Homeschool benefits: Hempfield School District
Hempfield School District in Landisville lets home school students take the PSSA (Pennsylvania System of School Assessment) tests and Keystone exams with district students, join district extracurriculars and athletics, get optional nurse screenings, and ask to borrow materials. To test, contact your neighborhood school's principal by October 1.
Who qualifies
Home schools in Hempfield
The services are for home school students who live in Hempfield School District, and each request goes through your neighborhood school.
Schedules tests by October 1
Contact the principal of your neighborhood school no later than October 1 to have your child take the PSSA or Keystone exams with district students.
Asks the building principal
Material loans depend on what your school of geographic enrollment has available, so ask its principal.
What the district offers
Hempfield's Home School Resources and Opportunities page lists these services for home school students.
- PSSA tests
- Grades 3-8
- Keystone exams
- Algebra 1B, English 10, Biology
- Medical screenings by district nurses
- Optional
- Extracurriculars and athletics
- All home schoolers eligible
- Material loans
- Ask the principal
The page does not list what materials can be borrowed or for how long, so ask the building principal before you plan around a loan.
How to use district resources
- Before you call
Find your principal
Call Student Services at 717-459-9009 to learn which neighborhood school and principal serve your address.
- By October 1
Schedule state tests
Ask the principal to schedule the PSSA or Keystone exams your child will take with district students.
- Any time
Request materials or screenings
Ask the building principal about borrowing materials, and the neighborhood school about optional screenings by district nurses.
- Before a season starts
Join activities
Contact your neighborhood school to sign up for clubs, performing arts, or athletics.
What it includes
Included
- PSSA tests and Keystone exams
- Optional nurse medical screenings
- Extracurriculars, performing arts, and athletics
- Online curriculum resources
- Material loans when available
Who to contact about home school services
Student Services tells you which neighborhood school and principal handle your testing, screening, and materials requests.
717-459-9009 Home school resources
Homeschool rules and statewide help in Pennsylvania
You must file a notarized affidavit or unsworn declaration with the superintendent before starting and by August 1 in subsequent years. Include educational objectives and required health and immunization documentation or exemptions. Certify that the supervisor, adults living in the home, and persons with legal custody have no conviction for the listed statutory offenses in the preceding five years.
Pennsylvania sets these rules:
- Subjects: Teach in English the subjects required for elementary or secondary home education, including English, math, science, geography, history/civics, health, PE, art, music, and ongoing fire-safety instruction. Provide 180 days or 900 elementary/990 secondary hours annually.
- Testing: Include reading and math test results in the portfolio in grades 3, 5, and 8. Obtain an annual evaluation and submit the evaluator’s certification to the superintendent by June 30. The supervisor, parent or guardian may not administer an alternative approved standardized test.
- Records: Keep a portfolio with a reading-materials log, work samples, required test results, and the annual evaluation. Document the required instructional days or hours.
- Teachers: The supervisor must be the parent, guardian, or legal custodian with a high-school diploma or equivalent. The supervisor, adults living in the home, and persons with legal custody must meet the statutory five-year criminal-conviction condition.
Read the Pennsylvania homeschooling guide See statewide programs in Pennsylvania
Questions parents ask
- What happens if we miss Hempfield's October 1 deadline?
- Your child may not be scheduled. The district asks parents to contact the principal by October 1, so call the principal to ask about a late request.
- How do we find our Hempfield neighborhood school?
- Testing, activities, screenings, and loans all go through that school.
- What curriculum resources can we use?
- The district's K-12 curriculum page is open to families, and grades 6 through 12 can look up the Pennsylvania Core Standards by grade and subject to set learning goals.
- Which Keystone exams are offered?
- Each is an end-of-course test.
Turn support into your child’s next lesson
Put eligible education funds toward a curriculum that teaches the courses and grades the work. Check the program’s purchasing rules before paying.
$149/month per child after the trial.
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