British Columbia

In British Columbia, Homeschooling programs are not supervised by a B.C. certified teacher, required to meet provincial standards, or inspected by the Ministry of Education. Parents are not required to have special qualifications however, they are required to give notice prior to homeschooling.

Homeschooled students are not eligible to receive a British Columbia Dogwood Graduation Certificate.

Notification:

In accordance with BC’s School Act (Division 4 section 13) Parents intending to homeschool their children must register each child by September 30th of each year with a BC public or private school of their choosing.

Qualifications:

None

Days or Hours:

None

Subjects:

None — The responsibility of determining an education program and educating each child belongs solely to the parent. The BC Education Act defines an educational program as: 

“An organized set of learning activities that is designed to enable learners to become literate, to develop their individual potential and to acquire the knowledge, skills and attitudes needed to contribute to a healthy, democratic and pluralistic society and a prosperous and sustainable economy”

Bookkeeping:

None

Assessments:

None — At the parent’s request, assessments may be provided by the registering school. 

Intervention:

Anyone who believes a child is not attending school and has not been registered as homeschooled may  report this concern to the superintendent of any school in the school district in which the child in question resides.

Anyone who believes that a child is registered to be homeschooled but is not receiving an education should report their concerns to the superintendent or the directeur general in the district where the child resides. The directeur general, or superintendent is responsible for investigating concerns after receiving reports. 

No consequences will fall upon the person reporting the concern, the directeur general, or the superintendent as long as the report or action taken was not undertaken with malicious intent. 

Reporting suspicions of Abuse

Under the Child, Family and Community Service Act (CFCSA) anyone who has concerns that a child has been or is likely to be abused or neglected, is a mandatory reporter and must report their concerns to a child welfare worker.
To contact call: 1 800 663-9122 24/7
For emergency situations call the police 9-1-1. 

Services Available: 

Part time enrollment

Homeschooled students in grades K-9 may, with permission of the board of education, audit classes and education programs offered by the board.  Credit will not be received for these courses. Homeschooled students in grades 10-12 may choose to enroll in a partial, or full educational program offered through distributed learning. 

Distributed Learning:

Homeschooled students in grades 10-12 may choose to enroll in Distributed Learning  either full-time, or to supplement their homeschooling by signing up for specific courses. If a homeschooled student in grade 10-12 to take a course which is not offered through Distributed Learning, they may, with permission of the board of education, audit the course offered by the board of education. 

Distributed learning utilizes electronic tools; internet, video, email, and conference calls, to teach their students. Distributed Learning teachers provide textbook resources, and maintain progress reports for each student.  

Athletics

No provision grants participation in athletics or other school clubs, however, homeschooled students may be allowed to participate in accordance with district policies, or at the principal’s discretion.

Other Resources: 

The school that registers a homeschooled child may, at the parent’s request, provide: evaluation and assessment services & loan educational resource materials. 
With permission of school board, a child may audit educational programs offered by the board.

Links:
BC School Act – (Homeschooling is outlined under Division 4) 
Home Schooling in British Columbia –BC Government
Distributed Learning Policy for Homeschoolers  –BC Government 
Flexible Options for Receiving High School Diploma — BC Government