California · autism, ADHD and learning differences

Homeschooling a child with autism, ADHD or a learning difference in California

You become a tiny private school by filing a short affidavit each October; after that the state mostly leaves you alone. Starting in California means the notice step listed above. What changes for a neurodivergent child is how the lessons look and feel, and that is something a parent can set.

What California asks of a homeschool family

These are the homeschool rules we have on file for California, last verified 2026-08. Our California page has the full list, with sources.

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.

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

Special education and your homeschooled child in California

We researched this from California's statutes and administrative code, the state education department and the US Department of Education, last checked October 2026. Where a source was missing, old or in conflict, the line says so instead of guessing. Federal law (IDEA) gives a child placed in private school by a parent no individual right to services, only a share of the district's equitable-services funds, and each state decides how a home school is counted.

How the state counts a home school

Not clearly classified

California has no home school statute in the sources we read: Education Code 48222 exempts children in a private full-time day school (whose head files the annual affidavit under Ed. Code 33190), and 48224 exempts children taught by a credentialed private tutor, so families typically use one of these routes or a public independent study program. The CDE page that explains schooling at home could not be read, so how special education law classifies each route was not confirmed.

Less certain: the sources on this were thin or in conflict. Confirm with the state office before relying on it.

Asking for an evaluation

Ed. Code 56171 and 56301 require the district where a private school is located to locate, identify and assess private school children with disabilities, and Ed. Code 56029 and 56321 treat a parent's written request as a referral, with a proposed assessment plan due within 15 days (not counting school breaks) and no IEP without parent consent. The statutes opened do not say whether a family-run private school or a tutored child is covered, or which district handles that child.

Less certain: the sources on this were thin or in conflict. Confirm with the state office before relying on it.

Services and IEPs

Ed. Code 56172 and 56173 provide special education to parentally placed private school children through the district's proportionate share of federal funds, and 56174 says a district need not pay for a private school education of a child with a disability when it offered a free appropriate public education and the parent chose private placement. Nothing opened gives such a child an individual right to services or says what happens to an existing IEP on withdrawal.

Part-time classes, therapies and activities at the public school

We did not find a clear rule on this in California's primary sources. Ask your district or the state office below.

Scholarships and funding for a child with a disability

We did not find a clear rule on this in California's primary sources. Ask your district or the state office below.

Also worth knowing

The California Department of Education special education pages could not be read, so no special education contact page is cited and state guidance on schooling at home was not read. Families may wish to ask their local district or the CDE directly.

Less certain: the sources on this were thin or in conflict. Confirm with the state office before relying on it.

State office to ask: California Department of Education, Private Schools and Schooling at Home.

Sources we read

A plain-language summary of public sources, not legal advice. Scholarship and school-choice programs change often, and we have left dollar amounts out on purpose. Confirm current rules with the state office before you act.

Pace, testing and the plan

Check the testing and evaluation line above for California, since it can depend on how you homeschool. Where a test or an evaluation applies, remember that Learning Supports change how lessons look and feel while your child learns. They are not part of a test or an evaluation. Whether a child can be given accommodations on the test, or with the evaluator, is something to ask the test provider or evaluator before the day, and we cannot tell you what California allows.

Records in California

Check the records line above for California. 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. Turning supports on or off does not change that record, and nothing in it names a condition, because Letters & Devotion never stores a diagnosis.

Six Learning Supports you can switch on

A parent ticks what helps, never a condition. Each support is a bundle of single switches, and any switch can be changed on its own. After about three weeks the parent side asks whether a support is helping.

  • Reading support

    Often chosen for dyslexia

    Read-aloud with each word highlighted, a clearer font, extra spacing and answer buttons.

  • Focus support

    Often chosen for ADHD

    Short pieces, one question on screen and movement breaks.

  • Predictable routine

    Often chosen for autism

    The same layout, a heads-up before changes, a calm look and plain wording.

  • Math support

    Often chosen for dyscalculia

    Pictures and a calculator, with nothing timed.

  • Writing support

    Often chosen for dysgraphia

    Answer out loud, with ideas counted over spelling.

  • Low-pressure mode

    Often chosen for anxiety or perfectionism

    No scores, calm feedback and a free second try.

What this is not

  • It does not diagnose anything or store a diagnosis. Your child never sees a condition name.
  • It is not special education, therapy or an evaluation, and it is not a substitute for an IEP.
  • Read-aloud is a computer voice, not a person, and answering out loud needs the microphone switch.
  • Some lesson rewrites, such as plainer literal wording, are pre-written, so not every lesson has one.

Try it with your child in California

All 84 courses are readable in full with no account and no card, and the first 30 days are free.

Start 30 days freeSee all 84 courses →

$29 a month or $290 a year for every child. Cancel anytime, in one click.

Questions

Can I homeschool a child with autism or ADHD in California?

California's homeschool rules are summarized on this page. Ask your state education department or your district about special education.

Does Letters & Devotion store my child’s diagnosis?

No. You pick supports, never a condition, nothing stores a diagnosis, and your child never sees a condition name. Support settings are never sent to analytics.

Does this replace an evaluation or an IEP?

No. The setup screen says it plainly: these change how lessons look and feel, and they are not a substitute for an evaluation or an IEP.

Do the supports work with California's testing rules?

Check the testing and evaluation line above for California, since it can depend on how you homeschool. Where a test or an evaluation applies, remember that Learning Supports change how lessons look and feel while your child learns. They are not part of a test or an evaluation. Whether a child can be given accommodations on the test, or with the evaluator, is something to ask the test provider or evaluator before the day, and we cannot tell you what California allows.

What does it cost?

$29 a month or $290 a year for every child. The first 30 days are free with no card.

Keep reading

A plain-language summary, not legal advice, and laws change. Confirm current requirements with California before relying on them. Sources are listed on the California page.

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