Home Schooling
- Home
- Programs
- Alternative Education
- Home Schooling
SD46 Home Schooling
Under the School Act, parents/guardians must register their children with a public school, an independent school, a francophone school or an online learning school on or before September 30th.
Registration is compulsory for all home schooled children beginning from September of the year that they turn 6 years old and until their 16th birthday. Please contact your neighbourhood school immediately to register your child if you have not done so already.
Parents/guardians should contact their neighbourhood school principal with regard to determine what resources and support services are available.
What is the difference between online learning (OL) programs and traditional homeschooling?
- Online learning (OL) programs follow the BC curriculum learning guidelines for school subjects.
- Online learning programs or courses are taught by qualified persons who are certified by the Ministry’s Teacher Regulation Branch.
- At SD46, we offer the following programs designated as OL: SPIDER (Students Participating in Distance Education Resources) Programs: Elementary K-6, ProjectSPIDER 7-9, and Secondary Online Learning 10-12.
- SD46 SPIDER programs provide direct support to parents who have chosen to have their children learn at home.
- Students register with their catchment area school and contact the Elementary or Project/Secondary SPIDER principal to discuss their interest in the program.
- Students are eligible to receive a British Columbia Dogwood Graduation Certificate upon completion of their high school studies.
- For more on online learning in BC, visit the Ministry of Education’s online learning site.
- Traditional homeschooling is an alternative method of teaching offered outside of the BC educational system.
- Typically, a family member delivers the entire educational program to children at home.
- Homeschool students register with their catchment area school, but are not required to follow provincially-mandated curricula.
- Students are not eligible to receive a British Columbia Dogwood Graduation Certificate, unless they transition back to a traditional classroom in time to meet the graduation requirements.
- For more on traditional homeschooling in BC, visit the Ministry of Education’s homeschooling information page.