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Home Instruction

Virginia law (Virginia Code § 22.1-254.1) requires families providing home instruction (also known as home-schooling) to:

Parent home instructing young child

  • Notify Prince William County Public Schools (PWCS) of their intent to provide home instruction each school year;
  • Provide PWCS a description of the curriculum; and
  • Submit to PWCS evidence of academic progress.

For the convenience of our home instruction families, the PWCS home instruction notification and evidence of progress processes are now online.

This online notification system is the most efficient way to submit your home instruction documents. We hope you will utilize this system to notify us of your intent to home instruct your child, or seek partial or full-time enrollment in your child's zoned school.

We will also gladly accept your documentation via our online portal, email, or U.S. mail, whichever is most convenient for you.

Home Instruction Process and Requirements

PWCS' Responsibility Under Virginia Law

PWCS is responsible under the law (Virginia Code § 22.1-254) to verify that all school-aged children residing in the county are:

  • Attending a public school or a private, denominational, or parochial school;
  • Being taught by a tutor or teacher of qualifications prescribed by the Virginia Board of Education and approved by the division superintendent;
  • Being provided home instruction (as described in Virginia Code § 22.1-254.1); or
  • Have been exempted from compliance with the compulsory school attendance law.

If you opt to discontinue the home instruction of your child, Virginia law requires you to satisfy the compulsory school attendance requirement in another way.

PWCS provides you with the option to complete a Notice of Intent to Discontinue Home Instruction form. Completion of this form is not required, but it is a convenient way to ensure that PWCS has the information necessary to verify that you and your child are in compliance with the law.

Annual Notification of Home Instruction Requirement

Under Virginia law, (Virginia Code § 22.1-254.1), any parent of a child who will be 5-years old by September 30 and who is not 18-years old may elect to provide home instruction in lieu of school attendance.

A parent or guardian is qualified to provide home instruction if one of the following conditions is met:

Lists of the different circumstances under which Home Instruction will be provided and documents needed.
Designation under which home instruction will be provided Required supporting documentation
I hold a high school diploma. A copy of my diploma or transcript from high school or a postsecondary institution.
I am a teacher of qualifications prescribed by the Virginia Board of Education. My current teaching certificate from the Virginia Department of Education.
I am providing a program of studies, limited to a list of subjects to be studied in the coming year, or curriculum delivered through a correspondence course or distance learning program or in any other manner. A description of a program of studies or evidence of curriculum.
I am providing evidence that I can provide an adequate education for my child(ren). Evidence that I can provide an adequate education for my child(ren) and a description of the curriculum to be followed for the coming school year.
I am a certified tutor or providing a certified tutor with an active license. A copy of a current certified tutor license.

Parents or guardians electing to provide home instruction in lieu of school attendance shall annually notify the PWCS no later than August 15 of their intent to provide home instruction for the child – including a description of the curriculum.

Annual Evidence of Progress Requirement

The parent is required to submit to the local school division by the following August 1, evidence of the child's academic progress with either:

  1. Evidence that the child has attained a composite score in or above the fourth stanine on any nationally normed standardized achievement test, or an equivalent score on the ACT, SAT, or PSAT test; or
  2. An evaluation or assessment that the division superintendent determines to indicate that the child is achieving an adequate level of educational growth and progress, including but not limited to:
    • An evaluation letter from a person licensed to teach in any state, or a person with a master's degree or higher in an academic discipline having knowledge of the child's academic progress, stating that the child is achieving an adequate level of educational growth and progress; or
    • A report card or transcript from a community college or college, college distance learning program, or home-education correspondence school.

Learn more on the Virginia Department of Education's Home Instruction webpage.

Important Dates and Deadlines

List of required deadlines for Home Instruction enrollment.
Date Action to Be Completed
April 15 Acceptance of Evidence of Progress for the current school year and Notice of Intent packets for the upcoming school year.
August 1 Due date for Evidence of Progress.
August 15 Due date for Notice of Intent and supporting documents.

Please submit paperwork as soon as possible to avoid the August rush.

Notice of Intent to Provide Home Instruction (Required)

Completing the Notice of Intent to provide home instruction online:

To use the online Annual Notice of Intent system, parents/guardians access the system through their PWCS ParentVUE account. If you don't have a PWCS ParentVUE account, learn how to create an account.

Online Notice to Provide Home Instruction Form Options

Before beginning the online home instruction annual notice of intent process, parents/guardians are encouraged to review the following home instruction options to choose from to ensure the correct selection is made.

  • Home Instruction Full Time – First-time completion for full-time home instruction students.
  • Home Instruction Partial – Middle and high school home instruction students who will be taking up to two classes at their zoned school in PWCS.
  • Home Instruction Continuing – Families of students who were in home instruction the previous school year. Evidence of Progress should be submitted with this packet (unless age exempt by law).
Information collected in the Online Notice to Provide Home Instruction form:
All Home Instruction Students
  1. Description of curriculum or program of study.
    • Please note that due to recent changes in the Virginia Code, parents/guardians need only submit a list of subjects to be studied during the coming year.
  2. Supporting documents proving eligibility to provide home instruction.
Continuing Home Instruction Students
  • Evidence of Progress – See the Annual Evidence of Progress Requirement for more information.

Completing the Notice of Intent to provide home instruction by email or mail:

The following forms are provided for your convenience; however, families may choose to submit their own letter or documentation if preferred. Please provide the required information to the PWCS Home Instruction office.

  • Description of curriculum or program of study.
    • Please note that due to recent changes in the Virginia Code, parents need only submit a list of subjects to be studied during the coming year. Parents may complete the sample Description of Curriculum (PDF) or submit a curriculum description or program of study in an alternate format.
  • Supporting documents proving eligibility to provide home instruction.
Contact Information

Email: [email protected]

Mailing Address:

College, Career, and Student Support Department
Home Instruction Office
PO Box 389
Manassas, VA 20108

Discontinuing Home Instruction (Optional)

If you are discontinuing home instruction, you may notify us (as a courtesy) in one of three ways.

  1. Visit the Online Registration Account & Records Access webpage in ParentVUE. After following the directions to log in, you will be directed to options which include withdrawing your student from home instruction using the Home Instruction Discontinue packet.
  2. Complete and submit the Notice of Intent to Discontinue Home Instruction Form (PDF) by email at [email protected]; or
  3. Mail:
    PWCS College, Career and Student Support Department
    Home Instruction Office
    PO Box 389
    Manassas, VA 20108

If your student is enrolling in PWCS, please register your student.

Have Questions?

Families are encouraged to review PWCS Regulation 722-2, "Home Instruction by Parents," for additional details.

If you have questions, please contact the Home Instruction office at [email protected].