PA Homeschoolers: Organizations, Networks, and Community Resources

Homeschooling in Pennsylvania can feel isolating — especially in the first year, when the weight of the compliance requirements hits all at once. But Pennsylvania has one of the oldest and most developed homeschool communities in the country, with statewide advocacy organizations, accreditation agencies, regional co-ops, and online networks that have been supporting families for decades.

Knowing where these communities are, and what each one offers, can make an enormous difference — both in navigating the legal landscape and in finding the academic and social resources your child needs.

Statewide Advocacy and Legal Resources

Christian Homeschool Association of Pennsylvania (CHAP)

CHAP is the oldest and most politically active homeschool advocacy organization in Pennsylvania, with roots stretching back to the earliest days of the modern homeschool movement. CHAP played a central role in shaping the 1988 Home Education Law and continues to advocate in Harrisburg for parental educational rights.

For families, CHAP provides:

• Free sample affidavits, unsworn declarations, and educational objective templates
• Portfolio checklists and guidance for assembling a legally compliant binder
• Their widely-watched "Chattin' with CHAP" video series, which walks through the nuances of the annual compliance cycle
• An annual convention in Harrisburg (typically in late spring) featuring curriculum vendors and legal workshops

CHAP's tone and content are explicitly evangelical Christian, which is a good fit for some families and a mismatch for others. If you prefer secular or non-religious resources, CHAP's legal materials are still useful as starting points, but the framing and community will be faith-oriented.

Pennsylvania Home Education Network (PHEN)

PHEN is the major secular and inclusive homeschool advocacy organization in Pennsylvania. Where CHAP serves the traditional religious homeschool community, PHEN has historically been the home for families who approach homeschooling from a secular, eclectic, unschooling, or progressive educational philosophy.

PHEN maintains connections to legislative developments and provides a community space where families who don't fit the religious homeschool mold can find support and information without the evangelical framing.

HSLDA (Home School Legal Defense Association)

HSLDA is a national organization with significant membership and legal activity in Pennsylvania. For families facing district-level confrontations — an administrator demanding to inspect your portfolio directly, a truancy notice despite a filed affidavit, or a compliance challenge — HSLDA membership provides access to legal counsel. Pennsylvania's complex enforcement environment means district overreach happens with enough regularity that legal protection is worth considering for some families, particularly those in dense suburban districts around Philadelphia.

Accreditation and Diploma Programs

Pennsylvania Homeschoolers Accreditation Agency (PHAA)

PHAA is a Pennsylvania-specific accreditation organization founded by Howard and Susan Richman, two of the pioneers of the homeschool movement in the state. PHAA reviews a student's credits and coursework and issues its own diploma — offering an additional layer of third-party institutional validation beyond the supervisor-issued diploma permitted under Act 196.

For families whose students are applying to colleges, military service, or professional certifications, a PHAA diploma carries recognizable authority. PHAA charges membership renewal fees, filing fees (ranging from approximately $60 to $120 depending on deadlines), and transcript request fees for each request sent to colleges or institutions.

Mason-Dixon Homeschoolers Association

Mason-Dixon is another diploma-granting organization serving the Pennsylvania and Maryland region. Like PHAA, it provides an external credential that some families prefer when the parent-issued diploma feels insufficient for their post-secondary goals.

Academic Programs and Enrichment

PA Homeschoolers AP Online (The "PA Homeschoolers" Program)

When Pennsylvania families and college admissions officers refer to "PA Homeschoolers" specifically, they often mean the PA Homeschoolers AP Online program — a nationally recognized academic program co-founded by Howard and Susan Richman. This is one of the oldest and most academically rigorous online AP course programs in the country, serving homeschooled students across the United States, not just Pennsylvania.

PA Homeschoolers AP courses are taught by experienced instructors, run on a traditional academic calendar, and result in AP exam scores submitted to the College Board in the normal way. Students who complete these courses routinely report that the coursework is demanding and prepares them extremely well for AP exams. For Pennsylvania families whose students want college-level coursework, early college applications, or a competitive academic transcript, PA Homeschoolers AP is one of the strongest options available.

Courses span most major AP subject areas. The program operates independently of any school district and does not require any special permission from your local superintendent.

Dual Enrollment at Pennsylvania Community Colleges

Pennsylvania law (Act 55 of 2022) requires school districts to allow homeschooled students to enroll in academic courses, co-curricular activities, and Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs at the local high school. Separately, Pennsylvania's community colleges — including HACC, Community College of Philadelphia, Community College of Allegheny County (CCAC), and others — accept dual enrollment students from homeschool programs.

Dual enrollment credits appear on an official college transcript, carry real credit-hour weight for future college applications, and demonstrate academic capability in a structured institutional setting. Many Pennsylvania homeschool families combine PA Homeschoolers AP for rigorous theoretical coursework with local community college enrollment for lab sciences, vocational programs, or dual-credit courses.

Regional Co-Ops and Community Networks

Pennsylvania's 44,692 homeschooled students (as of the 2024–2025 academic year) are spread across every region of the state, but the density is highest in specific corridors — Lancaster County (4,851 students), Berks County (2,522), Allegheny County (2,387), Chester County (1,838), and Bucks County (1,587).

In these high-density areas, regional co-ops have flourished. Co-ops in Pennsylvania range from small, subject-specific tutorial groups to larger, campus-style programs that meet two or three days per week. Subject offerings typically include lab sciences, writing, foreign languages, fine arts, physical education, and specialized electives.

Some well-known regional networks include:

Heritage Homeschoolers — A network with connections across the suburban Philadelphia area, serving families who want structured academic co-op classes combined with a supportive community environment. Heritage-type co-ops often follow a more classical or traditional academic model.

Allegheny County Area Co-Ops — The Pittsburgh metro area has a strong cluster of secular and inclusive co-ops, reflecting the demographic profile of Allegheny County's homeschool population (heavily post-pandemic, secular, and eclectic in educational philosophy).

Lancaster County Homeschool Community — Lancaster County remains the largest single county for homeschooling in Pennsylvania, with an extensive web of co-ops, resource groups, and support networks serving both traditional religious families and the growing secular population.

Finding a local co-op is typically done through Facebook groups (search "[Your County] Homeschoolers" or "[Your County] Homeschool Co-op"), the CHAP directory, or PHEN's regional listings. Personal referral from other homeschool families remains the most reliable method.

Online Communities

Pennsylvania homeschoolers are extremely active on Reddit, particularly in subreddits like r/Pennsylvania, r/homeschool, and state-specific Facebook groups. For parents navigating district pushback, evaluator selection, or the logistics of the June 30 deadline, these communities are often the fastest source of peer-to-peer practical advice.

The annual cycle of compliance generates predictable community activity: affidavit preparation questions in July and August, mid-year portfolio organization discussions in February and March, and an intense cluster of evaluator recommendations and portfolio review questions in May and June.

Getting Your Paperwork Ready

Whatever community resources you use, the compliance work ultimately falls on you as the supervisor. The portfolio your evaluator reviews, the attendance log documenting your 180 instructional days, and the work samples demonstrating sustained progress are your responsibility to maintain across the year.

The Pennsylvania Homeschool Portfolio & Assessment Templates provide the infrastructure for this: a subject-organized reading log, 180-day attendance grid, work sample dividers enforcing the "beginning, middle, end" structure evaluators prefer, a testing comparison guide for grades 3, 5, and 8, and a high school transcript template with automatic GPA calculation. Each form explicitly cites the provision of 24 PA C.S. §13-1327.1 it fulfills.

Whether you're part of CHAP, PHEN, a Heritage co-op, or going entirely independent, the portfolio is the artifact that every PA homeschool family ultimately needs.

See more United States homeschool guides →