Alberta Education Homeschooling: How to File the Notification Forms

One of the first things Alberta parents learn when they start researching home education is that the province has two separate notification forms — and that filing the wrong one is a mistake you cannot easily walk back within the same school year. The distinction matters because it determines whether you receive provincial funding, who oversees your program, and how your child will access diploma exams if they reach Grade 10.

This post covers the Alberta Education notification process from start to finish: which form applies to your situation, what each field asks for, the September deadline, and what to expect after you submit.

Why It Is a Notification, Not an Application

Alberta Education does not approve or deny homeschool requests. Under Alberta's Education Act (Alberta) and Home Education Regulation (AR 145/2006), parents have the legal right to educate their children at home. The province requires notification so that the appropriate authority — either a school board or Alberta Education directly — can log the arrangement and, in the supervised pathway, coordinate funding and oversight.

This is an important distinction. You are not asking for permission. You are informing the system that your child will be home educated, and the system's response is administrative, not evaluative.

The Two Notification Forms

Alberta uses two distinct forms, each corresponding to a different home education pathway.

Home Education Notification Form - Program Supervised by School Authority

This form is for families choosing the supervised pathway, which means registering with a willing school authority (a public, Catholic, Francophone, or accredited independent school authority). Under the supervised model:

• The school authority receives a provincial grant of exactly $901 per student in Grades 1–12 for the 2025-2026 school year
• The authority shares a portion of that grant directly with the family for curriculum and educational materials
• Families submit an annual education plan to the authority at the start of the year
• A certificated Alberta teacher employed by the authority conducts two evaluation visits per year, generally one in the fall and one in the spring
• Students in Grades 10–12 can access provincial diploma exams through the authority

The notification form's Part A covers legal names, birthdate, gender, Alberta Student Number if known, address, and citizenship or visa status. Part B declares whether the student will follow the Alberta Program of Studies or the Schedule of Learning Outcomes. Part C contains optional Aboriginal identity and Section 23 Francophone-eligibility disclosures. Part D requires a written description of instructional methods, resources, and evaluation means when the Alberta Program of Studies is not followed. You submit this form to the chosen school authority, not independently to Alberta Education.

Most families using the supervised pathway never interact directly with Alberta Education's central notification system. The chosen school authority handles the provincial notification. For 2025-2026 funding, registration must be in place by the September count date, typically September 29 or 30.

Home Education Notification Form - Program Not Supervised by School Authority

This form is for families who choose to home educate outside any school authority entirely. Under the not supervised (opted-out) model:

• You file directly with Alberta Education, not with a local school board
• You receive no provincial funding
• You have no ongoing reporting obligations after the initial notification
• You are entirely responsible for curriculum selection, records, and assessment
• Your child does not have automatic access to provincial diploma exams through this pathway

The not supervised notification form is submitted to the Minister of Education at Alberta Education and does not involve a school board. It uses the official student and program information described on the form, including the student's legal and contact details and the declared educational program. Alberta Education does not evaluate whether your program is adequate — the form is informational.

This pathway suits families who want maximum autonomy and have no interest in provincial funding or diploma exam access through the public system. It also suits families whose children are young (Kindergarten through Grade 9) and for whom diploma exams are not yet a relevant consideration.

The September Count Date

The important funding date for the supervised pathway is the September count date, typically September 29 or 30. Registration must be in place by that date to receive the supervised grant for that school year. If you begin home education after the school year has already started, you can still withdraw immediately and complete the required notification, but a registration after the count date does not receive that year's supervised grant.

After the count date, a family may still register under the supervised pathway, but it receives no supervised grant for that school year and must wait for the following September count date for funding eligibility.

The not supervised pathway receives zero provincial funding, so the supervised funding count date does not create a grant deadline for that route.

Choosing a School Authority for the Supervised Pathway

If you are filing the supervised notification, the most consequential decision is which school authority to register with. Alberta is unusual in that families are not restricted to their geographically nearest division — you can register with any school authority in the province that accepts home education students.

This matters because school authorities vary in their practical support, evaluation format, and reimbursement policies. The board must offer the parent exactly 50% of the provincial grant, and parents do not need departing-school or government approval of their curriculum.

Two associate boards operate specifically to serve homeschooling families and work with a large number of Alberta home educators:

WISDOM Home Schooling (wisdomhomeschooling.com) is one of the province's most established associate boards. WISDOM accepts students from across Alberta regardless of geography, administers supervised funding, offers portfolio support, and hosts workshops and curriculum events throughout the year. Families with eclectic, interest-led, or Charlotte Mason approaches often register through WISDOM because of its flexible curriculum stance.

THEE (Traditional Home Education Experts) (thee.ca) takes a more academically structured orientation. THEE works well with families pursuing a rigorous, organized curriculum and provides diploma exam preparation support and portfolio assessment guidance. Families planning for university entry and wanting external accountability often choose THEE for that reason.

Alberta's Catholic separate divisions are also worth noting for families aligned with Catholic values. Boards such as Christ the Redeemer Catholic Schools and East Central Alberta Catholic Schools have active home education programs, and some families prefer registering with a Catholic authority to ensure that faith formation materials are accommodated in the education plan review process.

What Happens After You File

Under the supervised pathway, the school authority assigns you a certificated Alberta teacher who reviews your Education Program Plan. The plan does not need to be elaborate — a brief outline of subjects, resources, and assessment is standard. The teacher may have questions or suggestions, but the plan is yours to determine under the program you declared; parents do not need government approval of their curriculum.

Supervised families receive two evaluation visits per year, generally one in the fall and one in the spring, typically about 30 minutes each. These are collaborative progress or portfolio reviews, not standardized tests; the facilitator does not assign numeric grades or control the curriculum.

The visits record progress against the family's plan. The facilitator's role is collaborative rather than a traditional grading or standardized-testing exercise.

Under the not supervised pathway, there are no follow-up contacts, reports, or reviews after the initial notification is filed. You educate your child as you see fit and notify Alberta Education again the following September to continue.

If You Are Withdrawing from School Mid-Year

If your child is currently enrolled in a public or private school and you are withdrawing them to home educate, the notification process still applies — but the withdrawal itself is a separate step. Send the withdrawal letter to the principal and submit the official home-education notification to the appropriate recipient: the chosen associate board for supervised education or the Minister of Education at Alberta Education for the unsupervised route.

The withdrawal step often creates more stress than the notification step, especially if the school staff are unfamiliar with home education rights or if the child's teacher is resistant. Alberta parents have the legal right to withdraw their children from school. The school cannot require a waiting period, demand a rationale, or require approval from administration before processing the withdrawal.

The Alberta Legal Withdrawal Blueprint walks through the complete withdrawal and notification process — including the specific language to use with school staff, how to handle pushback, and what documentation to prepare before your first day of home education. You can find it at /ca/alberta/withdrawal/.

A Note on Kindergarten

Alberta's compulsory education age begins at 6 years old, which means Kindergarten-age children (typically 5-year-olds) are not legally required to be in school. Parents of Kindergarten-age children are not required to file any home education notification at all. The notification requirement applies to children of compulsory school age — Grade 1 and above.

Some families choose to register voluntarily with a school authority even for Kindergarten to access funding and support, but this is optional and many families simply begin home education informally at that age without any formal registration.

Summary

Alberta's home education notification process comes down to a single early decision: supervised or not supervised. The supervised pathway brings funding, oversight, and diploma exam access but requires annual planning and supervision contacts. The not supervised pathway is filing a simple form with Alberta Education and then educating your child with no further provincial involvement.

For most families who are also navigating a school withdrawal, the supervised pathway through an associate board is the natural choice — it provides financial support for curriculum costs while preserving substantial curriculum freedom. The September count date, typically September 29 or 30, is the funding constraint to build around, and choosing the right school authority is worth spending a week researching before you file.

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