Subjects and Objectives Required by PA Law – Mason Dixon Homeschoolers Association

For more information about this matter and others relating to the PA Homeschool Law, please read the MDHSA Law Guide.

The Pennsylvania Homeschool Provisions Act 169 requires an outline of “proposed educational objectives” to be filed each year for each student. These objectives need to be attached to your notarized homeschool affidavit that has to be submitted by August 1 of each year for continuing homeschoolers.

What are objectives?
Objectives are simply worded proposed educational goals for the year by subject. For example, an objective in math could be, “Continue to improve computation skills.” Objectives are NOT long, specific lists of everything you plan to teach that year. In fact, 1-3 general objectives for each subject will suffice. Furthermore, if the wording is broad enough, objectives do not necessarily have to be changed every year.
Sample elementary and secondary objectives are available on our Free Printable Forms page.

While the law states that you must submit objectives to your school district, the school district cannot prevent you from homeschooling based on your objectives or require you to meet those objectives. However, if your goals are not written in objective form, the school district can require you to redo them in the proper format.

What subjects does my student need to study?
In Pennsylvania, required subjects are divided by grade levels: elementary (K-6th) and secondary (7th-12th).

At the elementary level (K-6th) the subjects required by law are:
English, to include spelling, reading and writing
Arithmetic
Science
Geography
History of the United States and Pennsylvania
Civics
Safety education, including regular and continuous instruction in the dangers and prevention of fires
Health and physiology
Physical education
Music
Art

Please note that the law only requires that these subjects be taught at the elementary level. It does not specify how often or how long they should be taught for. While some subjects should be taught on a frequent/daily basis, others can be taught intermittently or woven into other subjects your child is studying.

At the secondary level (7th-12th) the subjects required by law are:
English, including Language, Literature, Speech, Composition
Science
Geography
Social Studies, including Civics, World History, History of the United States and Pennsylvania
Mathematics, including General Mathematics, Algebra, Geometry
Art
Music
Physical Education
Health
Safety Education, including regular and continuous instruction in the dangers and prevention of fires

Optional Secondary Subjects:
Economics
Biology
Chemistry
Foreign Languages
Trigonometry

In addition to the above required subjects, below are the required minimum courses for high school graduation.

Required minimum courses in 9th-12th for graduation:
1) Four years [credits] of English
2) Three years [credits] of mathematics
3) Three years [credits] of science
4) Three years [credits] of social studies
5) Two years [credits] of arts and humanities.

If you plan on homeschooling through high school, you may wish to check out the MDHSA Diploma Program or purchase our DIploma Guide for more information about awarding high school credits.