How to Withdraw Your Child from School in Saskatchewan
Pulling your child out of school in Saskatchewan is a legal right, not a request — but the process involves mandatory registration documents and a separate school-withdrawal step that most families don't realize are distinct. The Notice of Intent and Written Educational Plan establish the home-based registration; a withdrawal letter is highly recommended when the child is already enrolled. During the notice period, the family remains subject to the province's compulsory attendance rules.
Here is the full process, from decision to registered homeschooler.
Understand What Saskatchewan Actually Requires
Saskatchewan home-based education is governed by the Education Act, 1995 (Part VII) and the Home-Based Education Program Regulations, 2015. The short version: any parent can provide home-based education. The school division does not approve or deny it. You notify — you don't apply.
This distinction matters because some families delay for weeks waiting for a response from the school division that amounts to "permission to proceed." No such permission exists. The division receives your documentation, confirms receipt, and files it. Your authority to educate your child at home comes from provincial statute, not from the division's sign-off.
There are 27 school divisions across Saskatchewan. Each processes registrations independently, so procedures vary slightly — but the core requirements are consistent province-wide.
Step 1: Send a Withdrawal Letter to the School Principal
For a clean administrative transition, send a separate letter to the principal of your child's current school. It requests that the child's enrollment be ended and the attendance register updated; until the school receives it, the child remains on the school's attendance register.
The withdrawal letter should include:
- Your child's full name, grade level, and current teacher
- The date withdrawal takes effect
- A statement that you are registering with the school division under the Home-Based Education Program
- A request to remove your child from the attendance register
- A request for transfer of your child's cumulative record to the home-based education program (report cards, assessments, any IEP documentation)
- A brief reference to the Education Act, 1995 as your legal basis
Send this by email with read receipt, or by certified mail. If you go the email route, follow up by phone if you haven't received confirmation within two business days.
Do not wait for the school's response before moving to Step 2. Send the withdrawal letter and registration documents simultaneously where possible.
Step 2: Submit a Notice of Intent to the School Division Board
The second document goes to your school division's central administrative office — not the school. This registers your home-based education program under provincial law.
The Notice of Intent must include:
- Your child's name, date of birth, and previous school (if applicable)
- Your contact information
- A Written Educational Plan with a minimum of three broad annual goals for the core areas of Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies, plus the expected educational activities, instructional methods, learning resources, and means of assessing and recording progress
The Written Educational Plan does not need to be elaborate. It should explain the program's philosophy, activities, methods, resources, and assessment approach without becoming a lesson plan. Most divisions accept a plain one- to two-page document.
Timing: If you are withdrawing at the start of the school year, the Notice of Intent deadline is August 15. For mid-year withdrawals, you must submit the notice 30 days before you intend to begin home-based instruction.
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What Happens During the 30-Day Window
Here is the part of the process that catches families off guard: if you are switching mid-year, there is a 30-day period between when you submit your Notice of Intent and when your home-based education registration is formally in effect. During that window, your family is technically still subject to compulsory attendance requirements.
This does not mean you will receive a truancy notice — school divisions generally do not pursue families who have clearly initiated the registration process. But the legal exposure is real, which is why submitting the withdrawal letter and Notice of Intent on the same day is the right approach. Your paper trail demonstrates that you acted in compliance with the regulatory framework.
If your situation requires a faster transition — a safety concern, a medical situation, a custody arrangement — contact the division office directly. Many divisions will expedite processing on request when circumstances warrant it.
What the School Can and Cannot Do
Once your child is withdrawn, the school's role is administrative: remove the child from the attendance register and release the cumulative record. That's it.
The school principal cannot:
- Refuse to process the withdrawal
- Require you to attend an exit meeting
- Demand a home visit before confirming registration
- Ask you to explain or justify your decision to homeschool
- Refuse a request to transfer your child's cumulative record to the home-based education program
Some principals, especially in smaller communities, will attempt to schedule a meeting or ask questions about your plans. These conversations are optional. Declining politely is completely within your rights.
Occasionally families report division staff describing the process as an "application" that needs to be "approved." This is incorrect under provincial law. The Notice of Intent is a notification. If you encounter pushback, reference the Home-Based Education Program Regulations, 2015 directly — most staff will recognize the regulatory language and defer to it.
What You Need to Teach
Once you're registered, Saskatchewan law does not prescribe a specific curriculum, require standardized testing, or set minimum daily or weekly instructional hours. Your Written Educational Plan and Annual Progress Report should document the program and the progress made.
You can use a commercial packaged curriculum, an online school, library and internet resources, or a combination of approaches. Religious families can integrate faith-based content without conflict with provincial requirements.
Annual reporting is required: at the end of the school year, you submit a progress report to the school division describing what your child studied and what progress was made, accompanied by a portfolio of work or an optional standardized-test result. Standardized testing is optional; the written narrative summarizes the progress.
Re-Enrollment: What to Expect If You Return
If your family decides to return to public school at some point, re-enrollment is handled at the school level. Schools in Saskatchewan are not required to automatically recognize grades or credits completed during home-based education. Placement decisions are at the principal's discretion and are typically based on a portfolio review, academic assessment, or both.
This is worth planning for if your child is approaching high school. Students who want to earn a provincial diploma should plan recognized secondary credits through an entity such as Sask DLC or an independent school; home-based registration alone does not automatically award those credits.
The Paperwork in Plain Terms
Switching from public school to homeschool in Saskatchewan uses two documents sent to two recipients on the same day where possible:
- A withdrawal letter to the school principal, stating the effective date and requesting record release
- A Notice of Intent to the school division board, with a Written Educational Plan attached
Send both. Keep copies and delivery confirmations. Begin home-based education when the withdrawal is in effect and the applicable notice period has elapsed.
The Saskatchewan Legal Withdrawal Blueprint includes ready-to-use templates for both documents, plus guidance on handling division-by-division variation, the 30-day notice window, and what to do if a school resists the withdrawal. If you want to get through this process without spending days researching what each division actually accepts, it covers everything in one place.
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