

California Department of Education (private school affidavit) or the private school satellite program the family enrols in

Who actually reviews your child

No one. The CDE records the affidavit; it does not approve or review private schools.

What you must file

Private School Affidavit (PSA)

Statutory window 1-15 October; the filing system is open 1 August - 30 June for new schools and home schools

Goes to: California Department of Education, online

A family enrolled in a private school satellite program (PSP) does NOT file its own PSA, the PSP files on their behalf.

The part the paperwork does not cover

Filing on time is the easy half. The harder half is the year in between: showing what your child actually learned, in words the reviewer recognises, without turning your home into a school.

That is what this app is for. You say what your child did, in a sentence. It maps that to the real curriculum for California and builds the record you can hand over the day someone asks. See how it works.

Start your record

Other places in United States

AlabamaAlaskaArizonaArkansasColoradoConnecticutDelawareDistrict of ColumbiaFloridaGeorgiaHawaiiIdahoIllinoisIndiana
Not yet confirmed at the government's own source. The requirements above agree across the sources we could reach, but we have not read them on the authority's own page. Treat them as a guide and confirm before you file.
Last read at the source on 2026-08-11: cde.ca.gov. That is the date we read it, not the date the rule last changed.