Light requirements
Homeschooling in California
You become a tiny private school by filing a short affidavit each October; after that the state mostly leaves you alone.
Getting started (notice)
file the Private School Affidavit (PSA) with the California Department of Education annually during the statutory window of October 1-15 (the online system stays open Aug 1-Jun 30 for schools starting mid-year). Alternatives: enrolling in a private school satellite program (PSP), a public charter/independent-study program, or instruction by a credentialed tutor.
Required subjects
instruction must be offered 'in the several branches of study required to be taught in the public schools' (Ed. Code 48222, with course lists in EC 51210 for grades 1-6 and 51220 for grades 7-12); no state curriculum approval
Records you must keep
an attendance register recording every absence of a half day or more, plus records of courses offered and faculty names/qualifications kept as part of operating the private school
Testing / evaluation
none
Parent qualifications
no credential required for the PSA route, though teachers must be 'persons capable of teaching' and the affidavit records their educational qualifications; a state credential is required only for the private tutor option
Where Letters & Devotion fits in California
Whatever California asks you to keep, keeping it should not be a job. Letters & Devotion logs instructional hours automatically while your child works, tracks mastery per skill as a ready-made portfolio record, and prints a transcript in one click, so notices, portfolios and evaluations start from records that already exist. The curriculum itself covers every core subject, K through 12.
Read all 84 courses in full before you pay anythingEvery unit, every skill, every objective. No account, no card.$29 a month after the first month. Cancel anytime, in one click.
This is a plain-language summary, not legal advice, and laws change. Last verified 2026-08. Always confirm current requirements with your state before relying on them. Sources:
HSLDA also publishes a plain-language summary of California's law, at hslda.org/legal/california, and sells a paid legal-defense membership built on top of it. It is an advocacy organization, not a legal authority: its leadership is explicitly Christian, and it lobbies on homeschool legislation, positions a family may or may not share. Read what membership actually costs and covers before joining anything.