1st Grade homeschool cost in Pennsylvania (2026)
Short answer: the costed stacks below run ~$108-287/yr (book-led) to ~$440/yr (online-led) for the year, including consumables estimates. Submit a notarized affidavit (or unsworn declaration) with proposed objectives by subject, plus immunization and required health/medical-service evidence, to your district superintendent — by August 1 each year for continuing students; in your first year the program may begin when the affidavit and supporting documents are submitted. Checked Oct 19, 2026. Prices checked 2026-10-17.
Pennsylvania homeschool checklist (general information, not legal advice)
- Submit a notarized affidavit (or unsworn declaration) with proposed objectives by subject, plus immunization and required health/medical-service evidence, to your district superintendent — by August 1 each year for continuing students; in your first year the program may begin when the affidavit and supporting documents are submitted. Checked Oct 19, 2026.
- Compulsory attendance in Pennsylvania is age 6 to 18 (a child who is 6 on or before September 1 must enroll or begin home education that year); kindergarten itself is not required, and a district is not required to accept an affidavit for a child below its enrollment age. Checked Oct 19, 2026.
- Teach the required elementary subjects — including English (reading, writing, spelling), mathematics, science, geography, United States and Pennsylvania history, civics, health and physiology, physical education, music, art, and safety/fire prevention — for 180 days or 900 hours at elementary level. Checked Oct 19, 2026.
- Maintain a portfolio all year: a contemporaneous log of reading materials, samples of student work, attendance, and (in test grades) test results. Checked Oct 19, 2026.
- Submit a written evaluation by a qualified evaluator — based on an interview with the student and a review of the portfolio, stating whether an appropriate education is occurring — to your district superintendent by June 30 each year. Standardized testing is required in grades 3, 5 and 8 only (statewide tests or an approved nationally normed test); results go in the portfolio, not to the district. Checked Oct 19, 2026.
Source: Pennsylvania Department of Education — Home Education and Private Tutoring + Home Education Program guidance, checked Oct 19, 2026 · Checked 2026-10-19. General information, not legal advice — verify with your district/state.
Your stacks
Online-led core
~$440/yrStyle: eclectic / online-led · Worldview: Secular-leaning (verify per course) · Parent time: EST. 1-2h/day oversight
| Time4Learning PreK-5, 10 months | $399.50 at $39.95/mo VERIFIED Oct 19, 2026 (official pricing page, checked Oct 19) |
| Printing/supplies allowance | ~$40 ESTIMATE |
Total-year cost includes consumables estimates where labelled ESTIMATE. Where an affiliate link is shown, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Book-led (faith & secular routes)
~$108-287/yrStyle: book-led · Worldview: Master Books route is faith-based; TGATB route is faith-based, Dimensions Math is secular · Parent time: EST. 2-3h/day parent-led
| Master Books Grade 1 Basic 4-Subject Set | $236.72 VERIFIED Oct 19, 2026 (official Master Books store; list $295.92) |
| OR TGATB Language Arts Level 1 PDF + Dimensions Math 1 (1A+1B textbooks+workbooks) | Free PDF / $69.97 physical VERIFIED Oct 19, 2026 + $58 (4 x $14.50) VERIFIED Oct 19, 2026 |
| Optional All About Reading Level 2 add-on (not in totals) | $159.95 materials VERIFIED Oct 19, 2026; +$25.95 Letter Tiles + $17.95 Review Box if new to All About Reading |
| Books/supplies allowance | ~$50 ESTIMATE |
Following a book-led stack like this one? Arbor Homeschool is a planner for organising the year around the books you choose — not a curriculum.
Plan the year: Arbor planner (our affiliate link) →
Total-year cost includes consumables estimates where labelled ESTIMATE. Where an affiliate link is shown, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
1st grade in Pennsylvania: the learning-to-read year
First grade is the first “real” school year for many families, and the anxiety is usually about reading: phonics, fluency and whether your child is keeping up. That is why the priced 1st-grade stacks below are built around reading and early maths, not around copying Kindergarten or 3rd-grade prices. The online-led stack uses Time4Learning PreK–5 (covers 1st grade, re-verified Oct 19, 2026); the book-led stack uses Grade 1 / Level 1 products (Master Books Grade 1, The Good and the Beautiful Level 1, Dimensions Math 1 and an optional All About Reading Level 2 add-on), each priced from the publisher or official store on Oct 19, 2026. National curriculum prices do not change by state — what changes by state is the legal, testing and record-keeping section on this page.
Reading readiness in practice: expect short daily phonics or reading practice, lots of reading aloud, and maths with objects before worksheets feel easy. If reading clicks late, that alone does not mean the stack failed — check progress against the programme’s sequence and your state record (portfolio, progress report or evaluation where your state requires one), not against a single week.
Why Pennsylvania is different
Pennsylvania reported 44,692 homeschooled students in 2024–25 in state-reported data (via the Johns Hopkins Homeschool Hub Pennsylvania page and NHERI Table 1, 2024–25). Checked Oct 19, 2026. Population source.
1st grade in Pennsylvania: no standardized test this year — Pennsylvania tests in grades 3, 5 and 8 only, so the first test year to prepare for is 3rd grade. If you file an affidavit program, keep the portfolio, reading log and work samples from day one (180 days or 900 elementary hours) and plan the annual qualified evaluator report due June 30. Any evaluator fee is separate from the curriculum stack totals above (not included).
Pennsylvania deadline calendar (checked 2026-10-19)
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| By August 1 (continuing students) | Notarized affidavit or unsworn declaration, objectives, and immunization/health evidence to your district superintendent; first-year families file when they begin. |
| Across the year | 180 days or 900 elementary hours; keep the portfolio, reading log and work samples current. |
| In grades 3, 5 and 8 only | Statewide or approved nationally normed test; put results in the portfolio. |
| By June 30, every year | Qualified evaluator written report (interview + portfolio review) to the district superintendent. |
State money in Pennsylvania — no homeschool ESA verified
No Pennsylvania education savings account (ESA) for homeschoolers was verified on Pennsylvania Department of Education home-education sources checked Oct 19, 2026 — so the full stack total above is the honest budget.
Pennsylvania EITC/OSTC scholarship programs are for eligible students attending participating schools, not a homeschool curriculum fund, so they do not reduce the stack totals above. Checked Oct 19, 2026.
Source: Pennsylvania Department of Education — Home Education, checked Oct 19, 2026
Record-keeping and local support in Pennsylvania
Use the printable checklist above as your record-keeping spec for this state — it lists exactly what to keep and how long, from the official source checked 2026-10-19.
Statewide support: Christian Homeschool Association of Pennsylvania (CHAP) — Statewide Pennsylvania homeschool association — verify current local groups, evaluator help and events on its site. Checked Oct 19, 2026.
Hands-on add-on for 1st Grade
For a 1st-grade hands-on add-on, KiwiCo Koala (ages 3–6) fits younger 1st graders and the KiwiCo science/art lines for ages 6–9 fit older ones in our by-age comparison. A kit is a supplement, not core curriculum and not a substitute for your state requirements. Compare honestly by age — with no affiliate links for these brands live yet — on KiwiCo vs Lovevery vs Little Passports, and start free with screen-free break activities.
1st Grade secular & faith math options in Pennsylvania
Math-only prices inside each stack (e.g. a single math program) are not full-stack totals — compare like with like. See the itemised tables above for the math line in each stack.
Keep exploring
- Pennsylvania Kindergarten
- Pennsylvania 3rd Grade
- Pennsylvania 6th Grade
- Texas 1st Grade
- Florida 1st Grade
- North Carolina 1st Grade
- Georgia 1st Grade
- Ohio 1st Grade
- Virginia 1st Grade
- Maryland 1st Grade
- South Carolina 1st Grade
- California 1st Grade
Questions
What is the filing deadline in Pennsylvania?
File the notarized affidavit or unsworn declaration, with objectives and immunization/health evidence, by August 1 for continuing students (when you begin in your first year). Checked Oct 19, 2026.
When is testing required in Pennsylvania for 1st Grade?
No standardized test is required in Pennsylvania 1st grade — testing applies in grades 3, 5 and 8 only, so 3rd grade is the first test year ahead. If in an affidavit program, the annual evaluator report is still due by June 30.
How much does 1st Grade homeschool cost in Pennsylvania?
Pilot stacks on this page range by style and screen preference — see the two costed stacks above (prices checked 2026-10-17). Total-year cost includes consumables estimates where labelled.
What does Pennsylvania require to homeschool?
In short: file the affidavit, teach the required subjects for 180 days or 900 elementary hours, keep a portfolio and reading log, test in grades 3, 5 and 8 only, and submit the qualified evaluator report by June 30 every year. Checked Oct 19, 2026.
Is this legal advice?
No — general information checked 2026-10-19 from the official source linked on this page. Verify with your district or state before filing.
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