Homeschool benefits and savings in the Peninsula School District
Peninsula School District Policy 3114 lets a homeschooled student take district courses part time, receive ancillary services, or both, if the student would be eligible to enroll full time. File the 2026-27 Declaration of Intent by September 15, or within two weeks of a term's start, then send a Request for Part-Time Attendance or Ancillary Services naming the school, course or service, and start date.
Who qualifies
Receives home-based instruction
A student not enrolled in a private school who receives home-based instruction counts as part time when taking district courses or services.
Could enroll full time
Part-time enrollment and ancillary services are for students otherwise eligible for full-time enrollment in Peninsula School District.
Has a declaration on file
The part-time request form says the Declaration of Intent to Homeschool must be filed with the district office before services begin. The declaration covers children ages 8 to 18.
What your student can use
The terms come from Peninsula Policy 3114 and its Request for Part-Time Attendance or Ancillary Services form.
- District courses, part time
- Request form, by school and start date
- Ancillary services
- Same form, ancillary box checked
- High school credit for homeschool work
- Ask your resident high school principal
- Declaration of Intent
- Sept. 15 or 2 weeks into a term
- Curriculum and books
- Parent's choice
The district has not posted which courses or services have room, so ask when you submit the request whether the school you named can take your student on the start date.
How to enroll part time
- By September 15
File the Declaration of Intent
Use the district's online 2026-27 declaration link or the printable form, and note whether a Washington-certificated person supervises.
- Before the course or service starts
Send the part-time request
List the Peninsula school, each course or service, and its start date, then mail or deliver it to 14015 62nd Ave. NW, Gig Harbor, or email it to beattiet@psd401.net.
- After review
Start attending
School staff review and sign off on the request before your student begins.
- Each year
File again
The Declaration of Intent is an annual filing, so submit a new one each school year.
What it includes
Included
- Part-time enrollment in district courses
- Ancillary services
- A path to high school credit through the resident principal
Not included
- Curriculum, books, and teaching materials
- Evaluation of your home-based program
Policy 3114 leaves choices about books, materials, curriculum, methods, and evaluation of home-based instruction to the parent.
Who to contact about part-time enrollment
Tonya Beattie, executive assistant to the Chiefs of Schools, receives part-time requests and homeschool declarations.
beattiet@psd401.net 253-530-1007 Home-Based Instruction page
Homeschool rules and statewide help in Washington
You must file a declaration of intent by September 15 for the school year, or within two weeks after the start of a public-school quarter or term for a later start.
Washington sets these rules:
- Subjects: Teach occupational education, science, mathematics, language, social studies, history, health, reading, writing, spelling, and art and music appreciation. Provide hours equivalent to the annual program hours per grade for approved private schools under RCW 28A.195.010 and .040.
- Testing: Each year, obtain a state-board-approved standardized test administered by a qualified person or a written assessment by a Washington-certificated person currently working in education.
- Records: Keep annual test or assessment results permanently, along with immunization records. Forward required records if your child transfers to a public or approved private school.
- Teachers: The parent needs 45 college quarter credits or the semester equivalent, a home-instruction course at a postsecondary or vocational-technical institute, supervision by a certificated teacher, or the superintendent’s finding of sufficient qualifications. Teacher supervision includes planned objectives, an average of at least one contact hour per week with the child each month, and progress evaluation; the teacher may supervise no more than 30 children.
Read the Washington homeschooling guide See statewide programs in Washington
Questions parents ask
- How do I ask Peninsula for a specific class or service?
- Complete the Request for Part-Time Attendance or Ancillary Services, check the homeschool student box, and list each course or service with its start date and the school where you want it.
- Can my teen earn Peninsula high school credit for work done at home?
- It depends on the principal's review. Contact your resident high school principal; Procedure 2410P under Policy 2410 sets out how homeschool credits are reviewed.
- We moved in after school started. When do we file?
- Within two weeks of the start of any quarter, trimester, or semester, if you missed September 15.
- Will the district choose our curriculum?
- No. Curriculum, books, and teaching materials stay your choice, and the district does not evaluate your home-based program.
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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