Pennsylvania at a glance
| What | The rule |
|---|---|
| Days or hours | 180 days of instruction, or 900 hours in the elementary grades and 990 hours in the secondary grades, each school year. Either one is enough. |
| Who files | The supervisor (a parent or guardian with a high school diploma or its equivalent) files a notarized affidavit, or an unsworn declaration, with the superintendent before starting and by August 1 each year after. |
| What you keep | A portfolio: a log made as you teach that names the reading materials by title, samples of writings, worksheets, workbooks and creative materials, and the standardized test results from grades 3, 5 and 8. |
| Who checks | An evaluator interviews the child, reviews the portfolio and certifies whether an appropriate education is taking place. You send the certification to the superintendent by June 30. |
| Tests | Grades 3, 5 and 8: a nationally normed test from the state’s approved list, or the statewide tests, in math and reading or language arts. A parent may not give the test. |
This summarizes Pennsylvania's homeschool law as of November 9, 2026. Laws change and districts read them differently: check the current text and your district's instructions, and ask a homeschool association in Pennsylvania when something is unclear.
The year, in order
- Before you start, then by August 1 each year: file the affidavit (notarized) or an unsworn declaration with your district superintendent. It names the supervisor and the child, gives your address and phone, lists your educational objectives by subject, shows immunizations and required health services, and certifies that the program follows Section 1327.1 and that no adult in the home has certain criminal convictions in the past five years.
- All year: teach the required subjects, keep the log the same day, and save work samples. Count school days and minutes.
- Grades 3, 5 and 8: arrange an approved standardized test; someone other than a parent gives it. Put the math and reading results in the portfolio.
- Spring: book the evaluator. The evaluation is an interview with your child and a review of the portfolio.
- By June 30: send the evaluator's certification to the superintendent. The portfolio stays with you.
180 days, or 900 or 990 hours
The law gives two ways to measure a year of instruction and accepts either: 180 days, or 900 hours at the elementary level and 990 hours at the secondary level. Over 180 days that is an average of 5 hours a day for elementary grades and 5.5 for secondary. Families who school four days a week, or take a long break, usually reach the hours first; families with short daily lessons reach the days first. Logging both means you never have to choose in advance.
The portfolio: what the law lists
- A log, made contemporaneously with the instruction, which designates by title the reading materials used. One line a lesson, written that day, is enough: the date, the subject, what you covered and the book or article by title.
- Samples of any writings, worksheets, workbooks or creative materials used or developed by the student. A folder, a photo of a project, or an attachment on the lesson all work.
- Test results in grades 3, 5 and 8: math and reading or language arts, from an approved nationally normed test or the statewide tests.
The required subjects
Elementary (kindergarten to 6th grade): English (spelling, reading and writing), arithmetic, civics, United States and Pennsylvania history, health and physiology, physical education, music, art, geography, science, and safety education including fire danger and prevention.
Secondary (7th to 12th grade): English (language, literature, speech and composition), mathematics (general mathematics, algebra and geometry), social studies (civics, world history, United States and Pennsylvania history), health, physical education, music, art, geography, science, and safety education. For a diploma the statute lists four years of English, three each of mathematics, science and social studies, and two of arts and humanities.
The evaluator and June 30
The evaluator must be a licensed clinical or school psychologist, a Pennsylvania-certified teacher with two years of teaching experience, or a nonpublic school teacher or administrator with two years of experience in the last ten years; anyone else needs the superintendent's consent first. The evaluator interviews the child, reviews the portfolio and writes a certification that an appropriate education is occurring. You send that certification to the superintendent by June 30. The portfolio itself does not go to the district.
How My Award Tracker counts the Pennsylvania year
The dashboard shows two meters for a Pennsylvania child, days of instruction against 180 and hours of instruction against 900 or 990 (the graduation year picks the right one), and notes that reaching either is enough. Lessons are logged in minutes, so 40 minutes is 0.67 hours, not a rounded hour. The year record lists the reading materials by title, the daily log, hours by subject and the work samples you attached, in the order an evaluator reads them.
Mark a child as homeschooled, pick Pennsylvania and the month your school year starts, and the targets fill in. Log each lesson by subject in minutes; the dashboard shows the days and hours so far, and the year record PDF prints the daily log, hours by subject, reading by title and signature lines. Every feature is free for your first 30 days; then Plus is $9.99 a year for one child and the Family plan $29.99 for up to 6. Start your Pennsylvania record, or read about homeschool records first.
Keep the record on paper, free
Homeschool attendance and hours log (PDF): one line per lesson with the date, subject, what you covered, the reading by title and the minutes, a page total and signature lines. The same log in Excel counts the school days, the hours and the core-subject hours as you type. Already keep a paper planner? Take a photo of each page in My Award Tracker and the lessons are read into your record; you check every row first.
Other states
- Homeschool record keeping by state: What to keep in every state, how to count days and hours, and a free printable log.
- New York: 900/990 hours, the IHIP, quarterly reports and the annual assessment.
- Missouri: 1,000 hours, 600 in the core subjects, 400 at home.
- Georgia: 180 days of 4.5 hours, the Declaration of Intent and the progress report.
Frequently asked questions
Do I count days or hours in Pennsylvania?
Either. The law says 180 days of instruction, or 900 hours for elementary and 990 for secondary grades. Most families log both and finish whichever comes first. A day counts when you taught that day; hours are the minutes of instruction added up.
Do I send the portfolio to the school district?
No. The evaluator reviews the portfolio and you send the evaluator’s certification to the superintendent by June 30. The superintendent may ask for an evaluation during the year only with a reasonable belief that an appropriate education may not be happening, and then the certification is due within 30 days.
What does “made contemporaneously” mean for the log?
Written at the time of the instruction, not rebuilt from memory before the evaluation. A few words per lesson, the same day, with the reading materials named by title, meets it. A photo of a paper planner page works as a record of the day.
Who can be our evaluator?
A licensed clinical or school psychologist, a Pennsylvania-certified teacher with two years of teaching experience, or a nonpublic school teacher or administrator with two years of experience in the last ten. Someone else needs the superintendent’s consent in advance. The supervisor and the supervisor’s spouse cannot evaluate their own program.
Which tests count in grades 3, 5 and 8?
The state’s approved nationally normed tests, such as the Iowa Test of Basic Skills, the Stanford Achievement Test, the California Achievement Test, Terra Nova, MAP, the Woodcock-Johnson and the WIAT-III, or the statewide tests public school students take. The math and reading or language arts results go in that year’s portfolio.
We are moving to another district. What changes?
Ask your current superintendent for a letter of transfer by registered mail 30 days before you move; the letter must be issued within 30 days of the request. File it with the new superintendent, and your program continues.