Homeschooling in Ontario

Key Requirements at a Glance

• Written notification (Letter of Intent to Homeschool) to local school board is the sole legal requirement; no other forms or approvals needed.
• Notification must be sent to the school board in whose jurisdiction the child last attended or was registered to attend; if already withdrawn and notified, no additional notification to new board is required.
• Satisfactory instruction at home excuses compulsory attendance per Education Act s.21(2)(a); no definition of 'satisfactory' is prescribed by statute.
• School boards must accept annual written notification as evidence of satisfactory instruction per PPM 131; investigation permitted only on reasonable grounds (refusal to notify, credible concern, removal due to conflict, prior absenteeism).
• No provincial testing, curriculum approval, subject requirements, or parent qualifications mandated.
• No government funding provided; families bear all educational costs.
• Unschooling is legal; parents may design their own educational program without following Ontario curriculum guidelines.
• Children placed in grade by birth year; no proof of homeschooling required for grade placement, and testing is optional unless requested by school for placement purposes.

Legal Framework

Education Act, RSO 1990, c E.2, subsection 21(2)(a) — a child is excused from compulsory attendance at school if "the child is receiving satisfactory instruction at home or elsewhere." Subsection 21(1) sets out the core duty ("every child to attend school from the age of six until the age of sixteen"); subsequent subsections of section 21 (as amended by the Education Statute Law Amendment Act (Learning to Age 18), 2006, Chapter 28 of the Statutes of Ontario, 2006) extend the duty so that pupils must remain enrolled until age 18 unless they have graduated, raising the effective compulsory range to 6-18. Policy/Program Memorandum 131 (PPM 131) — Home Schooling, issued by the Ministry of Education, sets out the administrative procedure: parents provide annual written notification before September 1 to the school board, the board accepts the notification as evidence of satisfactory instruction (it does not approve), and investigation only proceeds on reasonable grounds. Responsible authority: Ontario Ministry of Education; school boards administer notifications.

Filing Requirements

How to Get Started

1. 1

   Send written Letter of Intent to local school board if child previously enrolled

2. 2

   Begin homeschooling; no approval needed

3. 3

   Repeat notification annually before September 1

Pros & Cons