Inside: If you’re an unschooler considering moving to Pennsylvania, or you want to transition from homeschooling to unschooling in Pennsylvania, this guide is for you! It’s not as intimidating as it seems, and it is absolutely doable.
Eight years ago, I vowed to my husband that I would never ever move back to his home state of Pennsylvania.
Why not? The PA homeschooling requirements looked SUPER scary and a huge pain. Back then I was a not-quite-unschooling, relaxed homeschooler, and I was still intimidated.
While I won’t actually link to it here (because HSLDA supports a lot of harmful causes), I’m 100% certain that anyone who homeschools has seen the HSLDA map of the United States with each state’s color depicting the amount of homeschool regulation each state has.
You know what color Pennsylvania is? Deep ol’ red, meaning that theoretically it has some of the strictest homeschool regulations in the country. And that map needlessly scared me away from PA.
I do have beef with this map though. They think Missouri is low regulation? When they have to account for all 900 hours of instruction by subject? That sounds like a HUGE pain in the butt – far worse than Pennsylvania, but I digress.
But you know what? After moving here, I now know that the regulation is not difficult for unschoolers to comply with at all.
Here’s everything you need to know about unschooling in Pennsylvania. It’s far more doable than it seems.
Unschooling in Pennsylvania: An Unofficial Guide
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I am writing this article because the website that guided my early PA homeschooling steps – Ask Pauline – seems to have permanently abandoned their website security certificate. That makes it inaccessible for a lot of people.
I don’t claim to be an expert. I’m just an unschooling mom who went from scared to death to unschool in Pennsylvania to living and unschooling successfully in Pennsylvania for five years now.
Even as we’ve moved into unschooling high school this year, I’m not the least bit stressed about the requirements (the anxiety medication might have something to do with it).
But before I get into my advice, I want to encourage you to read the homeschool law for yourself – on the state’s website directly (you’ll need to access each part of the law individually) OR compiled HERE by PA Homeschool law.
Yes, the whole point of this article is to “unfreak” you out, but at the end of the day, you and you alone are responsible for knowing what the law says.
“So and so told me the law says XYZ and that XYZ is sufficient documentation,” won’t hold up in court if it ever came to that.
Unschooling is legal in all fifty states, but you, the parent, are responsible for complying with the homeschool law in your state. You can only comply if you know the law for yourself.
If you’re looking for a resource to help you understand the law better, PA Homeschool Law is an excellent website written by a former homeschooling parent with a law degree. She also provides several of the forms (in exchange for your email address) that used to be easily accessible through Ask Pauline.
Here is my personal and unofficial advice about unschooling in Pennsylvania (that is definitely not legal advice).
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1. Choosing the right evaluator is the key.
At the end of every school year in Pennsylvania, you need to meet with a certified teacher who evaluates whether or not your child is making progress, as homeschool law requires.
You pay them to meet with you at the end of the year and to provide you with the letter that allows you to continue homeschooling the following year.
Here’s the real secret to homeschooling in Pennsylvania: you choose your evaluator. They work for you, and if how you want to document learning doesn’t jive with the evaluator you are considering using, you can always “shop” for another one.
Finding an evaluator that aligns with your educational philosophy is key. I highly recommend joining the Facebook group Unschooling in Pennsylvania to network and find an unschooling-friendly evaluator that works for you.
Full disclosure: that particular Facebook group can be a little bit…rough for unschooling newbies. So be careful how you phrase your questions and if you have thin skin, maybe linger quietly in internet shadows and learn from other, braver questioners by using the search function.
Every unschooling-friendly evaluator is different.
There are some that require some kind of face-to-face contact with you and your child at the end of the school year – either in person or via zoom – and others who are ok with written back and forth communication only.
I highly recommend finding an evaluator at the beginning of the school year – not the end – and asking them what kind of documentation they are looking for.
That way there are no surprises at the end of the school year, leaving you scrambling to produce the proper documentation OR to find a new evaluator at the last minute.
Side Note: I love having an evaluator because they know our family so well at this point and are on our side 100% should we ever have to prove the legitimacy of our educational methods in court.
2. Turn your paperwork in on time if at all possible. PA reserves the right to issue truancy fines.
From what I’ve heard, Pennsylvania takes truancy – and therefore, truancy fines – seriously.
While I don’t know anyone personally who has ever been fined for late paperwork submission (neither has the evaluator who edited this article), the law says they can. And the fines can be quite steep – to the tune of hundreds of dollars.
The deadline for turning in your beginning of the year homeschool paperwork is August 1.
This includes:
- Your notarized affidavit or unsworn declaration,
- objectives, and
- any medical paperwork you’re submitting.
You need to start turning in paperwork for your child when they are 6-years-old before September 1st of the upcoming school year. You will continue to complete paperwork every year of homeschooling until your child turns 18 or graduates high school, whichever comes first.
Your end-of-year evaluator’s letter saying your child is making sufficient progress and that you have fulfilled all of Pennsylvania’s homeschool requirements is due to the school district by June 30.
Unless you are in the ICU long-term or I don’t know, your house burned down or something, there is no reasonable excuse for not turning in your paperwork on time.
Personally, for efficiency’s sake (or maybe for ADHD’s sake?), I choose to turn in all of my paperwork before June 30.
This year, my unusually late mid-June schedule evaluation has me biting my nails and putting ten extra alarms in my phone that week to make sure I turn everything in on time.
Get your paperwork in early if at all possible, and leave plenty of breathing room because life happens. I’m pretty sure it happens extra when you have kids.
3. How you word your objectives will set you free.
Needing to submit objectives to the school district can feel intimidating when you’re new to unschooling – and new to homeschooling in general.
But they really aren’t that scary.
Our objectives are very open-ended and originally sourced from Ask Pauline. I tweak them slightly every year depending on the individual child.
Some examples…
Under reading for an older child, I state, “Student will continue to read from a variety of sources for information and for pleasure. Student will explore the English language through writing, speaking and listening using various media.”
For a younger child who isn’t reading yet, I would say, “Student will continue to make progress in learning how to read by listening to books read aloud and seeing text in various forms of media.”
Under math, one objective states, “Student will do mathematics work at a level appropriate for his ability.”
Keep them broad and open-ended. Phrases like “learn about”, “grow in knowledge of”, “use XYZ subject concepts in free play” give you the flexibility to let unschooling learning happen as it happens while still meeting state requirements.
Also, no where in the law does it require you to change your objectives from year to year!
4. Documentation of learning is essential. When in doubt, ask your evaluator.
You are required by law to document 900 hours of instruction OR 180 days. I choose to go with days every time.
In the past, I’ve arbitrarily marked off 180 days on the calendar because in the unschooling world, life is learning, and therefore it’s happening all day, every day. This year, I plan to submit a simple statement saying as much.
If you submit your start of the year documentation right on or before July 1st, you can always finish your legal homeschooling year before the New Year if you like.
Beyond documenting attendance requirements, what else should you be keeping on hand?
I wrote an entire post about ways to track learning when you unschool HERE (everything you need to know), so I won’t belabor it here.
The only thing I WILL say is that keeping some form of documentation on hand is important. Should you ever need to prove that learning is happening in your home, you’ll be thankful you have it.
We keep the previous two years on file, along with the current year’s documentation. Some of it is on paper, and some of it is digital.
When in doubt about what you need to keep records of, ask your evaluator. They will tell you exactly what they want to see at the end of the year, and what they recommend keeping on file and for how long.
As long as that documentation is decently organized and easily accessible, you’re good.
(I created THIS flexible homeschool planner if you’re looking for a physical way to track what you do throughout the year.)
Related: 5 Ways to Track Learning When You Unschool (for Documentation)
5. The standardized testing requirement isn’t a big deal.
In Pennsylvania, you are required to produce a completed standardized test with results at the end of grades 3, 5 and 8.
While some parents might freak out about their unschooled child needing to do a standardized test, it’s not a big deal – promise.
The most essential rule you need to know is that you, the homeschool administrator, cannot administer the test. However, if the test is administered electronically, as is the CAT, the computer serves as the administrator.
Most unschooling parents I know choose the untimed California Achievement Test, which you can purchase through Academic Excellence.
The coupon code FIRSTCAT usually works for your first purchase, and they run several sales throughout the year.
There is nothing in the law that dictates how long it can take to complete the standardized test or what the scores need to be, only that your evaluator needs to see the results to approve your homeschool program in the aforementioned grades.
There is also nothing in the law that dictates what grade level the test needs to be.
So for example, for the grade 8 test, you do not necessarily need to choose the grade 8 version of the untimed CAT. You could choose grade 6 or 7. But personally, we’ve always chosen the grade level test.
According to the law, your evaluator is responsible for seeing the results of the test. However, if they are worried about the scores, it’s probably time to look for a new evaluator.
Common Questions Around the Standardized Testing Requirement
Q: But wait, if you don’t care about grade levels, how do you know when to administer the test? Also, I heard that some unschooling parents avoid testing by skipping grades 3, 5, and 8 – what are your thoughts?
A: Most parents administer the test when their child reaches the typical age of the grade level (there is one exception in the next question). First grade is typically ages 6-7, second grade is typically ages 7-8, and so on.
And yes, some unschooling parents lean into the legal gray area and say, “Funny, my kid was never in grades 3, 5 and 8.”
While I agree that yes, grade levels are completely made up and pretty ridiculous, I have decided that what is best for our family is to comply with the heart of the law. We complete standardized tests at the prescribed grade levels.
The untimed CAT is really not a big deal. But you need to read the law for yourself and decide how you want to approach it.
Q: My child can’t read yet. What should I do?
A: You have a few options…
First, you could delay testing and explain to your evaluator that you are having your child repeat a grade (if you have an unschooling-friendly evaluator, they’ll understand this approach). This was my plan when I wasn’t sure my fourth child would be reading by grade three, but he happened to teach himself to read by that time.
Second, you could have your child take the test and guess the answers. When we lived in North Carolina, they wanted a standardized test every year. I had a not yet reading first grader who happily clicked his way through the entire language arts section of the test and actually scored pretty decently.
Q: My child is super anxious about the test. What should I do?
A: We have a lot of anxiety in our home, and every anxious child reacts differently to the standardized testing requirement.
For some kids, assuring them that the results don’t matter at all is enough (they really don’t – if your evaluator disagrees, they’re not unschooling friendly and you should find a new one via the unschooling in PA Facebook group).
I tell my kids that this is simply a requirement by the state in order to homeschool and how they approach it is up to them. Because they want to homeschool, they complete the test.
For other kids, they might want to learn some of the material in advance before taking the test so that they feel more confident. You could also select a lower grade level that’s closer to their comfort level (even my most anxious kids did fine with grade level tests).
Finally, some anxious kids want to do the test all in one day to get it over with. Other anxious kids do better with a one section a week approach. Collaborate with your child to find an approach that works best for them.
6. Sharing your child’s medical information is a bit of a gray area.
I learned this year that the homeschool law conflicts with what the state public health department requires of schools in regards to health records.
The state department wants the school district to report immunization data for public health purposes. Homeschool students fall under the reporting umbrella in the state law.
However, the homeschool law itself doesn’t seem to state explicitly that you need to turn in immunization records and other health records to the school district.
It requires the affidavit to include…
“…evidence that the child has been immunized in accordance with the provisions of section 1303(a) and has received the health and medical services required for students of the child’s age or grade level in Article XIV; and that the home education program shall comply with the provisions of this section and that the notarized affidavit shall be satisfactory evidence thereof.”
The last sentence – “that the notarized affidavit shall be satisfactory evidence thereof” – most homeschool parents interpret that as long as you state in your affidavit that your child is receiving the required health and medical services and has been immunized (or submitted an exemption) and you keep those records on file, you’re good.
…but that conflicts with the school district’s legal reporting requirements.
So what’s a homeschool mom to do? That depends.
Some will accuse you of overcomplying and giving too much if you choose to provide immunization records. But PA homeschool law acknowledges the gray area and recommends compliance unless you want to risk needing to fight it out in court.
Personally, I’ve chosen to walk the line.
I choose to genuinely believe that the health requirements in the law are there to protect children, so I provide the dates of my children’s physicals and dental visits along with the phone numbers for their providers. I state that the standard immunizations are up to date (for the most part, we follow the standard schedule).
Up until now, that has been sufficient. However, this year I was contacted by the district mid-year to request one child’s immunization records.
Curious about why one child out of four, I requested proof that the law requires it. Their reply showed me that the health department requires immunization records from the school district for all students in the district – homeschooled or not – for grades 7 and grades 12.
After that, I decided to provide the documentation and be done with it. Other parents might have requested that they send communication by certified mail (as the law states) before complying, as this seems like district overreach.
I chose not to fight this particular battle, but you need to do what’s best for you and interpret this gray area for yourself.
7. Do not include the word “unschooling” in your official paperwork – your homeschooling style doesn’t matter to the school district.
You absolutely SHOULD NOT tell your district that you are “unschooling” because of the very un-educational connotations it may carry for some.
Just like the homeschool parent wouldn’t include the term “Charlotte Mason” or “Waldorf” or “Classical” in their paperwork, neither should you.
Again, unschooling is a style of homeschooling. It is legal in all fifty states.
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Unschooling Is a Legitimate Style of Homeschooling – Do It Justice
Hopefully this article reassured you that not only is unschooling in Pennsylvania doable, but it’s really not that difficult to comply with the requirements.
But I wouldn’t be doing this article justice if I didn’t also tell you that when done well, unschooling is often harder than traditional homeschooling.
It requires flexibility and deep connection in order to support and guide your child’s personalized education. And deschooling yourself can be really hard work.
Learning how to unschool well takes a lot of time, energy and effort because most of us were not educated this way. All we know is school.
Occasionally, I hear rumors of unschooled children not being able to write their own name at the age of 10, and I am absolutely perplexed. Again, I only have my own experience to go on.
All of my children wanted to know how to write their name at very young ages – usually around four or five. I modeled it for them by writing their names on their crafts or drawings.
They wanted to know how to read by age 7.5 or 8 at the latest, when they were tired of relying on me or a sibling to read for them.
I suppose there might be a child somewhere out there who wouldn’t want to know how to write their name by 10? Maaaaybe? But I’m having a hard time picturing it.
Unschooling involves spending a LOT of time with your child, living life in front of them and alongside them.
If you’re doing that, at some point they will want to learn all the things they will need to be a successful adult (including reading). And when they do, your job is to be there to teach them OR find a way for them to learn what they want to know in a way that suits their learning style.
Unschooling is hard work. It is probably the most exhausting thing I’ve ever done, but it is so worth it.
Read Next: What Is Unschooling? Defining A Misunderstood Homeschool Style
Have questions I didn’t answer about unschooling in Pennsylvania? Drop them in the comments!
