Public school classes
California does not have a law granting homeschool students the right to participate in public school classes and activities; thus, individual schools and school districts have the authority to decide whether to allow homeschool participation. Policies often vary from district to district.
Sports
Rule 305 of the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) prohibits homeschool students from playing on public school teams.
305 HOME STUDY, HOME SCHOOLING
Students who are not enrolled in programs under the jurisdiction of a member school’s governing body are not eligible to participate in CIF competition. Such programs would include, but not be limited to, home schooling or home study wherein parents, or other persons, are responsible for instruction and evaluation. (Revised May 2002 Federated Council)
Note: Home study or home schooled students may become eligible to participate in CIF competition at their school of residence in LAUSD through enrollment in the District Independent Study program.
Things to keep in mind:
Public school access includes participation in public school classes, sports, activities, etc.
States use a unique vocabulary in this area: “extracurricular,” “cocurricular,” “curricular,” “interscholastic,” “program,” “activity,” etc. Care should be taken to distinguish one from another. When a state defines a word, it is important.
While athletic association rules are not “law,” public schools are generally constrained to operate within them, or their teams could be disqualified.
We strive toward keeping this information 100% up to date in this rapidly changing area of the law. However, this post should not be considered authoritative because of the possibility of unobserved changes in association rules, statutes, regulations, or case decisions, and because of lag time between changes and the publication of updates.
Please note: The information on this page has been reviewed by an attorney, but it should not be taken as legal advice specific to your individual situation.