Homeschool benefits: Fairfax County Public Schools
Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) lets home-instructed students in grades 7-12 take up to two courses a year at their base middle or high school with no tuition, when space allows. Apply between April 15 and June 1 for the next school year after filing your annual Notice of Intent. Other options include transit fare savings.
Fairfax County part-time home-instruction courses
Who qualifies
Is home instructed in grades 7-12
The route is for middle and high school students whose parents meet Virginia's home instruction law, Code of Virginia section 22.1-254.1.
Has a current Notice of Intent
File the annual Notice of Intent by August 15 with proof of parent qualification and a list of subjects, and send evidence of progress by August 1 after each year.
Picks a core subject
Courses must be in English, mathematics, science, social studies, world language, or Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (JROTC).
Space is available
Seats are offered at the school serving your attendance area if space and resources allow. Another school is considered only when the course is not offered there or the base school is full.
What you can take
The terms come from FCPS's home instruction page and its Part-Time Enrollment Application, form SE-271.
- Courses a year
- Up to 2
- Tuition for on-site courses
- $0
- FCPS Online Campus courses
- Tuition
- Application window
- Apr. 15-June 1
- Final approval
- By Aug. 15
FCPS charges tuition for Online Campus courses and does not list the amount on its home instruction page, so ask Home Instruction for the current rate before choosing online.
From applying to enrolling
- April 15 to June 1
Apply for next year
Email form SE-271 (Part-Time Enrollment Application) and form SE-285 (Parent or Guardian Agreement) to HomeInstruction@fcps.edu. Add the Online Campus application only for online courses.
- By August 1
Send evidence of progress
Families who homeschooled the prior year submit evidence of progress for that year.
- By August 15
File the Notice of Intent
FCPS gives final approval by August 15 once the notice and progress requirements are met.
- July to August
Get the schedule
Applications are processed in July and early August. Schedule requests are considered but not guaranteed, and schools release final schedules in August.
What it includes
Included
- Up to two on-site courses a year
- English, math, science, social studies, world language, or JROTC
- AP, PSAT/NMSQT, and PreACT testing
Not included
- Tuition-free online courses
- Electives outside the core subjects
- Extracurricular activities
- Full-time Virtual Virginia
Who to contact about part-time courses
The FCPS Home Instruction office takes Notices of Intent and part-time enrollment applications and answers questions about both.
HomeInstruction@fcps.edu Home instruction
Fairfax Connector free student bus pass for homeschool students
Who qualifies
Is in grades 7-12
The pass is for middle and high school students registered in grades 7-12 only.
Lives in Fairfax County or City
Riders must live in Fairfax County or the City of Fairfax, whether they attend a public, private, or home school.
Has signed parent permission
A parent or guardian signs the 2026-2027 Student Agreement and Parent Authorization form, and your student signs the student agreement on the same form.
What the pass gives you
The terms come from Fairfax Connector's student pass page and the 2026-2027 Student Agreement and Parent Authorization form.
- Cost of the pass and rides
- Free
- Hours the pass works
- 5am-10pm
- Days it works
- 7 days, all year
- Buses accepted
- Connector, CUE
- Cash value you can add
- None
- How long it lasts
- Until graduation
Outside 5 a.m. to 10 p.m., and on Metrobus or Metrorail, your student needs cash or a standard SmarTrip card.
How to get the pass
- Before you apply
Download the form
Print the 2026-2027 Student Agreement and Parent Authorization form from the student pass page. Copies in Spanish, Urdu, Vietnamese, Korean, Arabic, and Chinese are available on request.
- Talk it over
Agree on routes and times
The form makes you responsible for deciding when your child may ride and which routes to use, since no adult supervises riders on the bus or at stops.
- To apply
Email FCPS
Home school and private school families email the completed form to the FCPS pass contact at mlphillips@fcps.edu.
- Each ride
Tap the card
Tap the pass on the farebox every time, even though the ride is free. A student without the pass may be denied boarding.
- If lost or broken
Replace the card
The pass lasts until graduation, so you only need a new one if it is lost, damaged, or stops working.
What it includes
Included
- Fairfax Connector buses
- City of Fairfax CUE buses
- Trips to school, jobs, and other activities
- Weekends and summer
Not included
- Metrorail
- Metrobus, except for students at five pilot schools
- Rides before 5 a.m. or after 10 p.m.
- Adding cash value
Who to contact about the student pass
Fairfax Connector answers route, schedule, and pass questions; FCPS at mlphillips@fcps.edu handles pass distribution for home school students.
fairfaxconnector@fairfaxcounty.gov 703-339-7200 Free Student Bus Pass
Homeschool rules and statewide help in Virginia
You must file the annual notice of intent by August 15. If you move into a Virginia division or begin after the school year starts, notify the division as soon as practicable and complete the filing within 30 days of the notice.
Virginia sets these rules:
- Subjects: Provide a curriculum and include a list of the coming year’s subjects with the annual notice. The home-instruction statute does not require the public-school curriculum.
- Testing: Submit evidence of progress by August 1 after the school year. Children under six on September 30 of that school year are exempt from this assessment requirement.
- Records: Submit the annual notice, subject list, proof of a qualifying route, and required evidence of progress. Keep copies; no routine portfolio or attendance-log filing is required.
- Teachers: Qualify through a high-school diploma, Board-prescribed teaching qualifications, providing a curriculum or program of study, or evidence that you can provide an adequate education.
Read the Virginia homeschooling guide See statewide programs in Virginia
Questions parents ask
- Can my child join FCPS sports or clubs?
- No. FCPS says home-instructed students may not take part in academic or extracurricular activities beyond the part-time courses.
- We are leaving FCPS mid-year. Can my child keep a class?
- Yes. A student who withdraws mid-year may keep up to two courses in the eligible subjects at the former school, if you meet the home instruction requirements.
- Can my student use the Free Student Bus Pass for things other than school?
- Yes. The parent authorization covers travel between home and school, jobs, and other activities on the days and times you approve.
- Does the Free Student Bus Pass work on Metrobus?
- No, except for students at the five schools in the Student Bus Pass + Metrobus pilot, such as Annandale and Falls Church high schools. Other pass holders ride Fairfax Connector and CUE only.
Turn support into your child’s next lesson
Local classes cover the subjects they offer. We teach the remaining subjects, so a local class can stay part of the year without becoming the whole curriculum.
$149/month per child after the trial.
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