California provides four options for homeschooling: private school program (PSP), public charter or independent study program, private tutor, or private home-based school. Families with children between the ages of 6 and 18 must file a Private School Affidavit (PSA) with the California Department of Education in October of every year or enroll in a PSP or charter school homeschool program in compliance with the state’s homeschool regulations. There is no timeframe stipulated within which a family who arrives in the state must file the affidavit other than October of each year.

CA Governor Newsom signed AB 1412 in October 2025, which will help to minimize delays for students transferring into the state with existing Individualized Education Programs (IEP) or Section 504 Plans. Effective January 1, 2026, this bill requires a local educational agency, within 30 days of receipt of official records or specified unofficial records, to either adopt and implement the individualized education program previously adopted for the pupil or develop, adopt, and implement a new individualized education program for the pupil that is consistent with federal and state law, if applicable. It also reiterates requirements under Advance Enrollment and Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children statutes to require school districts to accept hand-carried, unofficial copies of records provided by parents of military-connected students until official records are received from the sending school district.