Homeschooling in Montreal: How It Works Under Quebec's Education Act

Homeschooling in Montreal operates under Quebec's provincial education law, which is among the most regulated homeschool frameworks in Canada. Montreal families — whether Anglophone, Francophone, or Allophone — work through a process that is different from what applies in most other provinces, and understanding the specifics before you start avoids significant complications.

The Legal Framework

Quebec's Education Act requires that children receive instruction through a home-education process set out in the province's homeschooling rules. The Learning Project (Projet d'apprentissage) is a formal document that parents submit to the Direction de l'enseignement à la maison of the Ministère de l'Éducation, describing how they intend to educate their child.

Parents must also submit an annual notice of intent. Advance approval of the Learning Project is not a prerequisite to begin: the annual notice is due no later than July 1, or within 10 days of the last day the child attended school, and a project must be submitted and implemented by September 30 or, for a mid-year withdrawal, within 30 days of that last attendance day.

The provincial Direction de l'enseignement à la maison receives the notice and required project, and automatically submits the notice to the school service centre or school board. The local authority involved in Montreal depends on the family's residence and school system:

• Anglophone families may deal with the English Montreal School Board (EMSB) or Lester B. Pearson School Board, depending on the borough.
• Francophone families may deal with the Centre de services scolaire de Montréal (formerly the Commission scolaire de Montréal) or another local francophone authority.
• Allophone families may be directed to the French-language school system under Quebec's language laws.

Use Quebec's secure homeschooling site for the current submission process, and contact the relevant local authority about monitoring meetings, evaluations, or examinations.

What the Learning Project Must Include

The Learning Project is more than a curriculum list. Quebec expects the document to demonstrate that your educational approach will provide instruction equivalent in scope to the school system. A typical Learning Project includes:

• Educational approach and philosophy — describe how you intend to structure learning. This can be structured (textbook-based), project-based, eclectic, or unschooling-influenced, but you need to articulate it coherently.
• Subject areas and planned learning activities — the project must address the compulsory programs in language of instruction and second language, mathematics, science and technology, and social sciences, along with other knowledge and skills the child is expected to acquire.
• Assessment methods — how will you evaluate whether your child is progressing? Portfolios, parent-graded tests, standardized tests, narrative assessments, and demonstrations of mastery are all used by Quebec homeschoolers.
• Resources and materials — a list of curriculum materials, books, digital resources, or programs you plan to use, together with the approximate time, participating organizations, and evaluation methods relevant to the project.

The required information is submitted through the provincial process. Preparing a thorough initial project reduces back-and-forth if the Direction or local authority asks for clarification.

The Notice and Implementation Timeline

The annual notice of intent must be submitted no later than July 1, or within 10 days of the last day your child attended school. If the child stops attending during the school year, submit the Learning Project and start implementing it within 30 days of that last attendance day.

For a September start, submit the required information early enough to meet the July 1 notice deadline and the September 30 implementation deadline. A mid-year start follows the 10-day notice and 30-day project/implementation deadlines above.

The Learning Project can be updated when the educational approach or activities change. Follow the current instructions on the secure provincial site for submitting amendments and required reports.

Curriculum Choices for Montreal Families

There is no approved curriculum list in Quebec. You choose your own resources. In practice, Montreal homeschoolers draw from a wide range of options:

For Francophone families

Quebec curriculum documents (PFEQ) — the Québec Education Program is publicly available and details expected learning progressions by subject and cycle. Using these documents as a framework when writing your Learning Project is common and makes the equivalence argument easier to make.

La Trousse scolaire, Apprentissage illimité, and similar Quebec-based homeschool resource providers offer workbooks, activity packages, and unit studies in French aligned to the Quebec curriculum.

Libraries and public resources — the Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec (BAnQ) is a significant free resource in Montreal, with children's sections well-stocked with French-language educational materials.

For Anglophone families

Canadian online programs including programs from other provinces (ADLC from Alberta, CDLI from Newfoundland, various BC options) are used by Montreal Anglophone families who want Canadian-context materials without being constrained to Quebec's French-language curriculum structure.

US-based accredited programs (Connections Academy, Calvert, Bridgewater Academy) are used by some Montreal Anglophone homeschoolers and can provide structured, credentialed coursework.

EPCA (English Parents Committee Association) in Quebec offers guidance and resources specifically for Anglophone homeschoolers navigating Quebec's education system and may be able to direct you to current community resources in the Montreal area.

Homeschool Groups and Community in Montreal

Montreal's homeschool community is more diffuse than in provinces with a large, established homeschool culture, partly because Quebec's regulatory environment has historically made homeschooling less common. However, community does exist:

The Quebec Homeschooling Network connects families province-wide and is active on social media. Its Montreal membership includes both Francophone and Anglophone families.

Alliance des familles éducatrices (AFÉ) is Quebec's main homeschool advocacy association. AFÉ provides legal guidance, community events, and resources specifically for Quebec families navigating the Learning Project process and the broader education law.

Facebook groups for Montreal homeschoolers — searching "homeschool Montreal" or "éducation à la maison Montréal" surfaces several active groups where families share current experiences with specific school boards, curriculum recommendations, and community activities.

What Happens After You Submit

Once the notice and Learning Project deadlines are met, you implement the home education program and complete the required provincial reporting and evaluation steps.

In Quebec, families submit a status report and two reports on the child's learning progress each year to the Direction de l'enseignement à la maison. Parents and children must also attend a monitoring meeting, and homeschooled children take ministerial examinations. Maintaining a portfolio of your child's work throughout the year makes these steps easier.

The notice, Learning Project, reporting, monitoring, and evaluation obligations recur each school year; this is an annual process rather than an annual school-board approval.

High School and Beyond

For high school students, the picture becomes more complex. Quebec's high school graduation requires specific course credits, and homeschooled students who want a Quebec Diploma of Secondary Studies (DES) need to accumulate those credits through approved means.

Many Montreal homeschoolers use distance education through the Centre d'éducation aux adultes or private education centers to access provincial course credits at the secondary level. The adult education route is available to high school age homeschoolers in some cases and provides official transcripts that are recognized by CEGEP admissions.

CEGEP (the Quebec college system, required before university) has its own admissions processes and typically requires a DES or equivalent. Homeschooled students targeting Quebec universities need to plan their CEGEP pathway carefully; it is achievable but requires deliberate course planning from Grade 9 onwards.

Quebec's process is more involved than most provinces, but families who invest in understanding it upfront navigate it successfully every year. If you are based in Alberta and comparing regulatory environments, the contrast is significant — Alberta's system is considerably more parent-friendly, with faster registration, explicit non-supervised pathways, and no advance approval requirement.

If you are homeschooling in Alberta — or planning to start — the Alberta Legal Withdrawal Blueprint covers the province's specific process from school withdrawal through program registration, with templates and step-by-step instructions.

See more Alberta guides →