The Short Answer
To withdraw your child from public school in Pennsylvania, file a notarized affidavit or unsworn declaration to begin a home education program with your district superintendent, and notify the public school. The affidavit must be filed before home education begins; for a standard year the deadline is August 1, and for a mid-year start you file before you begin. The supervising parent must hold at least a high school diploma. After filing, you maintain a portfolio and obtain a year-end evaluation, covered in the main guide. Compulsory age runs from 6 to 18. Confirm details with your district.
Verified June 2026 against Pennsylvania School Code 24 P.S. Section 13-1327.1. Confirm current affidavit and evaluator requirements with your district before relying on this for legal decisions.
Pennsylvania Withdrawal at a Glance
| Step 1: Prepare the affidavit | Notarized affidavit or unsworn declaration to begin home education |
|---|---|
| Step 2: Confirm the credential | The supervising parent holds at least a high school diploma |
| Step 3: File it | With your district superintendent before home education begins (August 1 for a normal year) |
| Step 4: Notify the school | Tell the public school the child is withdrawn to home education |
| After withdrawal | Maintain a portfolio; obtain a year-end evaluation |
| Compulsory age | 6 to 18 |
How Withdrawal Works in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania starts home education with a filing, and that same filing handles the withdrawal. You submit a notarized affidavit to your district superintendent stating that you are beginning a home education program. Once it is filed, your child is a home education student, and you notify the public school so it updates attendance. The affidavit must be in place before home education begins, which is the timing point to plan around.
The legal basis is 24 P.S. Section 13-1327.1, the home education provision of the Pennsylvania School Code. The affidavit is not optional and it is not just a notification; it is the legal act that creates your home education program. Until it is filed, your child is still a public school student on the enrollment rolls. Once it is filed, your child belongs to your home education program.
Pennsylvania also allows an unsworn declaration as an alternative to a notarized affidavit. Both contain the same required information and carry the same legal standing under the statute. The unsworn declaration is faster to prepare because it does not require a visit to a notary. Whichever format you use, send it to the superintendent by certified mail with return receipt so you have a dated delivery record.
Step 1: Prepare the Affidavit
The affidavit is the core document. Under 24 P.S. Section 13-1327.1, it must include your name; each child's name, age, address, and phone number; an assurance that subjects will be taught in English; an outline of your proposed educational objectives by subject area; documentation of required immunizations or a religious or medical exemption; evidence of required health services; a certification that the program will comply with the home education provisions; and a certification that you, all adults living in the home, and anyone with legal custody of the children have not been convicted of certain criminal offenses within the past five years.
Before you draft the affidavit, confirm that the supervising parent holds at least a high school diploma or its equivalent. Pennsylvania School Code 13-1327.1 requires this. A GED satisfies the requirement. This is a hard prerequisite: you cannot file a valid affidavit or begin a home education program until the supervising parent qualification is met. If the supervising parent in your household holds the diploma, you are clear to proceed. If not, the credential must be in hand before the program can begin.
We cover the affidavit contents and the full subject and hour requirements by grade in the Pennsylvania homeschooling guide. Before you build your educational objectives list, the free reading assessment gives you a concrete baseline of where your child stands, which makes writing that section of the affidavit more grounded.
Want to see what a structured plan looks like before you commit?
Two chapters, a curriculum breakdown, and a worksheet -- free.
See inside before you buy. Delivered by email.
Step 2: File With Your Superintendent
File the affidavit or unsworn declaration with your school district superintendent. For a standard school year the filing deadline is August 1. The core rule is that the affidavit must be on file before your home education program begins. For a mid-year withdrawal, you prepare and file the affidavit first, then start home instruction after it is submitted. You do not need to wait for a confirmation letter from the district before beginning; filing the affidavit is the triggering act.
After the first year, the August 1 deadline applies to every subsequent renewal. Pennsylvania requires a new affidavit each year, not just at the start. If you are in the middle of a school year and plan to withdraw, calculate the timeline so the affidavit goes out before your child's last day of public school. Affidavit filed on Monday, child withdrawn on Tuesday, home instruction starting Wednesday: that order is clean. Reversing it creates a gap.
Keep the certified mail receipt and any acknowledgment from the district superintendent together in your records. Those documents prove the filing date if any question arises later in the year during portfolio review or evaluation.
Step 3: Notify the Public School
With your affidavit filed, send a brief written notice to your child's public school building stating that the child is withdrawn to a home education program. This note goes to the school building itself, while the affidavit went to the superintendent's office. Both offices need to know so that attendance tracking stops at both levels.
Keep a dated copy of the withdrawal notice with your affidavit records. The school cannot require anything additional beyond this notice and the filed affidavit. If the school asks for curriculum plans, proof of qualifications beyond the parent diploma, or a district approval letter, those requests exceed what the statute authorizes, and you are not obligated to provide them.
For a mid-year withdrawal, the clean sequence is affidavit filed first, written notice to the school second. That order keeps your child continuously enrolled in a recognized education program with no gap. Once both documents are delivered and dated, the transition is complete on the legal side. The Guide covers building a teaching plan that also starts your portfolio correctly from day one.
Choosing the right curriculum gets easier when you know what to teach, what to skip, and where to start.
Get the GuideA simple step-by-step plan for getting started.
After Withdrawal and Special Education
Withdrawal is the start of Pennsylvania's home education cycle. After filing, you maintain a portfolio of your child's work throughout the year. The portfolio must include a contemporaneous log written as instruction happens, listing titles of reading materials used, plus work samples such as writings, worksheets, workbooks, and creative materials. In grades 3, 5, and 8, your child takes a nationally normed standardized test covering math and reading or language arts. At the end of each school year you submit a written evaluation from a qualified evaluator to the superintendent by June 30. All of this is covered in the Pennsylvania homeschooling guide. Setting up your portfolio records from day one, rather than trying to reconstruct them in June, is the single habit that makes the rest of the year manageable.
If your child has an Individualized Education Program, the special education services provided through the public school end when you withdraw to home education. Pennsylvania districts may offer limited services to home education students with disabilities, but the public school IEP entitlement does not carry over. Contact the district's special education office before withdrawing if services are in place. Getting clarity on what changes before the affidavit is filed prevents complications that are harder to resolve after the program has started.
A Note from Homeschool Teacher Guide: What This Really Means for You
Pennsylvania bundles the withdrawal into the affidavit, which keeps it to one main document, but the order is the thing to respect. The affidavit has to be on file before home education begins, so for a mid-year move we would file it first and then send the note to your child's school. Confirm the supervising parent holds a high school diploma before you file, since that is a hard requirement under the statute.
Keep your dated affidavit and acknowledgment together, start your portfolio the first week of instruction, and you are set up for the rest of Pennsylvania's cycle. Our Pennsylvania homeschooling guide covers the portfolio, the grade 3, 5, and 8 testing, and the year-end evaluation that follow.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Do I Withdraw My Child From Public School in Pennsylvania?
File a notarized affidavit or unsworn declaration to begin a home education program with your district superintendent, then notify the public school. The affidavit is what both starts home education and withdraws your child.
When Is the Affidavit Due?
By August 1 for a standard year, and before home education begins in all cases. For a mid-year withdrawal, file the affidavit before you start.
Do I Need a Diploma to Withdraw and Homeschool in Pennsylvania?
The supervising parent must hold at least a high school diploma. Confirm this before filing the affidavit.
Is There a Separate Withdrawal Form?
No. The affidavit handles the withdrawal. A brief note to your child's public school ensures attendance tracking stops.
What Happens After Withdrawal?
You maintain a portfolio, your child takes standardized tests in grades 3, 5, and 8, and you submit a year-end evaluation. These ongoing steps are covered in our Pennsylvania homeschooling guide.