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
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Last updated: 2026-04-26 · CN homeschool law guide