How does homeschooling with a credentialed private tutor work?
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California law lets a credentialed tutor, who can be the parent, teach a child at least 3 hours a day, 175 days a year, between 8am and 4pm, in the standard public-school subjects, in English. This is the least-used of the pathways because it requires the instructor to hold a valid California teaching credential for the grade taught, but it requires no affidavit filing or state reporting at all.
What is the legal basis?
EC Section 48224 exempts children from compulsory public-school attendance if they are 'being instructed in study and recitation for at least three hours a day for 175 days each calendar year by a private tutor or other person in the several branches of study required to be taught in the public schools of this state and in the English language,' between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. The tutor 'shall hold a valid state credential for the grade taught.' (source)
Can the parent be the tutor?
Yes, per HSLDA's secondary guidance, the statute says 'a private tutor or other person' with no exclusion for parents, so a parent holding a valid California teaching credential for the grade(s) taught qualifies. This is the key limiting factor: relatively few parents hold an active CA teaching credential, which is why this pathway is used far less than the PSA/PSP/independent-study routes. (source)
What does it cost, and what paperwork is required?
No state filing or affidavit is required for this pathway (confirmed on CDE's own alternatives page, which lists it as a distinct option from the home-based private school route requiring EC 33190/48222 filing). Cost is whatever the family pays the tutor (if not a parent) plus curriculum materials; no figure is set or published by the state. (source)
How much curriculum freedom do I get?
Same content floor as the PSA/PSP routes, instruction must be in English and cover 'the several branches of study required to be taught in the public schools', but no state review of specific materials chosen, since this pathway does not run through the private-school affidavit system at all. (source)
What do I give up compared to other pathways?
The credential requirement itself is the trade-off, it rules out most parents outright. There is also a strict time/day-count formula (3 hrs/day x 175 days/year within an 8am-4pm window) that isn't required of PSA/PSP families, who face no minimum-hours law. No public funding, same as PSA/PSP. (source)
How do I start, and what deadlines matter?
No enrollment, filing, or deadline exists for this pathway, it is self-executing as long as the credential and hourly/daily requirements are met. Families should independently verify their credential is current via the CA Commission on Teacher Credentialing before relying on this exemption (verification step not covered by CDE's homeschooling pages; flagged as a gap for the FAQ/glossary pass).
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