Homeschooling in China
Homeschooling banned: Children must attend state-approved schools under strict compulsory education rules.
Homeschooling is illegal in China for nationals, as the Compulsory Education Law mandates nine years of education at government-approved schools. Parents must ensure children attend registered schools; home education violates this requirement. Limited exemptions may apply for health reasons with provincial approval.
Quick Reference
School Days
-
No minimum
Hours Required
-
No minimum
Subjects
0
required
Notification
Yes
once
Key Requirements at a Glance
- Nine-year compulsory education required from age 6 to 15 at schools.
- Parents must send school-age children to school (Articles 10, 11).
- No provisions authorizing homeschooling to fulfill compulsory education.
- Homeschooling violates curriculum and school-setting requirements (Article 35).
- Meng Mu Tang homeschool program shut down for violating law.
- Ministry of Education February statement forbids homeschooling replacement of school.
- Exemptions limited to health reasons with province-level approval.
- Non-enrollment may lead to correction orders (Article 58).
Legal Framework
People's Republic of China's education framework rests on: (1) Constitution of the PRC Articles 19 and 46 (State duty to develop education and citizen right and duty to receive education); (2) Compulsory Education Law of the PRC (中华人民共和国义务教育法), originally 1986, comprehensively revised in 2006, with further amendments through 2018 and 2021. Key provisions: Article 4 — every Chinese-national child of school age has equal right and obligation to receive compulsory education regardless of gender, ethnicity, race, family property, or religion; Article 11 — parents must send children to school in the year they reach age 6 (postponement requires application to township or county government for physical/health reasons); Article 58 — parents who fail to send children to school without justifiable reasons may be ordered by township or county government to make correction; (3) Education Law of the PRC; (4) Private Education Promotion Law and 2021 amendment banning for-profit private schools at the compulsory education level. The Ministry of Education and State Council have repeatedly clarified that home study cannot replace national compulsory education; the February 2019 MoE statement and September 2017 State Council reiteration both expressly declared that '[students] should not be allowed to study at home to replace the national unified implementation of compulsory education.' 私塾 (sishu) classical-culture homeschools are explicitly illegal. Responsible authority: Ministry of Education (中华人民共和国教育部).
Filing Requirements
What to file
Exemption Application
When
Before age 6 enrollment
Where
Provincial Education Department
How to submit
In-person or mail to local education bureau
What to include
- • Medical certificates, proof of health condition, parental plan
Per Ministry of Education 2021 notice; very few approvals granted[1]
How to Get Started
- 1
Obtain medical diagnosis
- 2
Submit application to local education bureau
- 3
Await provincial approval
- 4
Comply with monitoring
Pros & Cons
Pros
- ✓Legal avoidance of truancy charges
Cons
- •High denial risk
- •No diploma path
- •Strict oversight
Keep your China records in order
Starpath Records tracks attendance, hours, and work samples, and turns them into the reports the rules expect. Works with any curriculum. China tools are on the way; join the list and be first in.
Last updated: 2026-04-26 · CN homeschool law guide