What is a private school satellite program (PSP)?

Last checked 2026-09-17

Status: secondary. The legal basis (a PSP is a private school filing under Education Code Section 33190) is verified directly on the California Department of Education's own site. The day-to-day description below (what "satellite program" means operationally) relies on HSLDA, a secondary source, because no California statute defines that term or describes its mechanics in more detail than "private school."

A private school satellite program is a private school, filed under the same affidavit law as any private school, that enrolls other families' children for mostly at-home instruction under its own affidavit, rather than each parent filing their own. Families typically pay tuition for enrollment, recordkeeping, transcripts, and sometimes group classes or oversight; the PSP, not the parent, is the legal school of record.

How is a PSP different from filing my own PSA?

Legally, a PSP is simply a private school under EC Section 33190, CDE explicitly lists 'private school satellite programs' alongside conventional private schools, private online/virtual schools, and home-based private schools as filer types who must file the same annual affidavit. The practical difference is who files: under a PSP, the program itself files one affidavit covering all enrolled students, and files/maintains one attendance register, course list, and faculty record for the group, rather than each parent filing individually. A family enrolling in a PSP is a private-school student of that PSP, not an independent home-based private school. (source)

How does it work day to day?

Per HSLDA's secondary description (cross-checked, not primary law, since no CA statute uses the term 'satellite program' by name), a PSP is 'one in which the majority of the instruction is provided at home,' with the PSP responsible for meeting all the same private-school requirements as a standalone home-based school: English-language instruction, courses matching the public-school branches of study, an attendance register for every enrolled student, a list of courses of study, and a list of instructors with qualifications. Many PSPs add optional group classes, field trips, co-op days, or teacher check-ins, but none of that is a legal requirement, it's a service each PSP chooses to offer. (source)

What does it cost?

Unconfirmed at the general-pathway level, PSPs are privately run and set their own tuition/fees, which vary by program and are not publicly standardized. Per-program pricing belongs in the directory listings (R2's lane), not this pathway page; this page should say 'Contact each program for current tuition' rather than a number, per the brief's pricing rule.

How much curriculum freedom do I get?

This varies by PSP and is not set by state law beyond the baseline private-school requirements (English instruction, public-school branches of study). Some PSPs (e.g., classical, Charlotte Mason, or faith-based programs) prescribe a specific curriculum; others let enrolled families choose their own materials within the PSP's affidavit. A parent should ask each specific program directly rather than assume; this is a real difference from a self-filed PSA, where the parent alone controls curriculum choice. (source)

What do I give up compared to other pathways?

No public funding, same as a self-filed PSA, since PSPs are private schools and not publicly funded, plus ongoing tuition cost, and the family is bound by whatever curriculum/attendance/reporting rules the specific PSP sets as a condition of enrollment (potentially less flexible than a self-filed PSA, in exchange for the PSP's admin support, records, transcripts, and possibly a diploma issued under its own name).

How do I get started and what deadlines matter?

Contact and enroll with a specific PSP directly (each has its own application/enrollment process and timeline, unconfirmed generally). The PSP itself must file its affidavit in the same window as any private school: statutory period October 1-15, with CDE's online system open August 1-June 30 for new filings. (source)