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Instructions For Online Filing of the Private School Affidavit (PSA)

The CDE requires private schools to file the PSA online between October 1-15 each year. Click here to access the online form.

You may follow these line item-by-item suggestions for filling out the form to establish your own private school:

Notice

From Education Code Section 48222 — Click on "Yes" indicating your school meets the Ed Code 48222 description of a private school.

School Information

1. Name of school — Type in the name of your school. Some families choose academic or professional sounding names, others take a more whimsical approach. (You can change the name on subsequent affidavits.) Remember that your child may receive his/her diploma from your school, so take that into consideration when choosing a name.
2. Enter your CDE-assigned 14 digit CDS code, if one was previously assigned. Note: Codes are usually only assigned to schools with six or more students.
3. County in which school is located. — From the drop-down list, select the county where your school is located or type in the name.
4. Public School District in which school is located. Use the drop down list to select your district name or just type in the name of your public school district.
5. Street Address — Private schools must have a physical location in CA. A post office box will not suffice. Type in the street address of your homeschool.
6. City — Type in the city where your school is located.
7. School Telephone Number — Type in your area code and phone number.
8. School E-mail Address — Enter email address.
9. Optional E-Mail Address — Enter email address.
10. Mailing Address (required if different than #5 above) — If your mailing address is different than your street address, provide that info.
11. Mailing City (if #10 has a response) — See above.
12. Type of School — Select one of the options provided: Coeducational (students may include both boys and girls); Boys Only; or Girls Only. (You can choose Coed — even if you currently have just boys or girls in your student body.
13. School Accommodations — This is a trick question. You are provided with a choice of: Residential Boarding Only, Day Only, or Both. Residential Boarding Schools have bureaucratic regulations with which you may not be able to comply. Regardless of the fact that your kids sleep at your private school — select "Day Only."
14. Do you offer Special Education instruction or services? — Select "No" even if your child has been identified as a "Special Ed" student in the past. Special Ed has bureaucratic regulations and requirements with which you may not be able to comply.
15. Range of Grades Offered — You are asked to select the lowest grade you offer as well as the highest. Notice that the key word is "OFFERED." You don't have to put the grades your children are actually in. You can choose grade 1 for the lowest and 12 for the highest, regardless of whether or not you have students enrolled in those grades. Under no circumstances should you offer kindergarten because kindergarten attendance isn't mandatory and kindergarten may require additional bureaucratic regulation.
16. High School Diploma Offered — As a private school you can issue a high school diploma to your students. You can check "yes" or "no"— but if you offer high school grades (9-12) you should probably check "yes."
17. Classification of School — Since it's unlikely that a church is funding your school, select "Non-Religious."

Prior Year School Information

18. Has this school ever filed a Private school Affidavit under a different school name? — It's expected that you will use the same school name year after year, so you will probably answer "No".
19. Enter former name of school (if "Yes" answered to previous question) — Enter the school name you filed under in the past in this box.
20. Has this school changed public school districts? If you moved and your home/school is located in a different school district, answer "Yes".
21. Former Public School District (if "Yes" answered to previous question).

Statistical Information

22. Range of students' ages (Youngest may be no younger than 4 years and 9 months.) — Type in the age range of the students enrolled in your school. Do not include preschool or kindergarten age children due to the additional bureaucratic regulations that may apply. Remember, kindergarten and preschool are not mandatory in California.
23. Enrollment on a single date October 1-15 — Enter the number of students that are enrolled in each grade range. Enter "0" for kindergarten, even if you have a 5 year old (for the reasons mentioned previously). If your students are ungraded, fill in the "Ungraded Elementary" or "Ungraded Secondary" boxes. Add up the total number of students enrolled and type that number in the "Total Enrollment" box.
24. Number of Twelfth Grade Graduates in the [prior] School Year — Type in the number of students that graduated in the previous school year, if any.
25. Number of School Staff — Since you are establishing a full-time private school, enter "1" in the full-time teacher slot. Even if you are also the administrator do not count the same staff member twice. Type "1" under "Full-time Teacher" and leave "Administrators" blank. If you are the teacher and your spouse is the administrator, you can enter "1" in each slot. Do not fill in a number for "Part-time Teachers" or "Other Staff."

Administrative Staff

26. Site Administrator — Fill in your name or your spouse's name.
27. Site Administrator Title — Select a title from the drop-down list or type in the name you prefer.
28. — 33. Directors and Principal Officers — Fill in your name, address and e-mail address (the same as your school). Only one principal officer is required. It's okay to designate someone else to be the Director or Principal Officer — such as your spouse. In that case, fill in their name and address.

School Records

34. — 37. Name of Individual who is Custodian of Records — Type in your name, school address, and e-mail address. As a private school you are required by law to maintain school records at the school's physical location in CA.

Tax Status of School

38. — 41. Select "None of the above," unless you have formed a non-profit corporation and been granted a federal tax exemption.

Acknowledgements and Statutory Noties

You are asked to check a series of boxes to show you understand that:

42. All Private Schools Affidavits are public documents viewable by the public.
43. The Private School Affidavit must be filed by persons, firms, associations, partnerships, or corporations offering or conducting full-time day school at the elementary or high school level for students between the ages of 6 and 18 years of age.
44. Preschools should contact the Community Care Licensing Division (CCLD) of the California Department of Social Services. Contact CCLD at 916-229-4530 or contact a regional office.
45. The Affidavit is not a license or authorization to operate a private school.
46. The Private School Affidavit does not indicate approval, recognition, or endorsement by the state. Filing of this Affidavit shall not be interpreted to mean, and it shall be unlawful for any school to expressly or impliedly represent by any means whatsoever, that the State of California, the Superintendent of Public Instruction, the State Board of Education, the CDE, or any division or bureau of the Department, or any accrediting agency has made any evaluation, recognition, approval, or endorsement of the school or course unless this is an actual fact (see EC Section 33190).
47. Private School authorities are responsible to look into health, safety, fire, zoning and business licensing laws. (Unless you are operating your school as a business and actively taking enrollments in exchange for tuition, these probably do not apply to you.)
48. When your school ceases operation, you are required to give a copy of the students' records to the parents. (This only applies if you enroll children other than your own.)
49. Retain a copy of the Affidavit for 3 years.
50. Filing a Private School Affidavit is not equivalent to obtaining accreditation.
51. A private school shall not employ a person who has been convicted of a violent or serious felony or a person who would be prohibited from employment of a public school district pursuant to EC Section 44237. This does not apply to schools consisting of parents working exclusively with their own children.
52. The students enrolled in this private school and included in the school's enrollment total are full-time students in this school and are not enrolled in any other public or private elementary or secondary school on a full-time basis.

Electronic Signature

When you file a Private School Affidavit, you sign it under penalty of perjury. Therefore, you are attesting that all of the statements in the affidavit (i.e., you keep attendance records, etc.) are true. Take this seriously. Although it's unlikely anyone will ever ask to see your records, don't risk being prosecuted for perjury.

Fill in the required information and print it out BEFORE you click on the "Submit Form" button. (That way, you'll have a copy of what you submitted.) Be sure to check the form for accuracy before you hit the "submit form" button.

Once you've submitted the PSA form online, the completed affidavit will appear on your screen. You are required by law to print out a copy and keep it in your school records.

Schools will have met their obligation to file a private school affidavit only when the data has been submitted online and confirmation has been received. Be sure to print out or write down the confirmation.