The right to homeschool has been enshrined in its current form in the BC School Act since 1989 thanks to the work of BC homeschooling parents including Vickie Livingstone, founder of the then newly formed BC Home Educators’ Association (formerly CHEA).
To homeschool in BC is to opt out of the BC education system and maintain full autonomy and responsibility over the learning programme offered to the child. Homeschooling in BC is most often defined by what it is not.
- It is not supervised by anyone and you don’t report your learning to anyone.
- You don’t travel through grade levels or complete testing.
- You are not required to follow any curriculum including the BC Curriculum
- It is not funded by the government
Rights and Responsibilities
Public schools in BC are required by law to register your intent to homeschool and they are also required to offer the loan of learning material and evaluation and assessment services.
Independent schools who chose to register a homeschooler are required to offer evaluation and assessment services free of charge.
- You must register the intent to opt out of the school system by Sept 30th of the year the child turns 6 until the day the child is 16
- You must renew the intent to homeschool each year by September 30th
- You must provide an educational programme as defined in the BC School Act
- You must provide a healthy and supportive environment necessary for learning
Choosing a School
Because you will have no significant contact with your registering school, there isn’t much to consider when choosing one. You might consider whether you want to support a faith-based school or if a public school’s offerings are something you would like. Some Independent schools offer subscriptions or other small additions.
The BC Home Educators’ Association has a list of schools that are known for being “homeschooler friendly” meaning they know the process well and are welcoming.
Registering as a Homeschooler
The right to homeschool in BC is laid out in Section 12 and 13 of the BC School Act. The process for registering as a homeschooler is a very simple one. You are essentially raising your hand and saying “count me out”. In order to do this, let a school know and they will record your intent in their files and pass the information on the the Ministry.
By law, the principal of any public school is required to register your intent to homeschool, but you may find that they don’t always know the procedure. In that case, you can direct them to the Homeschooling Procedures and Guidelines Manual.
More Information
The BCHEA was invited by the Ministry of Education and Child Care to participate in the creation of a Homeschool Procedures and Guidelines Manual which has become a useful document for finding a quick answer or for sharing with school staff and other stakeholders so that everyone can be certain of their rights and obligations.