How to Start Homeschooling in Saskatchewan: A Step-by-Step Guide

Most families who decide to homeschool in Saskatchewan spend weeks researching before they realize the actual process is straightforward. Saskatchewan is a moderate-regulation province: you register with your school division, submit a written educational plan, and report progress at the end of the year. There is no curriculum approval, no mandatory testing, and no government inspector coming to your house.

Here is exactly what you need to do, in order.

Step 1: Understand Your Legal Framework

Home-based education in Saskatchewan is governed by The Education Act, 1995 (Part VII) and the Home-Based Education Program Regulations, 2015. These two documents establish your right to educate your child at home and define what you must provide to your school division.

The key legal distinction: your school division is a registering authority, not an approving authority. Divisions cannot evaluate your curriculum and refuse to register you because they disagree with your approach. They receive your Notice of Intent and Written Educational Plan, verify the required information, and record you as a home-based education family. That's the full extent of their role during registration.

This matters because some families receive pushback from division staff who aren't familiar with the regulations. Knowing the legal framework protects you if that happens.

Step 2: Identify Your School Division

Saskatchewan has 27 school divisions. You register with the division that covers your home address — not the division your child currently attends if they're enrolled elsewhere.

Look up your division on the Saskatchewan School Boards Association website, or call the division office nearest to you. When you call, ask to speak with the home-based education coordinator or designated official. This is not the school principal and not a classroom teacher — it's a specific administrator within the division office who handles all home-based education registrations.

City-specific notes:

• Saskatoon: Saskatoon Public School Division or Greater Saskatoon Catholic Schools, depending on your preference and address
• Regina: Regina Public School Division or Regina Catholic School Division
• Prince Albert: Prince Albert Catholic School Division or Prince Albert School Division No. 3
• Rural areas: Divisions like Prairie Spirit, Sun West, Light of Christ, or North East School Division — confirm your address falls within their boundaries

If French is your primary language of instruction, you may be served by a conseil scolaire rather than a public or Catholic division.

Step 3: Submit Your Notice of Intent

The deadline for starting at the beginning of the school year is August 15. For mid-year starts, you give 30 days' notice before your intended start date.

If your child is currently enrolled in school, provide written withdrawal notice to the school when you submit the Notice of Intent to the division. You do not need the school's permission to withdraw. Ask the school to transfer the child's cumulative record to the home-based education program.

Your registration package includes two components:

1. The Notice of Intent form Each division may use its own form, but the notice requires the student's full name, gender, date of birth, and (if applicable) last school, year of attendance, and grade completed, together with the directing parents' full names, physical address, and telephone number.

2. Your Written Educational Plan

This is the substantive part of the registration. It does not need to be elaborate — it needs to cover:

• Your philosophical approach to home-based education (a paragraph is sufficient — structured, interest-led, classical, Charlotte Mason, etc.)
• Minimum three broad annual goals for each of the four core subjects: Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies
• The educational activities, methods, and resources you plan to use
• How you'll assess your child's progress throughout the year

What you do NOT need: daily schedules, scope-and-sequence documents, lesson plans aligned to provincial curriculum outcomes, or proof of purchased materials. The plan is a declaration of intent, not a detailed syllabus.

If you're withdrawing partway through the year, you write goals for the remainder of the year, not the full year.

Step 4: Know What Happens After You Submit

Your division acknowledges receipt of your notice. There is no approval of your educational approach. For a program starting with the school year, follow the applicable start date; for a mid-year start, the 30-day notice period applies before the program commences.

The school division may provide an opportunity to ask questions, but it cannot require an unmandated conference or home visit as a condition of registration.

During the school year, you teach your program as described in your educational plan. You're not required to submit progress reports mid-year, though some divisions offer optional support services you can access.

Step 5: File Your Annual Progress Report

At the end of each school year, you submit an Annual Progress Report to your school division. You have two options:

Option A: Portfolio of work — a collection of samples showing your child's learning across the core subject areas. There's no prescribed format. A binder of writing samples, math work, science projects, and social studies activities is standard. A brief narrative summary of what you covered and how your child progressed is often included.

Option B: Standardized test results — divisions are required to make standardized testing available to home-based families upon request. If you choose to use testing as your assessment method, those results satisfy the annual reporting requirement.

Most families use portfolios. Testing is available but never mandatory.

Funding Available Through Your Division

Saskatchewan does not have a province-wide per-student funding program for home-based education families. However, several divisions offer their own funding:

• Regina Public School Division: approximately $800 per elementary student, with a September 15 application deadline
• Saskatoon Public School Division: up to $500 specifically for technology, with other curriculum-material support governed by division rules
• Northwest School Division: approximately $750 reimbursement for eligible expenses
• Prairie Spirit School Division: prorated amounts based on enrolment date, with a March 1 cutoff for new applications

Ask your division directly what's available and what the registration and reimbursement process looks like — amounts and conditions change, and not every division offers funding.

Online Courses and the Sask DLC

The Saskatchewan Distance Learning Centre (Sask DLC) offers online courses to home-based education students. The rule to know: if your child takes 1 or 2 courses through Sask DLC, they remain classified as a home-based student. If they take 3 or more courses simultaneously, they're reclassified as an institutional student and lose home-based status.

This matters for families who want to supplement with online courses for subjects like high school science or French — keep it to one or two courses to stay within the home-based framework.

Support and Legal Resources

The Saskatchewan Home Based Educators (SHBE) is the provincial advocacy and support organization. Membership is $35 per year and includes access to resources, a community of local families, and occasional conventions. It's worth joining in your first year for the community connection alone.

HSLDA Canada offers legal representation and membership at $220 per year. Most Saskatchewan families never need legal help — the registration process is well-defined and division staff are generally cooperative. But if you're withdrawing from a school that's resisting, or dealing with a division that's overstepping its authority, having legal backing matters.

If you want a detailed, step-by-step withdrawal package specific to Saskatchewan — including a Notice of Intent template, Written Educational Plan framework, and withdrawal letter — the Saskatchewan Legal Withdrawal Blueprint covers the full process.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need a teaching certificate to homeschool in Saskatchewan? No. There is no teaching qualification requirement in Saskatchewan.

Can I homeschool high school students? Yes. Home-based education applies to all grade levels, including grades 10-12. For university preparation, check the admissions requirements of your target institution — U of S and U of R have specific processes for home-educated applicants.

Can I homeschool part-time? Saskatchewan law doesn't define a minimum number of hours or days. You're responsible for providing an educational program that meets your child's needs. Part-time arrangements — where a child attends school for some subjects and is home-based for others — require coordination with the school and division.

What if my division gives me incorrect information? Refer to the Home-Based Education Program Regulations, 2015. The regulations define exactly what divisions can and cannot require. If a division official tells you that you need provincial curriculum alignment, daily logs, or prior approval of your curriculum, they're wrong, and the regulations support you.

Starting is simpler than most families expect. Submit the Notice of Intent before August 15 for the upcoming academic year, or give at least 30 days' notice for a mid-year start, and write a reasonable educational plan.

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