How to start homeschooling in Canada: a step-by-step guide

Under section 93 of the Constitution Act, 1867, education is a provincial responsibility, and Canada has no federal department of education. Each province and territory has its own education act and its own approach to home education.

Broadly, the rules fall into a few patterns:

• A simple annual notice. In Ontario, families write to their school board each year. The board is told to accept the notice as evidence of satisfactory instruction unless there are reasonable grounds to suspect otherwise.
• Registration with a school or board. In British Columbia you register your child each year with a school of your choice. In Saskatchewan you register with your school division and file a written education plan.
• Notice plus plans and reports. Manitoba asks for a notification form with a program outline and two progress reports a year. Québec asks for a notice, a learning project, a status report, progress reports and a monitoring meeting.
• Approval or exemption. In New Brunswick, families apply each year for an exemption from school attendance, and in Alberta you choose between a supervised (funded) program and a notification-only program.

Our guides for each province and territory explain the details. Read the one for where you live before you go any further.

Compulsory school age differs across the country — it starts at 5 or 6 and runs to 16 or 18, depending on the province or territory. In Ontario, for example, children must attend school from age 6 until 18 unless they are excused, and receiving satisfactory instruction at home is one of the recognized reasons. New Brunswick's attendance rules cover ages 5 to 18.

Timing matters too, because most provinces tie their paperwork to the school year. A few examples of dates we confirmed:

• Ontario: PPM 131 asks families to notify the board in writing each year, before September 1 or when they decide to start.
• British Columbia: register by September 30 each year.
• Manitoba: the notification form is due September 1 (or within 30 days of starting), with progress reports due January 31 and June 30.
• Québec: the annual notice is due by July 1, or within 10 days if your child leaves school during the year.

If your child is younger than compulsory school age, you usually don't need to do anything yet, though some provinces let you register early. Check the date that applies where you live and put it in your calendar.

If your child is currently enrolled, don't just stop sending them. In most provinces the notice or registration you file is what tells the school system your child is now being educated at home, so send it before (or at the same time as) your child's last day.

• In Ontario, your written notice goes to the school board. Many families also give the principal a copy so the school knows the date your child is leaving.
• In Québec, the notice goes to the Ministère's homeschooling directorate and to your school service centre or school board, within 10 days of your child leaving school mid-year.
• In New Brunswick, home schooling needs an approved annual application, so contact your school district before you withdraw.

Keep a copy of everything you send and any acknowledgement you receive. If a school or board asks for more information than the rules require, it's reasonable to ask which rule the request is based on.

If your child has never been enrolled, there's nothing to withdraw from — you simply follow your province's notice or registration process by the time they reach compulsory school age.

Don't assume you can skip the paperwork because your child was never on a school roll. In British Columbia, for example, homeschooled children must be registered with a school each year regardless, and in Manitoba the notification form is required for every homeschooled student of compulsory school age.

Some provinces ask you to submit a plan; others don't. Either way, a simple written plan makes homeschooling easier to run and easier to explain.

• Where a plan is required: Saskatchewan asks for a written education plan, Manitoba's notification includes a program outline for language arts, math, science and social studies, and Québec asks for a learning project to be in place by September 30.
• Where no plan is required: In Ontario and British Columbia, families don't have to file a plan with anyone. You can still write one for yourself.

A good plan is short: where your child is now, what you hope they'll learn this year in each main subject, the resources you'll use, and how you'll notice progress. You don't need to buy a full curriculum on day one — start with math and reading, and add the rest as you learn how your child works best.

Even where no reports are required, records are worth keeping. They help you see progress, make it easier to answer questions if anyone asks, and are very useful if your child goes back to school or applies to college or university.

In provinces that require reporting — such as Manitoba's January and June progress reports, Québec's progress reports, and Nova Scotia's end-of-year progress report — your records become the raw material for those reports.

A folder per child with a few dated work samples each month, a reading list, and a short note on what you covered each term is plenty for most families.

Most new homeschoolers say the first few months are the hardest. Local homeschool groups, provincial home education associations and library programs are good places to meet other families, swap resources and ask questions.

If you live in the territories, look for the official contact first: in Yukon, English-language home educators register with Aurora Virtual School, and the Northwest Territories has its own home schooling page explaining how registration works with education bodies.

Our guide to homeschool groups and co-ops explains how to find or start a group near you.