Home Schooling Saskatchewan: How to Withdraw and What the Province Requires

The question families in Saskatchewan ask most often isn't whether they can homeschool — it's what they actually have to do. The provincial government website uses the phrase "home-based education" and directs you toward a form, but doesn't tell you what happens after you submit it, what you're required to teach, or how reporting works. This guide fills in those gaps.

Saskatchewan's Legal Framework

Home-based education in Saskatchewan is authorized under the Education Act, 1995. The province permits it for any family who files the required documentation with their school division. There is no approval process in the traditional sense — the school division is notified, not asked for permission. That distinction matters: some families delay starting because they're expecting a formal green light that doesn't exist.

The registration requirement exists regardless of whether you're withdrawing a child from an existing school or starting a kindergartener who has never been enrolled in public school.

How to Register

Saskatchewan families register for home-based education through their local school division. There are 27 school divisions in the province, each handling registrations independently, so the exact form and submission method varies slightly. What's consistent across all divisions:

1. Submit a Notification of a Home-Based Education Program and written education plan to the registering authority in your resident school division at least 30 days before starting a new program. Mid-year starts are permitted, but the same notice period applies.
2. Describe your educational program. The written plan should explain your philosophical approach and reason for home education, activities, instruction methods, learning resources, means of assessing and recording progress, and the areas of study and outcomes for the coming school year.
3. Complete the division's registration process. School divisions register home-based educators in their regions; local written-plan and monitoring procedures may vary.

For mid-year withdrawals, you also need to inform the child's current school in writing that the child is being withdrawn. The school is required to release the child's records to you. You do not need the school's consent to withdraw.

What You're Required to Teach

The provincial written-plan guidance identifies broad general learning outcomes for:

• Language arts
• Mathematics
• Science
• Social studies

The plan also describes the activities, resources, assessment methods, and other outcomes you will use. The province does not prescribe a particular curriculum or attendance schedule. You can buy a commercial packaged program, build your own approach, or use a combination of online courses, library resources, and hands-on learning. Saskatchewan is one of the more flexible provinces on this front.

One area where families frequently ask questions: religious instruction. Home-based education in Saskatchewan allows families to include faith-based teaching alongside the required subject areas, and many families use Christian curricula or integrate religious content into their educational program.

Monitoring and Recordkeeping

Saskatchewan's provincial guidance requires parents to maintain a portfolio of work and a summative record for each child. The school division monitors whether the program follows the written plan and focuses on educational outcomes; monitoring may include a conference when the program is registered and when it concludes, but a universal annual progress report is not the provincial requirement.

Keep records throughout the year — a simple notebook or digital folder with monthly notes, photos of projects, and lists of books read makes any division review straightforward. Renewal involves updated information and a written plan, generally by August 15.

Funding in Saskatchewan

Saskatchewan does not provide direct per-student funding to home-based education families. Unlike Alberta — where the supervised pathway delivers a provincial grant — Saskatchewan families cover their own curriculum and materials costs. There is no offsetting tax credit at the provincial level.

Budget varies widely. Families using free resources (library books, open-source curricula, Khan Academy, public programs) can operate for very little. Families buying full packaged curricula from providers like Sonlight, My Father's World, or secular Canadian alternatives typically spend $800 to $2,000 per child in the first year. Costs usually decrease in subsequent years once you've identified what works.

Special Needs and Support Services

Home-based education families in Saskatchewan whose children have learning disabilities, developmental differences, or other special needs may be able to access publicly funded assessment or support services. Availability and eligibility vary, so confirm the options with the resident school division and the relevant health authority.

What home-based families lose access to is the school-based special education system — resource teachers, educational assistants, IEP coordination within the school. Whether that's a net loss or a gain depends entirely on how the school was actually serving the child. For families who withdraw specifically because the school was not meeting their child's needs, the calculation often favors home education even without those institutional supports.

University and Post-Secondary Pathways

Saskatchewan home-educated students have multiple routes to post-secondary:

Provincial diploma exams. Home-based education students can write provincial Grade 12 exams as independent candidates through the Saskatchewan Polytechnic or through arrangements with local schools. This can provide official Saskatchewan transcript documentation, but families should confirm each post-secondary institution's current admission requirements.

GED. Available to students 18 and older and accepted by most post-secondary institutions as equivalent to a high school diploma.

Portfolio admission. The University of Saskatchewan and other institutions have admitted home-educated applicants on a case-by-case basis using portfolios, SAT/ACT scores, and letters of reference. Contact the admissions office directly in Grade 11 — the process is more flexible than most families assume.

Dual credit and concurrent enrollment. Some Saskatchewan home-based students take courses at regional colleges during high school to build a transcript. This is increasingly common and gives students university credit before graduation.

The September Deadline and Mid-Year Starts

Saskatchewan's school year is aligned with the public school calendar. A new home-based education program requires at least 30 days' notice before it begins, including for a mid-year start; renewals involve updated information and a written plan, generally by August 15. There is no funding implication for Saskatchewan families since there is no provincial grant to forfeit.

This differs from Alberta, where the September count date, typically September 29 or 30, determines whether a supervised family receives the provincial grant for that year. Alberta families pulling their child after the count date forfeit that year's funding entirely — which is a real financial decision worth planning around.

Common Mistakes Saskatchewan Families Make

Waiting for a formal green light. Complete the notification, written plan, and 30-day notice process with the resident school division rather than waiting for an approval letter that the provincial process does not require.

Treating monitoring as a standardized test. Maintain the required portfolio and summative record; the division's monitoring focuses on whether the program follows the plan and produces educational outcomes.

Assuming curriculum from the US applies without adaptation. Most commercial homeschool curricula are American. They teach American history, use Fahrenheit and miles, and reference US civic structures. Canadian families can and do use these programs, but they should supplement with Canadian content — especially in social studies and history.

Not connecting with other families. Saskatchewan has active homeschool communities in Regina, Saskatoon, and across rural areas. The Saskatchewan Home Based Educators (SHBE) is the provincial organization. Regional groups run co-ops, field trips, and group sports. Home-based education in Saskatchewan doesn't have to be isolating, but it will be if you don't make an effort to plug in.

If You're Also Considering Alberta

Saskatchewan's home-based education program and Alberta's are similar in allowing substantial curriculum freedom, but their administration differs. Saskatchewan registration is through the resident division with a written plan and portfolio records; Alberta offers supervised funding through willing authorities as well as an unfunded notification-only path.

If your family spans the two provinces or you're researching both, the Alberta Legal Withdrawal Blueprint covers Alberta's supervised versus unsupervised decision, the September count date, mid-year withdrawal implications, and how to notify your school authority correctly — all the procedural details that determine whether Alberta families get the funding they're entitled to.

The Practical Summary

Give the resident school division at least 30 days' notice before starting, submit the notification and written plan, and follow its registration and monitoring instructions. Keep running portfolio and summative records of what your child studies — notes, samples, and photos are useful. Renew with updated information and a written plan by the applicable deadline, generally August 15. That's the core compliance picture.

Everything else — curriculum, schedule, approach, outside activities — is yours to decide.

See more Alberta guides →