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Home Education Programs

Conestoga Valley School District partners with the Home Education families in the district. When parents choose home education, there are requirements that must be met. Pennsylvania Department Education requires several components to the Home Education Program. Components of home education include, but are not limited to:

  • Notarized affidavit required (cost to family), unsworn declaration (governed by perjury statutes)

  • Evaluation required (cost to family)

  • Supervisor of the home education program needs a high school diploma or its equivalent

Additional options:

  • Right to borrow textbooks and other curricular materials from district

  • Right to participate in extracurricular activities

  • State-recognized diploma available

  • Higher education dual enrollment possible, at the discretion of the school district

Homeschooling and Private Tutoring are Rights

The decision to have a home education program or a private tutoring program is a right; school district permission is not needed to commence either program, as long as the required documentation is submitted.

Home Education Programs

Home education programs (also known as homeschooling) are programs where the education of the student is directed by the parent or guardian or such person having legal custody of the child or children.  Restrictions include:

  • The supervisor of the home education program must have a high school diploma or its equivalent. Example include such things as a diploma awarded by a home education supervisor after October 31, 2014 or a diploma awarded by an approved diploma-granting organization; successfully passing the GED tests and/or receiving a Commonwealth secondary school diploma. 

  • All adults living in the home and persons having legal custody of a child or children must not have been convicted of the criminal offenses itemized in within five years immediately preceding the date of the affidavit.

Standardized Tests 

Standardized tests are required of homeschooled children in grades three, five and eight without exception. The Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) provides a list of nationally normed standardized tests, per the law, which may be used by those who do not wish to take advantage of the free Pennsylvania System of School Assessments (PSSA) testing at their district schools . This list is available in the Home Education Program Basic Education Circular (BEC) on the PDE website: http://www.education.pa.gov/  

For families who wish to participate in the PSSA testing as the required standardized test, please contact the school your child would attend for information by January 15th of the school year your child is participating in grade 3, 5, or 8 of your home education programming.

Sample Affidavits

PDE provides sample affidavits which may be used by the supervisor of the home education program for children at the elementary school level (kindergarten through sixth grade) or at the secondary school level (seventh through twelfth grade).

The sample affidavits and the list of standardized tests are available on the Home Education and Private Tutoring homepage and at the bottom of the Home Education Program BEC on the PA Department of Education website.

Students with Disabilities

There are additional requirements for homeschooling students who have been identified as handicapped per the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (Public Law 91-230, 20 U.S.C. § 1401 et seq.). These are found in the Exceptional Students section.

Participation in Public School

The Pennsylvania School Code Act 55 allows students enrolled in home education programs the opportunity to also enroll in public school to engage in co-curricular activities (those that merge with extracurricular activities with a required academic course), core academic courses, or Career and Technical Center (CTC) programs.  Students in home education programs can attend public school settings equaling up to at least one quarter of the school day.   More information found in Appendix A of this document. 

Diplomas

Some organizations apply to PDE for recognition, using the Home Education Association Application for Recognition, so that they may evaluate portfolios and issue home education high school diplomas that are recognized by the state. A link to these organizations can be found under the Applications heading on the Home Education and Private Tutoring Homepage of the PDE website: http://www.education.pa.gov/ 

Additionally, Act 196 of 2014 provides a process for supervisor-issued high school diplomas to be recognized by the state. The diploma can be downloaded from the same homepage.

Resources For Home Education & Private Tutoring

Below are a few resources for families considering Home Education:

Please contact the District Office with any questions or concerns regarding Home Education at 717-397-2421.

Appendix A: Participation in Co-Curricular Activities

July 18, 2023

The Pennsylvania School Code Act 55 allows students enrolled in home education programs the opportunity to also enroll in public school to engage in co-curricular activities (those that merge with extracurricular activities with a required academic course), core academic courses, or Lancaster County Career and Technical Center (CTC) programs.  Students in home education programs can attend public school settings equaling up to one quarter of the school day.   

At Conestoga Valley, one quarter of the day is defined as:

  • 101 minutes for Kindergarten-grade 5 (and would depend on the scheduled content time period)

  • 101 minutes (2 periods) for grades 6-8 (GHMS)

  • 104 minutes (1 block for grades 9-12 (CVHS)


Participation is pursuant to the policies and rules of the school district of residence and on the same basis as other students enrolled in the district or Career and Technical Center (CTC).  In addition, the Conestoga Valley School Board adopted policies outlining additional information related to these opportunities.  You can find those policies at https://go.boarddocs.com/pa/conestoga/Board.nsf/goto?open&id=B42R736C8D1A. (search home education)

Students who are interested in participating in up to one quarter of public school programming will follow the same timeline as all students for enrollment in courses:

  • For students in grades K-5, families can share the intent to enroll at any time, but should complete the CVSD enrollment process by May 1 for planning purposes. 

  • For students in grades 6-12, families can share the intent to enroll at any time, but should complete the enrollment process by January 15th to engage in the scheduling process with all other students. 

  • Note: 23-24 School Year Only - Enrollment must be completed by 8/15/2023.


Please contact Maria Arredondo (717)397-2421 ext 0012 or maria_arredondo@conestogavalley.org to begin the enrollment process.  Once enrolled, families can contact the school the child would attend to gather more information on schedules and projected course enrollment.  Additional information on building contacts is available on our school district website:  www.conestogavalley.org. 

Participation in district co-curricular activities and academic courses is based on the established number of allowable participants in designated activities and courses.  Prioritization may be based on academic achievement, demonstration of skills or competencies, record of conduct and other designated criteria.  Students attending home education programs shall have an equal opportunity to compete for enrollment in district activities and courses, in accordance with established administrative regulations.  Registering by the recommended timelines provides the best opportunity to participate in these opportunities.

Please note that home education students who choose to enroll in CVSD for co-curricular activities and academic courses must adhere to the district’s established attendance policies and guidelines. Regular attendance at all scheduled courses is expected per state guidelines.

Information on the availability of Conestoga Valley School District’s extracurricular activities and interscholastic athletic programs is available on the website under each school’s homepage.  

If you have additional questions, please contact Maria Arredondo, Registration and Child Accounting Specialist.