Pennsylvania Homeschool Portfolio Guide — What to Include and How to Pass the Evaluator Review

1. Overview of Pennsylvania Homeschool Law

Pennsylvania is one of the most regulated homeschool states in the US. Under 24 PS §13-1327.1, families must file a notarized “Affidavit” with the school district superintendent before July 1 each year. The affidavit certifies that the parent or guardian is qualified to homeschool and commits to delivering the required education for the upcoming school year.

Pennsylvania requires 180 days of instruction covering 11 core subjects, with additional subject requirements added at grades 7 and above and again at grades 9 and above. Unlike many states, Pennsylvania also mandates an annual portfolio review by an independent evaluator — not the school district — making the portfolio the centrepiece of your compliance obligations.

Families who meet all requirements are protected from compulsory school attendance. The law explicitly prohibits school districts from requiring approval or imposing curriculum requirements beyond those specified in the statute. Understanding those statutory requirements precisely is the key to a smooth annual review.

2. The 11 Required Subjects

Pennsylvania law specifies 11 required subjects for all home-educated students, with additional subjects required at higher grade bands. Each subject must receive instruction across the school year — there is no prescribed weekly hour allocation, but the portfolio must demonstrate meaningful coverage of every required area.

All grades

• English — spelling, grammar, reading, writing, composition, and literature
• Arithmetic — mathematics at the appropriate level
• Science
• Geography
• History of the US and Pennsylvania
• Civics
• Safety
• Health and Physiology
• Physical Education
• Music
• Art

Grades 7–8 additions

• Health, Physiology, and Hygiene — expanded scope

Grades 9–12 additions

• Chemistry or Physics
• World History

Every portfolio must include work samples or other evidence for each applicable subject. An evaluator who finds a subject entirely missing from the portfolio is required to note this in their assessment letter.

3. What Your Portfolio Must Contain

The portfolio is the primary evidence that your child has received a suitable education. Under the statute, the portfolio must include three components: (1) a log of instructional hours demonstrating that 180 days of instruction were provided; (2) a list of materials used, such as textbooks, curriculum programmes, or online courses; and (3) work samples representative of the year's work across all required subjects.

The portfolio is reviewed by a certified PA teacher or other approved evaluator — not the school district. The evaluator's role is specifically defined in the statute: they must interview the student, review the portfolio, and write a letter of evaluation attesting that the child has received an appropriate education for the year. The district cannot override a properly conducted evaluator assessment.

Work samples do not need to be polished finished products. Drafts, corrected worksheets, lab write-ups, reading response journals, completed workbook pages, and printed digital outputs are all acceptable. The key is that samples are present for each required subject and reflect a genuine progression of learning across the year — not a single snapshot taken immediately before the evaluation.

4. Choosing and Working with Your Evaluator

PA evaluators must be a licensed Pennsylvania teacher or a Pennsylvania homeschool graduate with a bachelor's degree. Many homeschool families find evaluators through HSLDA-approved evaluator lists or by contacting the PA Homeschoolers Accreditation Agency (PHEA), which maintains a statewide directory of experienced evaluators. Local homeschool support groups are also a reliable source of personal recommendations.

The evaluator must submit the evaluation letter by June 30 each year. The letter is submitted to the school district and becomes part of the annual compliance record. Scheduling early — by April at the latest — avoids end-of-year bottlenecks when evaluators are in high demand.

The school district may not reject the evaluator's assessment unless they have evidence of fraud. Families should keep a copy of the evaluation letter and all portfolio materials for at least two years after submission, in case any future dispute arises. The statute places the burden of proof on the district, not the family.

During the evaluation, the evaluator will interview your child and review the portfolio together. Come prepared with the materials organised by subject and with the instructional log clearly legible. Evaluators appreciate families who arrive organised — it allows more time for the student interview and less time sorting paperwork.

5. How Docent Helps

Docent is a voice-first AI tutoring platform built for home-educating families. Every lesson is mapped to a content description aligned with ACARA v9 and CCSS standards, covering all PA-required subjects in English, Maths, Science, Geography, History, and Civics.

Frequently asked questions

What happens if the school district rejects our portfolio?

Districts can challenge a portfolio only with evidence of falsification; most challenges are resolved through PHEA's legal support. The statute places the burden of proof on the district, not the family, and an evaluator's letter issued by a properly qualified person carries statutory weight.

Do we need to teach all 11 subjects every day?

No — instructional time can be distributed flexibly across the school year as long as 180 days total are met. There is no requirement for a fixed daily timetable, and subjects can be addressed through project-based or unit-study approaches that cover multiple areas simultaneously.

Can a homeschool parent be the evaluator?

No — the evaluator must be a PA-certified teacher or an independent qualified person per the statute. A parent cannot evaluate their own child's portfolio. The evaluator must be an independent third party with the qualifications specified in 24 PS §13-1327.1.

What if we move to another district mid-year?

File a new affidavit with the new district and notify the old district in writing. The new district takes over supervisory responsibility from the date of the new affidavit. Keep copies of both affidavits and ensure your evaluator is aware of the district change before submitting the evaluation letter.

Does Docent cover all 11 required subjects?

Docent covers English, Maths, Science, Geography, History and Civics through ACARA/CCSS-mapped content; Music and Art are supported via the Arts curriculum strand. Safety, Physical Education, and Health are addressed through dedicated content areas. Families supplement with additional resources for any gaps.

Ready to build your Pennsylvania homeschool portfolio?

Docent logs your instructional hours, maps sessions to PA's 11 required subjects, and generates your portfolio cover page and evidence index automatically.