Definition of Homeschooler

Home education is best defined as parent-led, family-funded, relationship-based education of your child at home.

Arizona Families for Home Education (AFHE) defines a "Homeschooler" as follows:

Homeschoolers are parents or legal guardians who choose to educate their own children at home in at least the required subjects of reading, grammar, math, science, and social studies pursuant to A.R.S. §15-802.

Thoughts to help clarify what a homeschooler is:

A Homeschooler retains complete control of their child's primary level education. Delegation of control to either a private school program or fee-based classes held outside the home for core subjects reclassifies the parents or legal guardians as something other than Homeschoolers, at least in relation to the child/children involved in said program or classes. It is unclear what percentage of a child's education constitutes homeschooling, but the spirit of the law implies that the parent teach the core subjects.

Additionally, fractional enrollment in publicly funded programs designed for homeschoolers may require the parent or legal guardian to withdraw the Affidavit of Intent to Homeschool with the County School Superintendent. A school district or Charter school is eligible to receive the entire ADM allocation for a child taught over 15 hours per week.

Parents of secondary level students enrolled in community college classes, or utilizing other means of instruction, are still considered Homeschoolers as long as the parent or legal guardian remains the primary instructor and retains complete responsibility for their child/children's education.

NOTE OF CLARIFICATION: A child enrolled in a distance learning/virtual school program is classified by law and the program as a public school student and can therefore not be classified as a homeschooled student. 

Usage of the term "homeschooling" originated in the early 1980's and signifies an arrangement recognized by that name in Arizona law as one where the parent or guardian assumes the teaching responsibility in the required subject areas and where the cost of this instruction is borne by the parents and not the taxpayer.  Public school at home is therefore not the same as homeschooling/home education. It is public school at home.

Any enrollment in a publicly-funded program puts the student under the authority of the public school and causes them to be subject to public school requirements and regulations including AIMS testing, etc.