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Door 4 · Homeschool

Homeschooling in California: the paperwork, exactly

What California law requires when you teach your child at home — the filings, the deadlines, the records — and what it does not require, in writing.

California — One annual filing

Notice: File the Private School Affidavit (PSA) with the Superintendent of Public Instruction between October 1 and 15 each year

Ongoing duties: Keep an attendance register, courses of study, and faculty records at the school address (§48222); no state testing or portfolio review

Withdrawal from public school: no codified withdrawal procedure — a dated written notice to the school is the practice, and it creates your paper record.

Verified California details

  • California has no homeschool statute — home schools operate as private schools (Jonathan L. v. Superior Court, 2008).
  • Mid-year starters: the statute names only the October window; the practice is to file when you establish the school. That is practice, not codified text.
  • No statutory days/hours minimum applies to the PSA route (the 175-day figure belongs only to the credentialed-tutor route, §48224).
  • California law prescribes no withdrawal form — a dated written notice to the school creates your paper record.

Source: Educ. Code §§33190, 48222, 48224

Check another state

Rules checked October 2026 — every rule on this page is cited to its source. Verify day counts against your district's official calendar.

The Homeschool Paperwork Kit — $29, one time

Every letter, checklist, and worksheet for this fight, filled with your state's rules — yours to keep, no subscription.

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See what's in the Homeschool Paperwork Kit