The Short Answer
The regulation requires your child to be evaluated at least once a year, and you choose the method in your learning project. There are five options: a portfolio you build and submit, an evaluation by a Quebec-licensed teacher, ministerial exams, an evaluation by your school service centre or board, or an evaluation by a private school. The portfolio is due to the Direction de l'enseignement a la maison by June 15; proof of other evaluations is due by July 10. Ministerial exams are free and become the path to credits for the Secondary School Diploma in Secondary 4 and 5.
Verified June 2026 against quebec.ca and the Regulation respecting homeschooling (chapter I-13.3, r. 6.01).
Quebec Homeschool Evaluation at a Glance
| The rule | Your child is evaluated at least once during the year |
|---|---|
| Where you state your choice | In your learning project (you can change it anytime before you carry it out) |
| Five methods | Portfolio, licensed teacher, ministerial exams, your SSC or board, a private school |
| Most popular | The portfolio (you build it, the DEM reviews it free) |
| Portfolio deadline | To the DEM by June 15 |
| Proof of other evaluations | To the DEM by July 10 (Secondary 4 and 5 ministerial exams by July 15) |
| Licensed-teacher cost | Usually $150 to $200 |
| Ministerial exams cost | Free, arranged through your SSC or board |
| Diploma path | Secondary 4 and 5 ministerial exams earn the credits for the Secondary School Diploma |
What Quebec Requires for Evaluation
The regulation is short on this point: your child must be evaluated at least once during the year. You name your chosen method in the learning project, and you can change it anytime before you carry it out. You can also combine methods so every compulsory subject in the project gets covered. A family might use a portfolio for most subjects and invite a licensed teacher to evaluate mathematics separately, for example.
What you send the DEM is proof that the evaluation happened, not the marks or results themselves. You keep the full results in your own records. You can redact the mark from a transcript before sending it, or send a teacher's letter of attestation in place of a detailed report. If you want a concrete read on where your child currently stands before the evaluation window opens, our free reading assessment gives you a clear baseline in about ten minutes.
The Five Methods You Can Choose From
The regulation names five ways to carry out the annual evaluation. Each suits a different family, and none of them requires an exam if you choose not to use one.
The Portfolio (Most Common)
A paper or digital document you build across the year, showing the activities your child completed for each compulsory subject. You create it at your own expense, and your resource person at the DEM reviews it free of charge if you ask. Keep it focused; about ten pages is plenty. The DEM looks for dated traces of work, around three per subject, your educational intent for each trace, a note from the child, and your own read on their progress in that subject.
One useful feature of the portfolio is that it attaches to your completion report, so you are not creating two separate documents from scratch. The work you collected during the year feeds the report, which feeds the portfolio. Families who keep brief weekly notes per subject find the portfolio the quickest evaluation to produce. For a structured approach to tracking weekly activities, the getting-started guide helps you build that habit from the first week.
A Quebec-Licensed Teacher
Anyone holding a valid Quebec teaching certificate, permit, licence, or provisional authorization can evaluate your child, including you if you hold one. This evaluation is at your expense, with most evaluators charging between $150 and $200. It rarely takes the form of a written exam. The evaluator can do a portfolio review, a conversation with you or your child, or an observation of work in progress, so this option suits families who want an outside perspective without a high-stakes test.
What you send the DEM is the evaluator's name, date of birth, and licence number so it can confirm they are qualified, along with a short conclusion or letter of attestation. Contact evaluators early in the year, because the ones willing to do portfolio-style reviews book quickly, and some only operate in French.
Ministerial Exams
Free, arranged through your school service centre or board. These exams are mandatory at set grade levels: in the French sector at grades 4 and 6 and Secondary 2, 4, and 5; in the English sector at grade 6 and Secondary 4 and 5. It is your responsibility to register your child at the start of the year. Contact your SSC or board well before September to confirm the registration process, because your child will not appear on their list automatically.
For grades 4, 6, and Secondary 2, a failing result carries no consequence for a child who continues to learn at home. The Secondary 4 and 5 exams are a different matter, covered in the diploma section below. Secondary 4 and 5 proof is due to the DEM by July 15; all other ministerial exam proof is due by July 10.
Your School Service Centre or Board
Free, though the SSC or board is not required by law to offer the evaluation service. The regulation allows them to run a non-summative evaluation such as a portfolio review or an interview rather than an exam, so call ahead and ask what they provide. Families whose children are working toward a diploma or planning a return to school often choose this route because the SSC is already part of the credit pathway.
A Private School
At your expense, and not required by law to offer the service. As with the SSC, the evaluation can take the form of a portfolio review or an interview rather than a formal exam. You choose the school and confirm that it offers this service before counting on it for the year. Proof goes to the DEM by July 10.
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How Ministerial Exams Work for the Diploma
The exams in grades 4, 6, and Secondary 2 are checkpoints, not gatekeepers, for a child who remains in home education. A fail does not prevent the family from continuing and does not create an obligation to re-enrol in school.
The Secondary 4 and 5 exams are the route to the credits that count toward the Secondary School Diploma. Homeschooled teens follow the same certification rules as students in school, and the SSC or board arranges the evaluation free so your teen can earn those credits. This means you need to coordinate with your SSC well before the exam session, because your child needs to appear on its list and the registration process takes time.
One point worth confirming with your SSC before you plan the senior years: a family using English as the language of instruction can sit certain ministerial exams in English with an English board, but earning SSD credits for some subjects may require sitting the Secondary 4 and 5 exams in French with a French SSC. Your SSC can tell you which subjects and sectors apply to your child's specific situation. For the full picture of how the secondary pathway and graduation work for Quebec homeschoolers, see our complete guide to homeschooling in Quebec.
The Two Deadlines
If you submit a portfolio, it goes to the DEM by June 15. If you use any other method, proof of that evaluation is due by July 10. The one exception is Secondary 4 and 5 ministerial exams, where proof is due by July 15. These deadlines are for sending proof to the DEM, not for carrying out the evaluation itself, so you have room to complete the evaluation before the proof window closes.
You are sending proof, not the full result or the marks. A teacher's letter of attestation works. A transcript with the mark redacted works. A short note from the evaluator confirming the evaluation took place also works. Keep the full documentation in your own records in case you need it later, particularly if your child plans to return to school or pursue the diploma.
How to Choose
If you want the lowest cost and the most control over the process, the portfolio fits well. It builds on the records you are already keeping across the year, it attaches to your completion report, and your resource person reviews it free. The main investment is time: collecting dated work samples and writing a short note per subject.
If you want an outside read without a formal exam, a Quebec-licensed teacher is the next step up. It costs money, but the evaluation can look like a conversation about your child's work rather than a test. Contact evaluators early and confirm they work in your language and can review a portfolio-style dossier.
If your teen is heading for the diploma or planning a return to school, lean on your SSC or board and the Secondary 4 and 5 ministerial exams. That route keeps the credit pathway open and avoids the friction of converting a home-education portfolio into something a school recognizes. Talk to your SSC at the start of the school year, not in the spring, so the logistics are settled before the exam window. For help building the year around what your teen needs to demonstrate, see our guide on how to write a Quebec learning project.
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Val's Note: What This Really Means for You
I overthought evaluation in our first year. I pictured a test and a verdict, and what it really came down to was a ten-page folder of things we already had: a few photos, some workbook pages, a short note from me on each subject. The portfolio felt honest because it showed what we really did. That is what I would tell most families starting out: keep the work samples you are proud of, add a line of intent for each, and you have your evaluation at the end of the year.
If your teen is chasing the diploma, that is the one place I would bring in the school service centre early and let them steer the exam logistics. The credit pathway has its own timeline and the SSC knows it better than you will in year one. Keep your proof, send what is asked, and let the rest be the year you already lived. For everything that comes before the evaluation in the yearly cycle, our guide on Quebec homeschool reporting covers the status and progress reports that lead up to it.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Often Does My Child Have to Be Evaluated in Quebec?
At least once during the year. You name the method in your learning project and can change it anytime before you carry it out. You can also combine methods to cover all compulsory subjects.
What Are the Five Evaluation Methods?
A portfolio you build, an evaluation by a Quebec-licensed teacher, ministerial exams, an evaluation by your school service centre or board, or one by a private school.
Which Method Is Most Popular?
The portfolio. You build it at your own expense across the year, and the DEM reviews it free. It attaches to your completion report, so you avoid creating two separate documents from scratch.
When Are Evaluations Due?
A portfolio is due to the DEM by June 15. Proof of any other evaluation is due by July 10, except Secondary 4 and 5 ministerial exams, where proof is due by July 15. You are sending proof, not the marks themselves.
How Do Ministerial Exams Relate to the Diploma?
The Secondary 4 and 5 exams earn the credits that count toward the Secondary School Diploma. Your school service centre or board arranges them free of charge. Register your child at the start of the year, not in the spring.
What Does a Licensed-Teacher Evaluation Cost?
Usually between $150 and $200, paid by you. It rarely takes the form of a written exam. Most evaluators are open to a portfolio review, a discussion, or observation of your child's work.
Sources
This guide was verified in June 2026 against the following primary sources. Confirm current deadlines, grade-level requirements, and evaluation procedures with the Ministere de l'Education and your SSC before the evaluation window.