The Short Answer
Yukon Education reimburses homeschooling families for educational materials, up to about $1,200 per child per year, and covers some distance-learning course fees: up to four core courses for grades 1 to 7, and up to two concurrent distance-learning courses for grades 8 to 12. Funding runs through Aurora Virtual School, where you register. AVS also arranges for you to borrow textbooks and equipment and provides access to a digital classroom. Confirm the current amounts and eligible items with AVS, since funding details change.
Verified June 2026 against the Government of Yukon homeschooling registration page. Confirm current funding amounts and eligible items with Aurora Virtual School.
Yukon Homeschool Funding at a Glance
| Material reimbursement | Up to about $1,200 per child per year |
|---|---|
| Covered courses, grades 1 to 7 | Up to four core distance-learning courses |
| Covered courses, grades 8 to 12 | Up to two concurrent distance-learning courses |
| Where funding runs through | Aurora Virtual School (AVS) |
| Also available | Borrow textbooks and equipment; access to the ERAC digital classroom |
| Who confirms amounts | AVS (details change year to year) |
| Cost to homeschool | None; funding helps offset materials and courses |
What Yukon Helps Pay For
Yukon supports homeschooling families in two main ways: it reimburses you for educational materials up to about $1,200 per child per year, and it covers some distance-learning course fees. That puts Yukon in a different category from most Canadian jurisdictions, where families pay for everything themselves. The closest comparison in Canada is Alberta, which offers funded options through associate schools, though the structures differ. Yukon's approach is a direct reimbursement for materials you buy, plus course coverage for distance-learning enrolments.
The exact figures and what qualifies can change from year to year. Treat the numbers here as the starting point and confirm the current details with Aurora Virtual School when you register. The territory reviews its funding levels and eligible items periodically, and what was reimbursable last year may have changed. Your AVS coordinator is the authoritative source on what applies to your child's program this year.
The funding does not replace the need for a solid education plan; it supports it. You still write a multi-year plan describing the curriculum and resources you will use, and the reimbursement covers the materials that plan calls for. The Yukon education plan guide covers what the plan must include and how to write it with AVS support.
The Material Reimbursement
The material reimbursement is the funding stream most Yukon home educators rely on most. You can be reimbursed for the cost of educational materials up to roughly $1,200 per child each year. Because it is per child, a family with two or more homeschoolers can access more in total, which makes a real difference when you are buying curriculum for several ages at once.
The reimbursement covers the resources a home education program runs on: curriculum packages, workbooks, learning materials, and other educational purchases that directly support the plan you submitted to the Minister through AVS. It is a claim-back system, meaning you spend the money first and then submit receipts to claim the reimbursement. The practical implication is that you need to keep receipts from the first day you buy materials, not from when you think to start collecting them.
Before you start spending, it is worth getting a clear sense of where your child is and what they need. The free reading assessment gives you a measurable starting point in literacy that helps you choose the right materials for the right level rather than buying broadly and hoping. A well-targeted purchase list is also a more useful reference for your AVS coordinator when they advise on what qualifies for reimbursement.
The question of what counts as an educational material has boundaries that AVS sets and that can shift. Curriculum packages from established publishers tend to qualify. Whether software subscriptions, supplies, or other items qualify depends on the current criteria. When you build your spending plan for the year, go through the list with your AVS coordinator before you buy rather than after, so you are not surprised by items that do not qualify.
The Distance-Learning Course Funding
Separate from the material reimbursement, Yukon Education covers some distance-learning course fees. The coverage varies by grade band. For grades 1 to 7, up to four core courses are covered. For grades 8 to 12, up to two concurrent distance-learning courses are covered. These are not the same as the material reimbursement; they are course fees paid on your behalf for enrolment in recognized distance-learning offerings.
The course coverage matters most in the middle and senior years, when your child may benefit from a course delivered by a subject specialist outside your home program, or when a specific course is required for graduation credits. A teen who needs Biology 11 or a language course your home program does not cover can take it through the territory's distance-learning system without paying out of pocket, up to the two-course limit for their grade. For the junior years, four covered courses give you room to supplement your core program with external instruction in the subjects where you want it.
The covered courses have to come from providers that AVS recognizes for this purpose. Ask your coordinator at the start of the year which providers and which course types qualify, so you choose covered courses rather than finding out after enrolment that a particular offering does not qualify for territory funding.
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How the Funding Flows Through AVS
All of the funding runs through Aurora Virtual School, the same institution where you register your home education program. When you contact AVS to register and work on your education plan, that is also the moment to get clear on the funding: what materials qualify for reimbursement, how to submit claims, the deadlines for submitting receipts, and which distance-learning courses are covered under the current year's criteria. Building this conversation into your registration process rather than leaving it for later means you start the year with your funding sorted, not scrambling to understand the process after you have already spent money.
Your AVS coordinator is the person who can answer the specific questions that matter most: whether a particular curriculum qualifies, whether a specific distance-learning provider is approved, how to submit your receipt claims, and when the reimbursement appears. The Government of Yukon's registration page sets out the broad framework, but the operational details are handled through AVS, so your coordinator is who you go to when you have a question that the public information does not answer.
Resources Beyond the Cash
Funding is not the only support Yukon provides. AVS arranges for home educators to borrow textbooks and equipment from the Department of Education's Resource Services unit. This borrowing program stretches your budget meaningfully, because textbooks you borrow are textbooks you do not have to buy. If the material your child needs for a given subject is available through Resource Services, borrowing it first and saving the reimbursement budget for materials that must be purchased is the better order of operations.
AVS also provides home educators access to the ERAC digital classroom, a collection of digital learning resources available online. This access gives your child a broader range of supplementary materials than most home programs can afford to buy outright. Between the reimbursement, the covered courses, the textbook borrowing, and the digital classroom, a Yukon home school can run on considerably less out-of-pocket spending than in most other parts of Canada. The guide covers how to plan a weekly program around the subjects your child needs, which helps you decide early which materials to buy, which to borrow, and which courses to cover through the territory's funding.
How to Make the Most of It
Plan your spending against the reimbursement cap rather than spending first and counting afterward. At the start of the year, list the curriculum and materials your education plan calls for, total the expected cost, and compare it to the roughly $1,200 per child limit. If your list comes in under the cap, you can buy what you need without worrying. If it comes in over, prioritize the materials your child needs most and borrow or use digital resources for the rest.
Decide early which distance-learning courses your child will take so the covered slots are used where they add the most value. For the senior years especially, plan the two covered courses around gaps in your home program or graduation requirements, not around whatever looks interesting at the time. Once you have used both slots, additional courses come out of your own pocket.
Borrow before you buy. Run through the Resource Services catalogue with your coordinator at the start of the year and borrow what is available before you spend reimbursement budget on the same items. Keep your receipts in a single dated folder from the first purchase of the year. Reimbursement is a claim-back process, and claims submitted without receipts do not get paid. Confirm the current funding amounts and eligible items with AVS each September, because they are reviewed annually and can change between years.
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Val's Note: What This Really Means for You
Funding changes how homeschooling feels. In provinces with none, every workbook is a small decision, and you find yourself choosing the cheaper option more often than the right one. In Yukon, the material reimbursement meant I could choose the resource my child needed instead of the one I could afford. The borrowing program stretched the rest further. It is not a fortune, but it is real money, and it removes a friction that wears families down over time.
My advice is to treat the funding as a structured part of your plan rather than a bonus you figure out later. Sort out the reimbursement process with Aurora Virtual School when you register. Build your materials list before you start spending. Keep receipts in one folder from day one. And confirm the numbers each September, because amounts and eligible items do change and you want to claim everything you are entitled to, not find out mid-year that you missed something that qualified.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Much Does Yukon Reimburse for Homeschool Materials?
Up to about $1,200 per child per year. Confirm the current amount and eligible items with Aurora Virtual School before you start spending.
Does Yukon Cover Course Fees?
Yes. Up to four core distance-learning courses for grades 1 to 7, and up to two concurrent distance-learning courses for grades 8 to 12. Ask AVS which providers and course types qualify.
How Do I Access the Funding?
Through Aurora Virtual School, where you register your home education program. Set up both the material reimbursement and the course coverage when you submit your education plan, not mid-year.
Is the Material Funding Paid Upfront?
No, it is a reimbursement. You spend the money, keep your receipts, and claim back what you spent. Confirm the submission process and deadlines with AVS at registration.
Can I Get Help Beyond Money?
Yes. AVS arranges for you to borrow textbooks and equipment from the Department of Education's Resource Services unit and provides access to the ERAC digital classroom.
Do the Amounts Change?
Yes. Funding levels and eligible items are reviewed each year. Confirm the current details with AVS at the start of each school year before you finalize your spending plan.
Sources
This guide was verified in June 2026 against the following primary sources. Confirm current funding amounts, eligible items, and claim processes with Aurora Virtual School.