Guide

What goes in a homeschool portfolio

A portfolio is the year told through evidence: a handful of real pieces of work, dated, from across the year and across subjects, plus the lists that put them in context. It should be quick to read and impossible to mistake for nothing.

In short

A useful homeschool portfolio holds a list of subjects and materials, a reading list, an attendance or hours summary, and dated work samples from the beginning, middle and end of the year for each main subject. Add photos of projects and outings, test results if you have them, and an evaluator's letter where one is used.

Who reads a portfolio

In some states a portfolio is part of the legal process and is reviewed by an evaluator or a district; in others it is purely for the family. Either way, the reader wants to see progress, not volume. Ten well-chosen dated pages show more than a box of worksheets.

Requirements vary by state and by the option a family files under: some states publish a number of days or hours, some ask for a portfolio, an evaluation or test scores, and others set different rules or none for homeschools.

Pennsylvania180 days · 900 hours
Either 180 days or 900 hours (990 at secondary level); document one or the other. Portfolio and evaluation each year.
Official page · checked Sep 4, 2026

Figures as published by each state, with the date we last checked. Requirements change and depend on the option a family files under; confirm with the official page. See every state on State requirements. This is not legal advice.

The contents, in order

A cover page: the child's name, grade or level, school year, and the dates the year covered.
Subjects and materials: each subject with the curriculum, books or resources used.
Attendance or hours: the total days (and hours, if you count them), ideally with a calendar view.
A reading list: titles read independently and aloud.
Work samples: for each main subject, about three dated pieces, from early, middle and late in the year.
Projects and outings: photos with a one-line caption and a date.
Assessments: test results, if you gave any, and an evaluator's letter if you use one.

Choosing work samples

Pick pieces that show change. An early narration and a late one, a page of math from September and one from May, a first and a final draft. Date everything when it is made; undated work is hard to place later. Choose representative work rather than only the best, so the record is honest.

How Homeschool Up builds it

Attach a photo to a recorded lesson or a learning log entry, or add a work sample to the portfolio. Each is dated and filed under the child and subject.
Books go on the books list as they are read.
The year-end packet prints the attendance summary and calendar, subjects and materials, hours by area, the learning log, books read and work samples together.

Questions people ask

How many work samples should a portfolio have?

There is no universal number. A common habit is about three per main subject across the year, showing progress from beginning to end. If your state or evaluator sets an expectation, use theirs.

Should the portfolio be digital or on paper?

Either works for most readers. Photos and scans are easier to keep and copy; some evaluators prefer a printed binder. A printed packet from digital records covers both.

Is this legal advice?

No. This guide describes common record-keeping practice. For what your state requires, read your state's official page; Homeschool Up's state requirements page links to it with the date we checked it.

Collect the portfolio as you go

Snap a photo when you record the lesson. In June the packet is already assembled. 15-day free trial on every plan.

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