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🎓 California School Choice, ESAs & Scholarships

Which California education savings accounts, scholarships and tax credits a homeschool family can use, what they pay for, and where California stands on school choice — from our California guide.

Overseen by	The California Department of Education (CDE) collects Private School Affidavits and publishes guidance on schooling at home and independent study. Local school districts verify that a homeschool has filed before treating the child as exempt from public school (Education Code 33190, 48222). Charter schools answer to the district or county board that authorized them.
Administered by	There is no state program office or spending portal. Home-based private schools file the affidavit online with CDE. Each charter school or district runs its own independent study program, decides what instructional funds it offers, and approves and contracts with its own vendors.
Amount per student, 2026–27	None from the state for private homeschooling, and no state-set figure for charter families. Any instructional or enrichment budget is set by each charter school from its own public funding and varies by school. Charters may not give independent study families money or other things of value that classroom students don't get (EC 51747.3).
Who is eligible	Any family may homeschool a child of compulsory school age (6 to 18) by filing the affidavit, using a PSP or using a credentialed tutor. Charter and district independent study is voluntary and open to students the program enrolls. A charter can claim state funding for independent study only for students who live in the county where it reports attendance or an adjacent county (EC 51747.3(c)).
Application window / next dates	The affidavit's legal filing period is October 1–15 each year. The 2026 period closed October 15, 2026, but CDE's online system stays open from August 1 to June 30 for new schools and new homeschools, so a family starting now can still file for 2026–27. Charter enrollment dates are set by each school. Contractor policies under AB 126 are due July 1, 2027.
Homeschool status	A home-based private school is a private school: no state funds, no state testing and no reporting to the district beyond verification of the affidavit. A charter or district independent study student is a public school student, with a supervising credentialed teacher, state testing and secular coursework.

Charter and district independent study: what you sign up for

Independent study is optional. Districts and charters may offer it but don't have to, and no student can be required to take part (EC 51745; CDE Independent Study FAQ). The student, the parent and the supervising teacher sign a written agreement. A certificated teacher employed by the school supervises the work and judges its time value for attendance (EC 51747.5).

The coursework must be substantially equivalent to classroom instruction and aligned to state standards. AB 126 (2026) also requires the school to keep one completed work sample in each of English language arts, math, history-social science and science for every independent study student in each of three attendance periods. Students must have opportunities for live interaction or synchronous instruction, and schools follow up when a student falls behind or misses too many assignments.

Charter students take the same state tests as other public school students (EC 47605(d)). Charter schools must be nonsectarian and cannot charge tuition (EC 47605(e)). CDE says religious materials cannot be assigned or used to complete independent study work, because the California Constitution bars public money for sectarian schools and religious instruction in public schools (Art. IX, Sec. 8). A charter also gets no public funds for a student who also attends a private school that charges tuition (EC 47602(b)).

That religious-materials rule was challenged in Woolard v. Thurmond. The families lost in the Ninth Circuit (opinion amended March 23, 2026) and asked the U.S. Supreme Court to take the case in August 2026 (No. 26-237). Responses are due October 23, 2026. As of October 17, 2026, no response had been filed, the Court had not decided whether to hear the case, and the rule stands.

Read the full section in our California guide

Charter instructional funds: what they can and can't pay for

Many homeschool charters give each student a yearly budget, often called instructional, educational or enrichment funds. No state law sets the amount or requires the budget, so each charter decides how much, what qualifies and how ordering works. The money stays with the school. The charter buys from vendors it has approved. Under state law (EC 51747.3), a school can lose state funding for an independent study student if it gives the family money or other things of value that classroom students don't get, or, for a charter, that a school district could not legally provide.

AB 126 (Chapter 65, Statutes of 2026, signed July 9, 2026) requires every school district, county office and charter school to adopt a contractor policy by July 1, 2027 (new EC 51827). Contracts already in effect stay until they expire, but new contracts and amendments that run past July 1, 2027 must follow the policy. It must include these rules:

Only nonsectarian materials, programs and activities, which also comply with state and federal nondiscrimination law
No paying private school tuition or fees for a student at a school that files the Private School Affidavit, unless the student's IEP requires it
No reimbursing parents for activities or services (exceptions exist for students with disabilities under an IEP and a legal settlement or agreement)
No contracting with a student's parent, guardian or relative for services only for that student, except paid school-related transportation
No annual or season passes or memberships to amusement or theme parks, zoos or family entertainment. Single-use admission, meals and transportation tied to a teacher's assignment are allowed
No cash payments or gifts to families as an incentive to enroll, refer or stay
Contracts must reflect reasonable market value, and the vendor must have a business license where applicable and appropriate insurance
Contractor staff who interact with students need a valid criminal records summary (a fingerprint background check), and the vendor must show qualifications for the activity
A vendor working under the contract may not charge fees to the student's family. A cleanup law, AB 2467 (signed September 27, 2026), added exceptions only for state preschool, after-school and child care programs
For nonclassroom-based charters, contracts must itemize costs for credentialed staff, administrative staff and instruction

Read the full section in our California guide

Other California programs: Cal Grant, college classes and sports

Federal scholarship tax credit: California is not on the IRS list of states taking part in the new federal scholarship tax credit for 2027 (as of September 14, 2026).

Read the full section in our California guide

Driver's licenses for home-schooled teens

Charter and district independent study students: a public or charter high school that offers driver education or behind-the-wheel training to its full-time students orders certificates from DMV too (DL 396, using DL 387, 387 A and 388 A). Ask your charter or district program whether it offers driver education or expects you to use a licensed driving school.

Read the full section in our California guide

Special education for homeschooled students

Part-time public classes: the federal Q&A reprinted by the North Santa Cruz County SELPA says state law decides whether a homeschooled child with a disability who takes some courses at a public school counts as a private school student or a public school student. Either way, the public school must give the child an equal opportunity to take part in or benefit from those courses under Section 504 and the Americans with Disabilities Act. If you want to enroll full time, the LEA where you live would generally have to make FAPE available.

Charter and district independent study: children with disabilities in public charter schools and their parents keep all of their federal IDEA rights (34 CFR 300.209(a)). A student with an IEP may take part in independent study if the IEP specifically provides for it. If a parent asks for independent study, the IEP team must decide case by case whether the student can receive FAPE there, and a student's need for adult support or for special education services doesn't rule it out (EC 51745(c), as restated in the Santa Cruz County Office of Education's independent study policy, adopted September 19, 2024). Before you enroll, ask the school in writing how it will provide your child's IEP services, and keep a copy of its answer.

Read the full section in our California guide

Articles for California families

California's Four Legal Ways to Homeschool, Compared: Affidavit, PSP, Credentialed Tutor or Charter
California has no ESA, voucher or tax-credit scholarship. What it has is four legal routes to teaching at home: filing the Private School Affidavit, joining a private school satellite program, using…

Official sources

Summarized from our California guide (as of October 2026) and articles. Rules change — confirm on the official pages before you act.

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