Homeschooling in California
The rules California sets out for home education, what they mean for the records you keep, and where to check them yourself.
Verify this with California before you rely on it
Always verify this with your state before you rely on it. This is our summary of what your state publishes, with links to the source and the date we last checked. It is not legal advice, requirements change, and some districts add their own. Your state's department of education, or a homeschool legal organisation, is the authority — we are not.
What California publishes
moderate regulation- Do you have to tell anyone?
- Yes. Annually, 1–15 October, to california department of education. Most families homeschool by filing a Private School Affidavit (the R-4) as a small private school. The filing system is open from 1 August to 30 June for schools starting outside the statutory window.
- Subjects named
- English · Mathematics · Social sciences · Science · Fine arts · Health · Physical education
- Days and hours
- Instruction must cover the branches of study required in the public schools. No separate hours figure is set for private schools.
- Testing or assessment
- Not required. No state testing for private-school students, which includes home-based private schools.
- Records to keep
- Attendance · Immunisation records
- Courses of study offered
- Faculty qualifications
- A copy of the filed affidavit
- Who may teach
- None when the only students are your own children.
- High school diploma
- Your private school — that is, you.
Sources · last checked 2026-08-24
What that means day to day
- Attendance or days of instruction→your attendance register
- A course of study in the required subjects→your course list
- Evidence of progress→your report cards
Each of those builds itself here as your child works. That does not make you compliant — only California decides that — but it means the paperwork exists when you need it.
The records you will have either way
Whatever California asks for, these are the things homeschool families are commonly asked to produce — and here they build themselves as your child works, rather than being assembled in a panic in June.
Attendance
Days and instructional hours, derived from work actually finished.
Report cards
One a quarter, per subject, with the level each strand started and ended at.
Portfolio
Projects, writing and strong work, collected automatically.
Reading log
In the app and off it.
Transcript
Grades 9–10, parent-issued, with credits and GPA.
Export
Everything, one button, any time.
Everything on this page, and the records that satisfy it, are free with no account. Homeschool Year keeps those records for every child across devices and school years, and adds the print library — one payment, twelve months, no renewal.