How to Withdraw from School in Alberta Without Losing the $901 Home Education Funding

Alberta is the only province in Canada that pays families to homeschool — a parent funding portion of exactly $901 per student per year for grades 1-12 (and $450.50 for kindergarten) on the supervised pathway. But the funding comes with specific conditions, and the most common mistake parents make during withdrawal is choosing the wrong pathway or missing the September count date, typically September 29 or 30, which forfeits the grant entirely for the current year. Here's how to withdraw from school in Alberta and keep the funding — and what to do if you've already missed the window.

The Two Pathways: Only One Gets You Funding

Alberta's Home Education Regulation (AR 145/2006) gives parents two options for home education. They are legally distinct, and the government notification form asks you to choose one. Checking the wrong box has consequences that last the full school year.

Pathway 1: Supervised (Funded)

You register with a school board — your local board or any non-resident board in the province — as a supervised home education family.

What you get:

• Exactly $901 per student per year for grades 1-12 ($450.50 for kindergarten) as the parent portion of the supervised grant
• A facilitator (Alberta-certified teacher) assigned by the board
• Access to curriculum resources, field trip funding, and extracurricular activities through the board
• The board handles your PASI registration (code 600)

What it costs you:

• You must submit an Education Program Plan covering core subject areas (language arts, mathematics, social studies, science)
• Two facilitator evaluations per year (the facilitator visits or meets remotely to review progress)
• The board retains exactly 50% of the total provincial grant for administration and must offer the parent the other 50% parent portion
• You must spend 75% of the disbursed amount on approved educational resources before receiving any cash reimbursements
• You must register by the September count date, typically September 29 or 30, to receive funding for the current school year

Pathway 2: Notification Only (Non-Funded)

You file a notification form with the Minister of Education stating you will provide a home education program.

What you get:

• Complete autonomy — no curriculum requirements, no evaluations, no board oversight
• Immediate legal withdrawal with no approval needed

What it costs you:

• Zero funding
• No access to board-provided resources or field trip subsidies
• No facilitator support (which can be a loss or a freedom, depending on your perspective)

Step-by-Step: Withdrawing with Funding Intact

Step 1: Choose Your Supervising Board First

This is counterintuitive — most parents think step one is withdrawing from the public school. It's not. If you want funding, register with your supervising board before or simultaneously with withdrawing. The board initiates the PASI change to home education status and the funding application.

You do not have to use your local school board. Province-wide non-resident boards like WISDOM Home Schooling, THEE (Traditional Home Education Experts), and Centre for Learning@HOME accept families from anywhere in Alberta. Each has different:

• Services and administration (the same 50% grant split, with different program offerings)
• Facilitation style (hands-off versus structured check-ins)
• Reimbursement speed (how quickly receipts are processed)
• Philosophical orientation (faith-based versus secular versus neutral)

The Alberta Legal Withdrawal Blueprint includes a side-by-side board comparison covering all of these factors.

Step 2: Submit Your Withdrawal Letter to the School

Send the school a written withdrawal letter addressed to the principal. Separately, submit the official Home Education Notification Form to your chosen associate board; the board submits the supervised notification to Alberta Education. The unsupervised form instead goes to the Minister of Education at Alberta Education.

The letter should state:

• Your child's name
• Effective date of withdrawal
• That your child will receive home education or another alternative education

Make a separate written request for the child's cumulative records; it is recommended, but is not a required element of the withdrawal notice.

The letter does not need to include your education plan, curriculum choices, or reasons for withdrawing. If the principal asks for any of these, they are overstepping their authority.

Step 3: Confirm the PASI Code Change

After your board registration and school withdrawal are both processed, your child's PASI record should reflect home education status (code 600). Your supervising board handles this on their end, but it's worth confirming — because until PASI reflects the change, the public school continues to receive per-student funding for your child.

Step 4: Submit Your Education Program Plan

Your supervising board will ask for an Education Program Plan (EPP) — a working document covering subjects, resources, and assessment. This is not a lesson-by-lesson curriculum map. You can amend it by emailing a revised version to the supervising authority.

The EPP does not need to follow the Alberta Program of Studies word-for-word. You have flexibility in how you deliver education — the board is verifying that education is happening, not prescribing how it happens.

Step 5: Use the Funding Correctly

The 75% rule is the most common funding trap. Here's how it works:

• The board administers the provincial grant and makes the parent portion of exactly $901 available through a reimbursement account
• You submit receipts for approved educational expenses — curriculum, books, supplies, online programs, field trip fees
• You must spend at least 75% of the disbursed amount on approved resources before the board releases any portion as unrestricted cash
• If you don't submit receipts totalling 75%, the remaining funds stay with the board

Approved examples include purchased curriculum, educational software, art and science supplies, musical instruments for music education, physical education lessons, and field-trip admission. Competitive sports, transportation or postage, food, furniture, internet bills, and computer hardware are examples of expenses that may be ineligible under board policies.

What If You've Missed the September Count Date?

If you're reading this in October or later, here are your realistic options:

Option A: Notification only for this year, funded next year. File the unfunded notification form immediately. Your child is legally withdrawn. You receive no funding this school year. In July or August, register with a supervising board for the following September. This is the fastest and most certain path.

Option B: Contact boards about future registration. You can ask a supervising board about its current capacity and registration process, but a withdrawal after the September count date receives no supervised grant for that school year. The child can still exit immediately and receive the parent funding portion after the following September count date if registration is in place then.

Option C: Shared Responsibility program. Some school boards offer "blended" or shared responsibility programs where the school provides 20-80% of instruction and the parent provides the rest. These sometimes have different registration timelines. This is not traditional home education — your child would attend school part-time — but it may be an option if you want to maintain some school connection while gaining flexibility.

The Funding Numbers in Context

The $901 parent portion per student sounds generous — and it is, relative to other provinces (most offer nothing). The board administers it through a reimbursement account:

• At least $675.75 (75%) must go to approved educational purchases before cash-equivalent reimbursements are released
• Up to $225.25 is the remaining 25% after the 75% threshold, subject to the board's reimbursement rules

For a family with three school-age children, the parent portions total $2,703; at the 75% threshold, $2,027.25 must go to approved educational purchases and $675.75 is the remaining 25%, subject to board rules.

Who This Is For

• Parents who want to homeschool in Alberta and access the $901 per student grant
• Parents who withdrew (or are about to withdraw) and don't want to accidentally forfeit funding by choosing the wrong pathway
• Families who are confused by the difference between "supervised" and "not supervised" on the government notification form
• Parents who've heard about Alberta homeschool funding but don't understand the September count date, the 75% rule, or the board's administration split

Who This Is NOT For

• Parents who want zero oversight and don't care about the funding — the notification-only pathway is simpler and faster
• Parents already registered with a supervising board who understand the system — this is for the withdrawal and initial setup phase
• Families outside Alberta — no other province offers comparable home education funding

Frequently Asked Questions

Does the $901 go directly into my bank account?

No. The grant goes to your supervising board, which retains 50% of the total grant for administration and makes the parent portion of $901 available through a reimbursement account. You submit receipts for approved educational expenses, and the board reimburses you from that account. After spending 75% on approved items, the remaining balance can be released as unrestricted cash under the board's rules.

Can I choose any curriculum I want and still get funding?

On the funded pathway, your Education Program Plan must show you're covering core subject areas. But "covering" is interpreted broadly — you don't need to use Alberta-published textbooks. Families use everything from Montessori and Charlotte Mason approaches to online platforms like Khan Academy and IXL. The key is that your EPP shows the subjects are being addressed and your facilitator confirms this during evaluations.

What happens to the funding if I withdraw from the supervising board mid-year?

If you leave a supervised pathway mid-year, you forfeit the remaining grant for that year. Any unspent funds in your account revert to the board. You can re-register the following September with the same or a different board.

Is the $901 per child or per family?

Per child. A family with three children in grades 1-12 receives three separate parent portions totalling $2,703. A kindergarten student receives a $450.50 parent portion.

Can I use the funding for internet service, a computer, or a desk?

Computer hardware and internet bills are examples of expenses that may be ineligible, while educational software and other approved resources may qualify. Check your specific board's approved expense list before purchasing.

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