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.
Ministry of Education and Child Care’s Homeschooling Procedures and Guidelines
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.