California has no homeschool law. Families homeschool by operating as a small private school, and that route carries three real recordkeeping duties plus one hard annual deadline that a surprising number of guides never mention.
Verified against primary sources August 2026. Laws change; sources are linked at the bottom of this page.
What California requires, in short
File a Private School Affidavit online between October 1 and 15 each year, then keep three things at home: an attendance register showing every half-day absence, a list of the courses you offer, and a record of your qualifications as the instructor. There is no testing, no curriculum approval, and nothing is ever submitted to your school district.
Annual filingPrivate School Affidavit, October 1-15
Records you must keepAttendance register, courses of study, instructor qualifications
TestingNone required
Compulsory ages6 to 18
Parent qualifications"Capable of teaching" (no credential needed on the affidavit route)
Anything submitted to a districtNo, the affidavit goes to the state
Your legal options in California
File your own Private School Affidavit (the common route)
You operate a private school in your home. This is what most independent California homeschoolers do, and it is the pathway the rest of this page describes.
File the affidavit online each year between October 1 and 15
Keep an attendance register, a list of courses offered, and a record of each instructor's qualifications
Teach in English, in the branches of study taught in public schools
No testing, no curriculum approval, no district oversight
Enroll in a private school satellite program (PSP)
You enroll your child in an existing private school that supports home-based students. The school files its own affidavit and holds the records.
You file no affidavit yourself
The PSP sets its own recordkeeping and reporting requirements
Records duties shift to the school, not you
Hire a credentialed private tutor
A tutor holding a valid California credential for the grades taught instructs the child at least three hours a day, 175 days a year, between 8am and 4pm.
No affidavit required
The credential requirement makes this rare for families teaching their own children
Public school independent study or a charter homeschool program
Your child stays a public school student enrolled through an independent study program or charter. Funding and materials come with district rules and reporting.
The school's requirements govern, not the private school rules on this page
What the law actually requires
File the Private School Affidavit every year, in a two-week window
The affidavit is filed online with the California Department of Education between October 1 and October 15 each year. This is the single hard deadline in California homeschooling. Schools with fewer than six students still file: the six-student threshold only affects whether you appear in the public school directory. The affidavit asks for the school name, address, and enrollment, and it is signed under penalty of perjury.
Education Code 33190; CDE Private School Affidavit FAQ
Keep an attendance register
The statute is explicit: attendance "shall be kept by private school authorities in a register," and the record must clearly show every absence of a half day or more. This is the requirement most often denied online, and it is the one that matters if a district ever asks whether your school is real. A simple daily grid kept all year satisfies it.
Education Code 48222
Keep a list of the courses you offer
The affidavit certifies that your school maintains a record of the courses of study it offers. A one-page list per student per year, by subject, is enough. Nobody reviews it unless there is a dispute, but you are attesting that it exists.
Education Code 33190
Keep a record of instructor qualifications
The affidavit also certifies that the school keeps the names and addresses of its faculty along with a record of each one's educational qualifications. For a home-based private school, that is you: a short statement of your education, kept on file. No credential or degree is required to teach in your own private school.
Education Code 33190
Teach in English, in the usual branches of study
Instruction must be in English and cover the several branches of study required in the public schools. No state curriculum, no textbook list, and no approval process exists. You choose materials and methods.
Education Code 48222
Your compliance calendar
October 1-15
File the Private School Affidavit online with the CDE. This window does not move, and there is no late filing.
All year
Mark the attendance register daily (or in batches, but keep it current).
Once a year
Update your course list and instructor qualification record, and save a copy of the filed affidavit.
When withdrawing from public school
Notify the school your child is leaving to attend a private school. Districts may ask for your affidavit information.
Records to keep
Attendance register. Daily attendance for each student, showing every absence of a half day or more. Statutorily required.
Courses of study. The list of courses your school offers, per student per year. Certified on the affidavit.
Instructor qualifications. Faculty names, addresses, and a record of each instructor's educational qualifications. Certified on the affidavit.
Copy of each filed affidavit. Not required by statute, but it is your proof the school existed in a given year. Keep them permanently.
Transcript and course descriptions (high school). Not required by California, but required by colleges. Build them as you go rather than reconstructing them senior year.
No curriculum approval, textbook list, or lesson plan submission.
No teaching credential or college degree to teach your own children on the affidavit route.
No submission of attendance records, work samples, or portfolios to anyone. The records are kept, not filed.
No district permission. The affidavit goes to the state, and no one approves it; filing is the act itself.
No notarization, on the affidavit or on any transcript or diploma you issue.
Questions California families ask
Is homeschooling legal in California without filing anything?
No. Homeschooling itself is legal, but you must operate under one of the recognized pathways, and the most common one requires filing the Private School Affidavit each October. Enrolling in a private school satellite program or a public independent study program are the alternatives; each has its own paperwork.
What happens if I miss the October 1 to 15 affidavit window?
There is no late filing period in the statute. Families who miss it commonly file as soon as they realize, and then file again in the next October window. If your child was withdrawn from public school, expect the district to follow up on the enrollment gap.
Does California require homeschool parents to keep attendance?
Yes, on the affidavit route. The law requires attendance to be kept in a register that clearly shows every absence of a half day or more. It is never submitted, which is why so many families do not know it exists.
Common myths about California homeschool law, corrected
California homeschoolers have no recordkeeping requirements.
The affidavit route carries three: an attendance register (Education Code 48222), a record of courses offered, and instructor qualification records (both certified under penalty of perjury on the affidavit itself). They are never submitted, which is why people assume they do not exist.
You can file the affidavit any time during the year.
The statutory window is October 1 through 15. Families starting mid-year commonly file at the start and then file again in the next October window.
Schools with fewer than six students do not have to file.
They still file. The six-student line only determines whether the school is listed in the public directory and issued a CDS code.
California requires homeschool parents to have a teaching credential.
Only the private tutor pathway requires a credential. On the affidavit route you are the private school's faculty, and no credential or degree is required.
Your homeschool has to teach to the state standards.
Instruction must be in English and cover the branches of study taught in public schools, but no state curriculum, standards alignment, or approval applies to private schools.
Recent and pending changes
No statutory changes to the homeschool-relevant sections through August 2026. The affidavit filing has been fully online for several years.
An advocacy-reported proposal to add fire-inspection and school-nature questions to the affidavit could not be confirmed in the legislature's own records, so we are not treating it as pending. If it becomes real, this page will say so.
Free tools for California families
Transcript builder: California issues no homeschool diploma and keeps no student records, so the transcript you build is the official record.
GPA calculator: weighted and unweighted, computed the way colleges do it.
Reference information reviewed August 2026 against primary sources (statutes, NCAA and Common App published requirements). This is general information, not legal advice; requirements change, so verify anything load-bearing for your family against your state's current law.