Homeschooling in Ontario

Yes. Section 21 of Ontario's Education Act requires children of compulsory age to attend school, but it excuses a child who is receiving satisfactory instruction at home or elsewhere. That exemption is the legal basis for home schooling in the province.

The Ministry of Education's Policy/Program Memorandum 131 (PPM 131, issued in 2002 and still in effect) tells school boards how to handle families who home school. It is the document to read first, and it is short.

• Decide when you will start. If your child is enrolled, plan the move around a natural break where you can.
• Write to your school board saying you intend to home school. PPM 131's Appendix B is a sample letter you can adapt.
• Keep a copy of your letter and the board's reply. Under PPM 131 the board acknowledges your notice in writing and confirms the child is excused from attendance.

Some boards publish their own notice-of-intent forms and ask for more detail than PPM 131's sample letter. Home schooling groups such as the Ontario Federation of Teaching Parents point out that the sample letter asks only for basic identifying and contact details.

PPM 131's sample letter covers each child's name, gender and date of birth, plus your contact details and a statement that you are providing home schooling. Send it to the board for the area you live in, not to the Ministry.

PPM 131 asks families to notify each year. If your child was at school, notify before September 1 or as soon as you decide to withdraw them during the year.

Families whose children have never attended school are also covered by PPM 131, so it is sensible to send a notice when your child reaches compulsory school age.

Ontario does not prescribe a curriculum, subjects or hours for home schooling. You choose your own approach and materials.

The Ontario curriculum documents are freely available and many families use them as a reference point, especially if a child may return to school or move into high school credits later.

There are no required reports, portfolios or tests. PPM 131 directs boards to accept your annual notice as evidence of satisfactory instruction.

A board may investigate only if it has reasonable grounds to believe the child is not receiving satisfactory instruction. PPM 131 sets out how that works: the board may ask to meet the family and see evidence of learning, and it can refer the matter to the Provincial School Attendance Counsellor if it can't make a determination.

Because of this, keep simple records – a plan for the year, work samples and a reading list – so you can show what your child is learning if ever asked.

If you want your child to write the Grade 3, 6 or 9 EQAO assessments or the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test, contact your board early in the school year to arrange it.

Home schooling on its own does not lead to the Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD). Credits must be granted by a ministry-inspected school, so teens who want the diploma usually take courses through a public or private school, a virtual or e-learning program, or TVO's Independent Learning Centre (ILC).

If a home-schooled student joins an Ontario secondary school, the principal assesses their previous learning and decides how many credits they are granted for placement, and what compulsory credits remain. The student still has to meet the literacy and other diploma requirements.

Colleges and universities set their own admission rules for home-schooled applicants. Check each institution's home-schooled or non-traditional applicant page well before Grade 12.

PPM 131 does not provide any funding, materials or grants to home-schooling families, and the province has no home education funding program. You cover your own costs.

If your child has special education needs, you can still home school; the notification process is the same. Support that comes through school boards (such as special education programs) generally requires enrolment, so talk to your board if you are considering part-time options.

Ontario has several home schooling associations and many local co-ops and parent groups. Province-wide groups include the Ontario Federation of Teaching Parents and the Ontario Christian Home Educators' Connection. Public libraries, museums and community centres also run daytime programs that suit home-schooled children.