Can I educate my children at home?
Conditional: homeschooling is legal, but regulated — it's not opting out of school. The basis is DL 70/2021 (which revoked the old Ordinance 69/2019). The child must be enrolled in a host school (the "escola de matrícula"), which monitors, assesses and certifies — no school, no homeschooling. There are two modalities: homeschooling (taught at home by a family member) and individual teaching (by a qualified teacher). In homeschooling, the educator must hold at least a bachelor's degree (in any field). It follows the national curriculum and has mandatory exams (equivalence and national exams) sat at the school. An annual protocol is signed. In short: yes, but anchored to a school.
📋 The rules
- Mandatory enrolment in a host school
- Homeschooling (family) or individual (teacher)
- Home educator: at least a bachelor's degree
- Follows the national curriculum and sits exams
- Annual protocol with the school (tutor + calendar)
🔓 Exceptions
- Special needs/high-performance: usually individual teaching
- Failing end-of-cycle exams can block progression
- Switching modalities depends on enrolment windows
⚠️ Penalties & fines
DL 70/2021 sets no per-modality "fine". The lever is compulsory schooling (ages 6 to 18): failing to enrol or comply triggers the CPCJ (child protection) and, in serious cases, protection proceedings — administrative and protective measures, not a fixed fine. There's no State tuition; the materials and the educator's time fall on the family. Beware a myth: homeschooling isn't "leaving school and exams" (unschooling) — it requires enrolment, curriculum, protocol, tutor and exams. And don't confuse it with Brazil, where "home education" lacked a general legal framework and was legally contested. To choose it: enrol in the host school, sign the protocol and prepare for the exams.
📎 Official sources
- DL 70/2021 — individual and home teaching →
- DGE — individual and home teaching →
- Education System Framework Law →
❓ Frequently asked
Is homeschooling legal in Portugal?
Yes, it's legal, but regulated by Decree-Law 70/2021. It's not about removing the child from the system, but teaching them at home while keeping them enrolled in a host school, which monitors and certifies the path. The child follows the national curriculum and sits the mandatory exams, like any other student.
Who can teach in homeschooling?
In homeschooling, the educator is a family or household member, who must hold at least a bachelor's degree, in any field. There's also the individual-teaching modality, where teaching is provided by a teacher with teaching qualifications, not necessarily a family member of the child.
Does the child have to sit exams?
Yes. Even in homeschooling, the child follows the national curriculum and must sit the mandatory exams, such as the equivalence exams and the national end-of-cycle exams, at the host school. Performance in those exams conditions progression and certification.
Do I need to enrol the child in a school?
Yes. Enrolment in a host school is mandatory and is the basis of the whole regime. It's that school that monitors, assesses and issues the certificates and diplomas, appointing a tutor teacher. Without enrolment in a school, you can't legally homeschool in Portugal.
Is homeschooling the same as opting out of school?
No. Homeschooling isn't unschooling or leaving the education system. It's anchored to a school, with mandatory enrolment, national curriculum, protocol, tutor and exams. It's a myth to think it lets you skip exams or school. In Portugal, unlike some countries, there's a clear legal regime, Decree-Law 70/2021.
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