Saskatchewan Homeschool Registration: How to Register with Your School Division

Most families who contact their school division about home-based education in Saskatchewan expect an approval process — a committee, a review, a decision. There isn't one. Registration in Saskatchewan is a notification, not an application for permission. Understanding that distinction will save you a lot of anxious waiting.

Here is exactly how to complete registration correctly, what your submission needs to include, and what happens after you send it.

Which School Division Do You Register With?

Saskatchewan has 27 school divisions, and your registration goes to the one that covers your home address — not necessarily the division your child currently attends. Most families are served by their regional public school division, but there are two other options:

• A Catholic separate school division — if you want your home-based education registered within the Catholic system
• A conseil scolaire — if French is your language of instruction and you fall within a Francophone school division boundary

Your local school division's office can confirm coverage for your address. If your child is currently enrolled, you'll withdraw from their current school and register home-based education with the appropriate division — these are often the same division, but not always.

A designated official within each division manages home-based education registrations. This is not the school principal, not your child's classroom teacher. Contact the division office directly and ask for the home-based education coordinator or designated official.

What the Registration Requires

Saskatchewan's home-based education registration form is called a Home-Based Education Application (sometimes called a Notice of Intent, depending on the division). Across all 27 divisions, the required information is consistent:

Student information:

• Full legal name
• Gender
• Date of birth
• Previous school or educational history (if applicable)

Parent/guardian information:

• Names
• Home address
• Phone number

Educational program description: This is where families put the most effort, often unnecessarily. You are not submitting a curriculum. You are not being evaluated by a specialist. You are providing a brief description of the subjects you intend to cover and the general approach you'll use. Provincial requirements include language arts, mathematics, science, social studies, health education, the arts, and physical education. A sentence or two per subject is standard.

Example of a sufficient description for mathematics: "We will use Singapore Math Primary through to Grade 8, supplemented with Khan Academy for additional practice and hands-on problem-solving activities." That is enough. Divisions are not evaluating pedagogical sophistication — they are confirming that you intend to cover required subjects.

Submitting the Application

Submit directly to your school division's designated home-based education contact. Most divisions accept:

• Email with attached form
• Fax (some older divisions still list fax numbers as primary)
• In-person drop-off at the division office

Do not submit to the school your child currently attends. The school office typically redirects you to the division anyway, which creates delays. Go to the source.

After submission, the division will acknowledge receipt. You do not need to wait for acknowledgment to begin home educating. The notification requirement is satisfied when you submit — the division's processing timeline is their administrative concern, not yours.

If you are simultaneously withdrawing a child from an enrolled school, provide the school with written withdrawal notice at the same time you submit your home-based education application to the division. The school is required to release your child's records. You do not need their consent.

What Happens After You Register

Once registered for the school year, your obligations are:

1. Provide home-based education across the required subject areas.
2. Submit an Annual Progress Report at the end of the school year. This is a written summary of what your child studied and evidence of reasonable educational progress. It is not a standardized test. Most families submit a narrative summary with sample work or a list of completed activities.

The division's designated official may contact you during the year with questions, but routine check-ins are uncommon. Saskatchewan's framework is light-touch: submit your application, teach your child, report at year-end.

Funding

Saskatchewan does not provide provincial home-based education grants to all families the way Alberta does. However, several individual school divisions offer reimbursement programs for curriculum materials:

• Regina Public Schools — up to $800 per elementary student (funding tied to a September 15 deadline)
• Saskatoon Public Schools — up to $500 per student
• Prairie Spirit School Division — prorated funding, with a March 1 cutoff for new registrants
• Northwest School Division — up to $750 reimbursement model

These amounts and deadlines change. Confirm current figures directly with your division when you register. Funding is tied to registration with that specific division, so if you live in a division offering reimbursement, there is a real financial reason to complete registration correctly and on time.

Common Registration Mistakes

Waiting for formal approval before starting. The division notifies, it does not approve. Once your application is submitted, you are legally in compliance with the notification requirement and can begin home educating.

Submitting to the school instead of the division. Schools aren't set up to process home-based education registrations. You'll lose time in the redirect.

Writing an overly elaborate educational plan. Three paragraphs for seven subject areas is more than sufficient. Detailed scope-and-sequence documents, daily schedules, and learning outcome lists are not required and don't improve your application's standing.

Missing division-specific deadlines for funding. The provincial Aug 15 deadline governs compliance. Division funding deadlines (which vary) govern reimbursement eligibility. These are separate — and missing the funding deadline doesn't affect your legal right to homeschool, but it does cost you money.

If you want to make sure you're following Saskatchewan's requirements exactly — including what to write in the educational plan, how to handle a mid-year withdrawal, and what the Annual Progress Report needs to include — the Saskatchewan Legal Withdrawal Blueprint walks through each step with ready-to-use templates.

The Short Version

Registration in Saskatchewan means: find your school division, complete the Home-Based Education Application with student/parent info and a brief educational plan, and submit to the division's designated official. The Aug 15 deadline applies to families starting in September. Mid-year families have a 30-day notice window. No approval is required. You can begin teaching when you submit.

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