Homeschooling in Saskatchewan

Yes. Saskatchewan calls homeschooling home-based education. It is governed by Part VII of The Education Act, 1995 and The Home-based Education Program Regulations, 2015, which came into force in October 2015.

Under The Education Act, 1995, school attendance is compulsory from age 7 until a child turns 16. A registered home-based education program is one of the recognized alternatives to attending school.

The regulations put the day-to-day work in the hands of school divisions. Every board of education, and the Conseil des écoles fransaskoises, must set its own policies for registering, monitoring and cancelling home-based programs, consistent with the regulations and the Minister's policies. That is why forms, deadlines and funding differ from one division to the next.

• Find your school division. You register with the division for the area where you live. Saskatoon Public Schools, for example, asks families within city limits to register with it before starting their program.
• Get the forms. The provincial page points to the Notification of a Home-based Education Program form. Many divisions publish their own registration package with the notification, a plan template and their deadlines.
• Send the notification and your written plan. Most divisions want both together.
• Leaving a school mid-year. Register with the division before you withdraw your child so there is no gap between school enrolment and your home-based program. Divisions generally accept registrations during the year, but late registration can affect any reimbursement they offer.

Registration is annual. You re-register each school year with a new notification and education plan.

Deadlines are set locally. Several divisions ask returning families to register by August 15 for the coming school year, while others (such as Saskatoon Public and Regina Public) use September 15 as the cut-off for that year's materials grant. Check your own division's package.

If the division finds your notification or plan does not comply, the division policies and provincial manual describe a written response explaining what needs to change, so you have a chance to fix it.

You do not have to follow the Saskatchewan curriculum, but your written education plan has to show a planned, purposeful program. The provincial page says plan requirements vary by division.

Division procedures based on the provincial manual typically ask the plan to explain:

• why you are home educating and your general approach or philosophy;
• broad goals for the year in language arts, mathematics, science and social studies;
• the resources and activities you expect to use;
• how you will assess and record your child's progress.

Write goals you can actually report on in June – that makes the year-end progress report much easier.

At the end of the year you give the division an annual progress report describing what your child learned against the goals in your plan. The provincial manual includes a progress report form and a section on keeping a portfolio of your child's work.

The due date varies by division (June dates are common; some divisions allow until late July). Many divisions only pay their materials grant once the year-end report is in.

Saskatchewan's Provincial Auditor reviewed how one division monitored home-based learners in 2018 and again in 2020, stressing that divisions must actually assess the plans and progress reports they receive. Expect your division to read your report and, occasionally, follow up with questions.

A home-based education program on its own does not lead to a Saskatchewan high school diploma. To earn provincial credits, a student needs courses recognized by the Ministry of Education.

Common routes include online or distance courses (for example through the Saskatchewan Distance Learning Centre), registering for individual courses at a division high school, and other Ministry-recognized equivalencies described in division information packages. Ask your division what it offers and whether taking credit courses affects your home-based registration or grant.

Universities and colleges set their own admission rules for applicants without a provincial diploma. Check with each institution early.

There is no single provincial homeschool payment. Each division decides whether to offer a grant or reimbursement for educational materials, how much, and on what conditions.

As an example, Regina Public Schools listed a 2025–26 materials grant of $800 per elementary student and $550 per high school student for families registered by September 15, 2025, paid in January 2026. Other divisions pay different amounts, and some reduce the grant if you also take distance courses.

Divisions may also lend resources or let home-based learners use some services. Ask what is available when you register.

You can home educate a child with additional needs. Your written plan should reflect how you will meet them. Supports a child receives at school do not automatically continue once you register a home-based program, so ask your division what (if anything) it can provide before you withdraw.

For community and advice, many Saskatchewan families connect with Saskatchewan Home Based Educators (SHBE), local support groups and co-ops, and HSLDA Canada. Your division's home-based education contact is the person to ask about forms and deadlines.