PSA vs PSP: how California's two private-school homeschool pathways compare

Both are private schools filed under the same law, California Education Code Section 33190. The difference is who files: under a PSA, you file the affidavit yourself for your own home. Under a PSP, the program files one affidavit covering every family it enrolls, and the PSP, not you, is the legal school of record. (CDE: Private School Affidavit Information)

Filing a PSA is free, CDE publishes no fee schedule for it. A PSP is privately run and sets its own tuition, which varies by program and isn't standardized statewide, so contact each program directly for its current rate. (CDE: Private School Affidavit Information)

Filing your own PSA gives you full curriculum freedom, limited only by the state's baseline requirement that instruction be in English and cover the same branches of study as public schools. A PSP's curriculum freedom depends on the specific program: some prescribe a set curriculum, others let enrolled families choose their own materials within the PSP's affidavit. (CDE: Schooling at Home)

No, neither does. Both are private-school pathways under EC Section 33190, so neither receives public funds. That's a real difference from public charter or district independent study, which do provide funding but require secular curriculum and a credentialed supervising teacher. (CDE: Private School Affidavit Information)

For a PSA, you file directly with the California Department of Education at cde.ca.gov/sp/ps/affidavit.asp. The statutory window is October 1-15 each year, though the online system stays open August 1 through June 30 for new filers, and filing itself is the entire enrollment step, no application or lottery. For a PSP, you contact and enroll with the specific program; each sets its own application process and timeline, and the PSP then files that same October 1-15 affidavit covering everyone it enrolls. (CDE: Private Schools (state requirements))