Israel Homeschooling Frequently Asked Questions

This FAQ contains general information as well as information that is specific to Israel and its Homeschool community

What is Homeschooling?

Homeschooling is when parents teach their children at “home” instead of a formal school environment.  There are different ways to homeschool which is sometimes referred to as “homeschooling styles”.  There is no one size fits all method of homeschooling.

Is Homeschooling legal in Israel?

Yes, it is legal to homeschool in Israel, but you have to apply to homeschool.  There is a set period for a homeschooling application:

• 2023 – 2024: Apply between January 1, 2023 – April 30, 2023.
• 2024 – 2025: Apply between January 1, 2023 – April 30, 2023.

If you are a new olim, or you were out of the country, or other extrauating circumstances, you do have the ability to apply outside of this time frame. But for most people, that is not an option.

Although it is legal to homeschool in Israel, Israel is not very “pro homeschooling”.  The Ministry of Education strongly believes that children being in a formal school environment is what is best for children.  Even if the schools are “Democratic Schools” which is essentially “homeschooling”, but in a school environment.

This view stems from the fact that a lot of IDF military units are composed of people coming from the same school.  Your homeroom class (or school class) becomes your premade army group.  But since different students can choose different jobs in the IDF, this is not always the case … but it is for a lot of Israelis.  Good or bad, that is just the way that it is.

How do I apply for Homeschooling in Israel?

You apply online.  https://lgn.edu.gov.il/nidp/wsfed/ep?id=EduCombinedAuthSms&sid=0&option=credential&sid=0

Instructions for applying online: https://parents.education.gov.il/prhnet/gov-education/studies/study-frameworks/home-schooling

Yes, it is legal to homeschool in Israel, but you have to apply to homeschool.  There is a set period for a homeschooling application:

• 2023 – 2024: Apply between January 1, 2023 – April 30, 2023.
• 2024 – 2025: Apply between January 1, 2023 – April 30, 2023.

When does the school year begin and end?

The school year begins on September 1, <school year> and it ends June 30, <school year>.  A lot of children go to “camp” at their school from July 1, <school year> to July 31, <school year>.  August all schools are closed.   It does not matter when those dates fall during the week, the school year always starts on September 1 and ends June 30.

Ultra orthodox schools follow the Jewish calendar for their school year, but I am not exactly sure when that is.  I think that it starts the 1st of Elul.  I am not sure when it officially ends.

When is open registration for homeschooling?

Yes, it is legal to homeschool in Israel, but you have to apply to homeschool.  There is a set period for a homeschooling application:

• 2023 – 2024: Apply between January 1, 2023 – April 30, 2023.
• 2024 – 2025: Apply between January 1, 2023 – April 30, 2023.

When is open registration for applying to schools?

Open registration for public schools is January 23 – February 12, 2023.  If you register after this period, your child will just be placed in a school.  They will not be able to choose a school.

Schools start to have open house during December.

What are the different types of homeschooling styles?

There are different types of homeschooling.  Some people pick one style, while others choose a combination of different styles.

• School at homes – schedule similar to regular schools.  Uses traditional textbooks.
• Montessori Method (Maria Montessori) — Hands on approach to learning.
• Charlotte Mason Method (Charlotte Mason) — Uses living books instead of textbooks.  No homework or evening studying.  Half day formal classes and half day independent learning.  Copywork, dictation, summaries.  Lots of small study periods instead of long study periods.
• Walfdorf Method
• Unschooling Method (John Holt)
• Student lead learning
• Teacher lead learning
• Democratic Schools (it is a registered school, but students are in charge of their learning)
• Eclectic Schooling –  A parent uses a combination of different methods and curriculum
• Relaxed Schooling – Some subjects are formal, while other subjects are informal.  For example, reading – writing – arithmetic are formal lessons, but science, technology, history, art, music, etc. are informal learning / student lead learning / unschooling.
• All in one schooling — A third party company sends you everything that you need to school … including pens and paper.  It becomes one stop shopping.
• Core Knowledge Sequence — Sequence of knowledge for K-8.  It is a US organization, so there is a separate section for US History.
• Unit Studies — All subjects revolve around a single unit.  For example, when studying Ancient Greece, you look at Art from Ancient Greece, Music, sports, technology, etc.  from that time period.
• Deschooling – Not really a homeschooling method.  It is more an understanding that during the transition from regular schooling to homeschooling that families need a period of adjustment for both the parents and the children to discover themselves and to discover their children.  What options are available.  What works.  What does not work.
• Ulpan Year — This is also not an official homeschool method, but more of an understanding that during your first year in Israel (or even if you want to do this before moving to Israel), your child is spending a lot time trying to master the Hebrew language.  Trying to keep the child “on grade level” and master Hebrew, for some children, may be too much to handle.  Focus on Hebrew.  Focus on math.  Do not worry about anything else.  During the second year, if they need to “repeat a year”, they are not really repeating the year, because their previous year was their “Ulpan Year”.  It was not the actual grade level they were supposed to be going into.  Some kids will still need formal Ulpan instruction for another year or two, but it is not going to need to be full time studying of Ulpan.

There is no right or wrong way to homeschool.  Some families even use different philsophies for different children.

In Israel, for an olim child, should I homeschool or send them to school?

Israel’s schools have majors.  These majors start in grade 10 and go through grade 12.  If they enter high school part of the way through, they will be missing stuff.

Starting at age 16 (turn 16 during the class), some Ulpans, like Ulpan Milah, allow high school students to enroll in their Ulpan classes.  The grammar that is taught in Ulpan Gimmel is the same as the grammar that is taught in Grade 10.  But trying to have kids do an Adult Ulpan in addition to a regular school day in grades 11 and 12 is not going to work due to the amount of extra study time is required in preparing the students to take their Bargut exams.

Except for Open University, Israel colleges are very formal in their admissions process.  But it does not matter if you graduate from an Israeli high school or a high school from a different country.  They just want you to graduate from a high school.

Summary

As time goes on, each of these point will have more detailed information provided in its own article.  This FAQ is just intended to get you started with the most important stuff and important vocabulary.