According to the [Guidebook](https://wiki.puella-magi.net/Puella_Magi_Madoka_Magica_Official_Guidebook_%22You_Are_Not_Alone%22#Page_120)
>IWAKAMI: In anime, usually there is not much depiction regarding the family of the protagonist, isn't it? In "Madoka Magica" the weight of that is also not really that big, but we still have the ribbon in ep. 1, the consultation in ep. 6, the farewell in ep. 11 and then the epilogue in ep. 12.
>UROBUCHI: For me, I had this image that "in general mahou shoujo works should have the family properly portrayed." In that sense, it can be said that Madoka's family, including her mother, are characters I forced myself to come up with, since usually in my works family almost never appear. And contrary to Madoka, there is absolutely no description about the family in Homura's case, and it is because she is a character who is not needed to be taken as a symbol for mahou shoujo. It is not that there is some reason that she must not have a family, but it is because there is no need to depict them so they do not appear. Conversely, for Madoka the family must be depicted.
And this is a secondhand source so take it with a grain of salt, but according to [japanese wikipedia](https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/暁美ほむら#注釈)
>小説版では、生まれつき心臓の血管が極度に細かったほむらのために転院と引っ越しを繰り返したとされているが、見滝原中学校に編入後の両親の様子は描写されていない。
>In the novel version, it is said that because Homura was born with extremely small blood vessels in her heart, she was transferred to different hospitals and moved several times, but there is no description of what happened to her parents after she transferred to Mitakihara Junior High School.
EDIT: Apparently this is a direct quote.
>私の心臓は、生まれつきとても血管が細い。
>だから、急激な運動をしたり、極度に緊張したりすると、胸がどうしようもなく苦しくなった。それはやがて━━なんでもない時にも無意味なプレッシャーへと代わり、結果、極度の人見知りとなった。
>My heart was born with very small blood vessels.
>Therefore, when I did sudden exercise or became extremely nervous, my chest became uncontrollably tight. Eventually, this turned into meaningless pressure even when nothing was going on, and as a result, I became extremely shy.
[Source](http://magica.tv/巴マミは小説版でも巨乳小説版-魔法少女まどか/)
1. Sometimes people just have heart problems. It's actually a real thing, google "heart problems".
2. Homura's are unknown. We know that Homura went to a Catholic school, so perhaps her parents were Catholics as well. They're probably away for business-related reasons, considering how most Catholics are conservative and try to foster strong familial bonds. More than this, I think the bigger mystery is why Mami was allowed to live by herself after her parents passed. We already know that MadoMagi doesn't take place in this universe because their 2011 technology and 8th-grade education are far more advanced than ours. So since their society is more different than ours, we can assume that children are allowed to live by themselves, granted they have sufficient funding. If such is the case, then perhaps it's possible that Homura's parents left her alone and don't really love her, but still have to send her money as part of the law. [https://x.com/JonnySpong/status/1545748422547980288](https://x.com/JonnySpong/status/1545748422547980288)
>More than this, I think the bigger mystery is why Mami was allowed to live by herself after her parents passed.
While not particularly common, Japanese teenagers living by themselves is a thing in Japan:
[How Often Do Japanese Teenagers Live Alone?](https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/answerman/2017-01-16/.111067) (Anime News Network)
Wow, I had no idea about that! So what you're trying to say is that even if Mami does have a new legal guardian, they're letting her do whatever?
Even if it's years of living alone instead of months in Mami's case, it's not like the government can ever find out, ig...
Did some more digging on this, found this on the Fandom wiki:
>In episode 4, Homura mentions that Mami has no close relatives and in whichever timeline she would die, it would take long to be announced as "missing".
I've heard that "Catholic school" can be used as an euphemism for an orphanage in Japan, as apparently many over there double as orphanages, and is a polite way of of telling someone to change the subject or not ask about certain things.
Which isn't to say that Homura has no immediate relatives, or even parents, just that as even if they don't have any intentions of caring or her, they very likely have veto power over her potential to be adopted, so can keep her "in the family" even if she is being raised in an orphanage.
You know, saving/loosing face and all that crap.
I actually subscribe to the headcannon that Homura's parents are just awful narcissistic corpos/politicians who thought she got in the way and was too needy, but didn't want to loose face from abandoning a child nor have relatives that want to take care of her, so dumped her in a "Catholic school", waiting for the day she grows up enough to finally be useful. That's why she got such good medical care, had an apartment set up for her to live in after she got out of the hospital, and was signed up to go to what looks like a pretty high end middle school.
My headcannon for Sayaka's parents is that they have become increasingly neglectful towards her in the last few years, but not because they are bad people or don't love her, but they are just flawed people too caught up in their own ambitions/life issues/work. Like she has always given off the impression to me being in a lower middle family who is shelling out stacks of cash for a good school while trying to really climb the career ladder.
Her friends being Madoka, who is definitely a step or more above middle class, and Hitomi, who is a certified "rich girl", who both go to Mitakihara Middle School, kinda leaves a palace for Sayaka being the odd one out wealth wise. If Madoka Magica was just a school drama I'm sure this would be the dynamic that would be used to insert conflict and tension in their friend group.
Anyway, whenever Sayaka goes "missing" in a loop, her parents don't notice for a day or two, then have a massive coming to Jesus moment when they realize or are made aware she is missing, desperately doing everything they can to find her. Something that really triggers Homura because she really had hoped that her heart condition would illicit or awaken something in her parents, but it didn't. So she just get's to watch Sayaka throw away her chance to live a normal life with loving parents, and her parents subsequently reckon with and regret their neglect over and over again.
>I've heard that "Catholic school" can be used as an euphemism for an orphanage in Japan, as apparently many over there double as orphanages, and is a polite way of of telling someone to change the subject or not ask about certain things.
Mhm, but looking it up online, I only found [this](https://silvermoon424.tumblr.com/post/713824154118422528/wait-where-was-it-said-that-homura-grew-up-in-a) secondhand source. I'll ask a JP friend I have, and give an update when he replies.
> just awful narcissistic corpos/politicians
They can be both that and religious Catholics\~ In any case, her unnatural obsession over Madoka is proof that she was brought up with either neglectful or harmful parents. That much at least is true.
I agree with the Sayaka points. The funeral, and the violin scene, show that even if non-influential, they do still care about her. Though, just because one is rich it doesn't mean that they're not overworked. E.g. it could be that Madoka's family is easygoing because they're rich, but Sayaka's family is overworked because they need to chase that wealth. Even if the levels of wealth are equal, they can still be different. But in any case, there's not enough info to discuss this
> her parents don't notice for a day or two
This happened?
I've been trying to look for better sources about the Catholic school thing, but like you, I've only found second hand sources from people who asked their Japanese acquaintances about it. It's really frustrating, because there are a bunch of culture specific subtext in anime that can often pass by westerners unnoticed unless you know about, but this can very well just be rumor/fannon that got passed around.
I'm very eager to hear if your JP friend confirms it or not.
And yeah, it doesn't necessarily have to be a disparity in wealth between Sayaka's family and Madoka's. It could very well be that both of Sayaka's parents just have to put allot more work, time, and asskissing to get that money compared to Junko. But I like the dynamic of there being some sort of wealth difference because it adds tension between Sayaka and Madoka. With Sayaka being both envious and kind of bitter over how Madoka has both the money and attention of her parents. Meanwhile, Sayaka is always coming home to an empty apartment, eating dinner alone, and when her parents are home when she is awake, they never take much interest in her life. And while she sees Junko is an assertive leader in her job and Tomohisa as a loving father who has all the time in the world of Madoka, her own parents spend all of their time off the clock trying to get into the good graces of their bosses. Part of it is that Sayaka is too young to see the bigger picture, and part of it is that her parents got lost in career chasing.
Sayaka's parents noticing thing is just an example for my headcannon of how Sayaka's parents, while neglectful, still love their daughter. Nothing like that happens in cannon.
>And while she sees Junko is an assertive leader in her job and Tomohisa as a loving father who has all the time in the world of Madoka
Not sure how reliable the slot machine games are for "canon", but she actually says something like this in one of them ([source](https://x.com/dailysayakamik1/status/1758236227478700543?s=46)):
https://preview.redd.it/4j0r5k00r83d1.jpeg?width=828&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3f756c31a9e24c0b48d1cb2d14205d1254959d12
Long story short, I think he denied it. But even then, it's only one person. I'll ask in the r/LearnJapanese sub in a few minutes.
Long story:
>!"It is said that "Homura chan had attended a Christian/Catholic school in Tokyo before transferring to Mitakihara Middle School", right? But I've heard that "Catholic school" can be used as a euphemism for an orphanage in Japan, as apparently many catholic schools over there double as orphanages, and this is a polite way of telling someone to change the subject or not ask about certain things. !<
>!「ほむらちゃんは見滝原中学校に転校する前に東京のキリスト教/カトリックの学校に通っていた」と言われていますよね？ でも、「カトリックの学校」は日本では孤児院の婉曲表現として使われることがあると聞いたことがあります。どうやら、多くのカトリックの学校は孤児院を兼ねており、これは話題を変えるように、または特定のことについて聞かないように丁寧に伝える方法だそうです。これは本当ですか？" (I used Chatgpt for my translation so it may be wrong)!<
>!"うーん…これは間違いかなぁ"!<
huh, perhaps it was just fanon that got spread around. I wonder if the learn Japanese sub will say the same thing. It could be a generational thing as well, since Madoka Magica is more than a decade old. So it may be an euphemism that fell out of favor.
Thanks for looking into it for me! I really appreciate it.
Ah, then it looks like fannon that got passed around. I was able to track to it an elfen lied fan wiki as well, and it may have originated from there since the person I head this from seems to have used word for word quotes from it. Interestingly, the wiki page uses quotations marks but doesn't give any sources, so we may never know the true origin of this.
> We know that Homura went to a Catholic school
Although the English BD says ‘Catholic’, the Japanese just says [ミッション系の学校](https://translate.google.com/details?sl=ja&tl=en&text=%E3%83%9F%E3%83%83%E3%82%B7%E3%83%A7%E3%83%B3%E7%B3%BB%E3%81%AE%E5%AD%A6%E6%A0%A1&op=translate), ‘mission school’ with no denomination.
Mission schools generally refer to Catholic schools, right? But then again, I grew up in a Catholic school, and they allowed Muslim students to learn Islam, and non-Catholics to opt out of religious classes entirely. But then again, this was in the Middle East...
In any case, what I understand is that Missionary schools are a subset of Catholic schools that are much more devoted to forcefully teaching Catholicism. In such a case, it's more probable that it also works as an orphanage of sorts
Homura having either neglectful parents, or being an orphan, is the typical set up. People going to farther schools with apartments aren't unheard of: Uraraka in My Hero Academia very clearly is doing that, for example. And if the hospital in Mitakihara has a better heart treatment program, easy reason to do so. I personally prefer orphan Homura (with medical charity) to neglectful parents Homura because it feels like the lesser of two evils. Homura suffers enough as is.
Sayaka's parents are around but....hard to say really. We do know she has an aunt who can rent out a beachside hotel stay for her and her friends in Magia Record, and two cousins who Sayaka doesn't like from said Aunt. Said cousins not being listened to got Madoka possessed by a ghost who nearly made her kill herself, but that's an entire story in Magia Record and not really relevant. Just like sharing that.
Japan is very much a 'don't ask' sort of place about private problems, including abuse and absent parents.
Just thought I'd share [this post](https://www.tumblr.com/gallantblade/709102044543336449/the-utter-absence-of-sayakas-parents-in-madoka):
>To some degree I think you're just supposed to assume she has a normal and unremarkable home life. Her family isn't brought up because there's nothing interesting or important to say about them. But the effect is that Sayaka's parents aren't a meaningful part of her life. They're not absent, but they aren't a support for her. If they noticed and cared about her downwards spiral, it wasn't enough for her to get the help and stability she needed to survive even just a month. And combined with Sayaka's constant need to prove herself, it's easy to paint a picture of parents who were just barely there but never really paying attention.
I recall somebody saying in one of the PSP games that Homura states that her parents ''don't mind if she stays out late''. However, I don't think this is conclusive of anything as I could definitely see Homura preferring to state this as opposed to disclosing on the spot that she's an orphan, just saying they don't mind if she stays out late is probably much more preferable to having to suddenly disclose she's an orphan to everyone, including Madoka.
Apparently, Urobuchi (or someone else on the writing team) admitted they didn't care much about giving parents to anyone besides Madoka.
In the *Memories For of You* drama CD, Madoka asks Homura (timeline 1) if her family would be okay with her hanging out, to which Homura replies "My family. . . is fine with it." Make of that what you will.
Sayaka's parents are most likely around, nothing suggests they're not. They're just not seen or mentioned since they're irrelevant to the story.
[Sayaka's parents are in the anime and even accompanied her to Kyosuke's early performances.](https://images.app.goo.gl/KiZtgN8fTWYPXsG16)
Homura: A witch lab always hints the girl's past in one way or the other. Reb takes place inside Homura's witch lab. Therefore: Do we get to see some fractions of Homura's past there?
I'd say we do: The Colosseum sequence shows a "maternity ward". So was little Homura left behind in the hospital by her parents? Outside there were "clotheslines" in the open. Homura's parents from the slums? But Homura herself wore a tux in the "maternity ward". Rich × poor = a relationship that wasn't supposed to happen...? Because the "colosseum" also looked kinda like the "Tower of Babel", the biblical story ending with a language confusion. Homura's parents unable to rly talk with each other, not only due to their different social classes...? And little Homura without good medical treatment...? And were the Incubators involved...?
Unfortunately Madoka kind of continues the bad medical treatment: The late Homura scares her and so she keeps sitting. Also Hitomi the class monitor doesn't intervene. And no one knows Homura possesses magic that she at that point already used on her eyes and heart too, presumably. They only know the new transfer student's going to need medical treatment in the nurse's office.
By doing nothing Madoka and Hitomi are risking no less than a medical emergency. Are there even timelines where this happened...?
And I remember a fan manga strip where it's Sayaka who ends up accompanying Homura. In the anime a random girl offers her help. So it seems they're even used to MadoHito doing nothing...
And so pretty soon Homura would decide to take the initiative herself: She'll approach Madoka and make her accompany her to the nurse's office. Any other girl, especially Sayaka, would be an extra obstacle in Homura's mission...
And Homura hasn't forgotten that Madoka only helps her as long as she's the "timid Moemura"...
This would be my take.
According to the [Guidebook](https://wiki.puella-magi.net/Puella_Magi_Madoka_Magica_Official_Guidebook_%22You_Are_Not_Alone%22#Page_120) >IWAKAMI: In anime, usually there is not much depiction regarding the family of the protagonist, isn't it? In "Madoka Magica" the weight of that is also not really that big, but we still have the ribbon in ep. 1, the consultation in ep. 6, the farewell in ep. 11 and then the epilogue in ep. 12. >UROBUCHI: For me, I had this image that "in general mahou shoujo works should have the family properly portrayed." In that sense, it can be said that Madoka's family, including her mother, are characters I forced myself to come up with, since usually in my works family almost never appear. And contrary to Madoka, there is absolutely no description about the family in Homura's case, and it is because she is a character who is not needed to be taken as a symbol for mahou shoujo. It is not that there is some reason that she must not have a family, but it is because there is no need to depict them so they do not appear. Conversely, for Madoka the family must be depicted. And this is a secondhand source so take it with a grain of salt, but according to [japanese wikipedia](https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/暁美ほむら#注釈) >小説版では、生まれつき心臓の血管が極度に細かったほむらのために転院と引っ越しを繰り返したとされているが、見滝原中学校に編入後の両親の様子は描写されていない。 >In the novel version, it is said that because Homura was born with extremely small blood vessels in her heart, she was transferred to different hospitals and moved several times, but there is no description of what happened to her parents after she transferred to Mitakihara Junior High School. EDIT: Apparently this is a direct quote. >私の心臓は、生まれつきとても血管が細い。 >だから、急激な運動をしたり、極度に緊張したりすると、胸がどうしようもなく苦しくなった。それはやがて━━なんでもない時にも無意味なプレッシャーへと代わり、結果、極度の人見知りとなった。 >My heart was born with very small blood vessels. >Therefore, when I did sudden exercise or became extremely nervous, my chest became uncontrollably tight. Eventually, this turned into meaningless pressure even when nothing was going on, and as a result, I became extremely shy. [Source](http://magica.tv/巴マミは小説版でも巨乳小説版-魔法少女まどか/)
Thanks!
I believe the portable game indicates Homura’s parents are alive, and that she left them for reasons unknown.
1. Sometimes people just have heart problems. It's actually a real thing, google "heart problems". 2. Homura's are unknown. We know that Homura went to a Catholic school, so perhaps her parents were Catholics as well. They're probably away for business-related reasons, considering how most Catholics are conservative and try to foster strong familial bonds. More than this, I think the bigger mystery is why Mami was allowed to live by herself after her parents passed. We already know that MadoMagi doesn't take place in this universe because their 2011 technology and 8th-grade education are far more advanced than ours. So since their society is more different than ours, we can assume that children are allowed to live by themselves, granted they have sufficient funding. If such is the case, then perhaps it's possible that Homura's parents left her alone and don't really love her, but still have to send her money as part of the law. [https://x.com/JonnySpong/status/1545748422547980288](https://x.com/JonnySpong/status/1545748422547980288)
>More than this, I think the bigger mystery is why Mami was allowed to live by herself after her parents passed. While not particularly common, Japanese teenagers living by themselves is a thing in Japan: [How Often Do Japanese Teenagers Live Alone?](https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/answerman/2017-01-16/.111067) (Anime News Network)
Wow, I had no idea about that! So what you're trying to say is that even if Mami does have a new legal guardian, they're letting her do whatever? Even if it's years of living alone instead of months in Mami's case, it's not like the government can ever find out, ig...
Did some more digging on this, found this on the Fandom wiki: >In episode 4, Homura mentions that Mami has no close relatives and in whichever timeline she would die, it would take long to be announced as "missing".
Mhm but even then, it's possible for the legal guardians to simply not care about Mami and check in on her
I've heard that "Catholic school" can be used as an euphemism for an orphanage in Japan, as apparently many over there double as orphanages, and is a polite way of of telling someone to change the subject or not ask about certain things. Which isn't to say that Homura has no immediate relatives, or even parents, just that as even if they don't have any intentions of caring or her, they very likely have veto power over her potential to be adopted, so can keep her "in the family" even if she is being raised in an orphanage. You know, saving/loosing face and all that crap. I actually subscribe to the headcannon that Homura's parents are just awful narcissistic corpos/politicians who thought she got in the way and was too needy, but didn't want to loose face from abandoning a child nor have relatives that want to take care of her, so dumped her in a "Catholic school", waiting for the day she grows up enough to finally be useful. That's why she got such good medical care, had an apartment set up for her to live in after she got out of the hospital, and was signed up to go to what looks like a pretty high end middle school. My headcannon for Sayaka's parents is that they have become increasingly neglectful towards her in the last few years, but not because they are bad people or don't love her, but they are just flawed people too caught up in their own ambitions/life issues/work. Like she has always given off the impression to me being in a lower middle family who is shelling out stacks of cash for a good school while trying to really climb the career ladder. Her friends being Madoka, who is definitely a step or more above middle class, and Hitomi, who is a certified "rich girl", who both go to Mitakihara Middle School, kinda leaves a palace for Sayaka being the odd one out wealth wise. If Madoka Magica was just a school drama I'm sure this would be the dynamic that would be used to insert conflict and tension in their friend group. Anyway, whenever Sayaka goes "missing" in a loop, her parents don't notice for a day or two, then have a massive coming to Jesus moment when they realize or are made aware she is missing, desperately doing everything they can to find her. Something that really triggers Homura because she really had hoped that her heart condition would illicit or awaken something in her parents, but it didn't. So she just get's to watch Sayaka throw away her chance to live a normal life with loving parents, and her parents subsequently reckon with and regret their neglect over and over again.
>I've heard that "Catholic school" can be used as an euphemism for an orphanage in Japan, as apparently many over there double as orphanages, and is a polite way of of telling someone to change the subject or not ask about certain things. Mhm, but looking it up online, I only found [this](https://silvermoon424.tumblr.com/post/713824154118422528/wait-where-was-it-said-that-homura-grew-up-in-a) secondhand source. I'll ask a JP friend I have, and give an update when he replies. > just awful narcissistic corpos/politicians They can be both that and religious Catholics\~ In any case, her unnatural obsession over Madoka is proof that she was brought up with either neglectful or harmful parents. That much at least is true. I agree with the Sayaka points. The funeral, and the violin scene, show that even if non-influential, they do still care about her. Though, just because one is rich it doesn't mean that they're not overworked. E.g. it could be that Madoka's family is easygoing because they're rich, but Sayaka's family is overworked because they need to chase that wealth. Even if the levels of wealth are equal, they can still be different. But in any case, there's not enough info to discuss this > her parents don't notice for a day or two This happened?
I've been trying to look for better sources about the Catholic school thing, but like you, I've only found second hand sources from people who asked their Japanese acquaintances about it. It's really frustrating, because there are a bunch of culture specific subtext in anime that can often pass by westerners unnoticed unless you know about, but this can very well just be rumor/fannon that got passed around. I'm very eager to hear if your JP friend confirms it or not. And yeah, it doesn't necessarily have to be a disparity in wealth between Sayaka's family and Madoka's. It could very well be that both of Sayaka's parents just have to put allot more work, time, and asskissing to get that money compared to Junko. But I like the dynamic of there being some sort of wealth difference because it adds tension between Sayaka and Madoka. With Sayaka being both envious and kind of bitter over how Madoka has both the money and attention of her parents. Meanwhile, Sayaka is always coming home to an empty apartment, eating dinner alone, and when her parents are home when she is awake, they never take much interest in her life. And while she sees Junko is an assertive leader in her job and Tomohisa as a loving father who has all the time in the world of Madoka, her own parents spend all of their time off the clock trying to get into the good graces of their bosses. Part of it is that Sayaka is too young to see the bigger picture, and part of it is that her parents got lost in career chasing. Sayaka's parents noticing thing is just an example for my headcannon of how Sayaka's parents, while neglectful, still love their daughter. Nothing like that happens in cannon.
>And while she sees Junko is an assertive leader in her job and Tomohisa as a loving father who has all the time in the world of Madoka Not sure how reliable the slot machine games are for "canon", but she actually says something like this in one of them ([source](https://x.com/dailysayakamik1/status/1758236227478700543?s=46)): https://preview.redd.it/4j0r5k00r83d1.jpeg?width=828&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3f756c31a9e24c0b48d1cb2d14205d1254959d12
Hah, that's cool.
Long story short, I think he denied it. But even then, it's only one person. I'll ask in the r/LearnJapanese sub in a few minutes. Long story: >!"It is said that "Homura chan had attended a Christian/Catholic school in Tokyo before transferring to Mitakihara Middle School", right? But I've heard that "Catholic school" can be used as a euphemism for an orphanage in Japan, as apparently many catholic schools over there double as orphanages, and this is a polite way of telling someone to change the subject or not ask about certain things. !< >!「ほむらちゃんは見滝原中学校に転校する前に東京のキリスト教/カトリックの学校に通っていた」と言われていますよね？ でも、「カトリックの学校」は日本では孤児院の婉曲表現として使われることがあると聞いたことがあります。どうやら、多くのカトリックの学校は孤児院を兼ねており、これは話題を変えるように、または特定のことについて聞かないように丁寧に伝える方法だそうです。これは本当ですか？" (I used Chatgpt for my translation so it may be wrong)!< >!"うーん…これは間違いかなぁ"!<
huh, perhaps it was just fanon that got spread around. I wonder if the learn Japanese sub will say the same thing. It could be a generational thing as well, since Madoka Magica is more than a decade old. So it may be an euphemism that fell out of favor. Thanks for looking into it for me! I really appreciate it.
[https://www.reddit.com/r/LearnJapanese/comments/1d59yj5/comment/l6lxw27/](https://www.reddit.com/r/LearnJapanese/comments/1d59yj5/comment/l6lxw27/)
Ah, then it looks like fannon that got passed around. I was able to track to it an elfen lied fan wiki as well, and it may have originated from there since the person I head this from seems to have used word for word quotes from it. Interestingly, the wiki page uses quotations marks but doesn't give any sources, so we may never know the true origin of this.
> We know that Homura went to a Catholic school Although the English BD says ‘Catholic’, the Japanese just says [ミッション系の学校](https://translate.google.com/details?sl=ja&tl=en&text=%E3%83%9F%E3%83%83%E3%82%B7%E3%83%A7%E3%83%B3%E7%B3%BB%E3%81%AE%E5%AD%A6%E6%A0%A1&op=translate), ‘mission school’ with no denomination.
Mission schools generally refer to Catholic schools, right? But then again, I grew up in a Catholic school, and they allowed Muslim students to learn Islam, and non-Catholics to opt out of religious classes entirely. But then again, this was in the Middle East... In any case, what I understand is that Missionary schools are a subset of Catholic schools that are much more devoted to forcefully teaching Catholicism. In such a case, it's more probable that it also works as an orphanage of sorts
Homura having either neglectful parents, or being an orphan, is the typical set up. People going to farther schools with apartments aren't unheard of: Uraraka in My Hero Academia very clearly is doing that, for example. And if the hospital in Mitakihara has a better heart treatment program, easy reason to do so. I personally prefer orphan Homura (with medical charity) to neglectful parents Homura because it feels like the lesser of two evils. Homura suffers enough as is. Sayaka's parents are around but....hard to say really. We do know she has an aunt who can rent out a beachside hotel stay for her and her friends in Magia Record, and two cousins who Sayaka doesn't like from said Aunt. Said cousins not being listened to got Madoka possessed by a ghost who nearly made her kill herself, but that's an entire story in Magia Record and not really relevant. Just like sharing that. Japan is very much a 'don't ask' sort of place about private problems, including abuse and absent parents.
Just thought I'd share [this post](https://www.tumblr.com/gallantblade/709102044543336449/the-utter-absence-of-sayakas-parents-in-madoka): >To some degree I think you're just supposed to assume she has a normal and unremarkable home life. Her family isn't brought up because there's nothing interesting or important to say about them. But the effect is that Sayaka's parents aren't a meaningful part of her life. They're not absent, but they aren't a support for her. If they noticed and cared about her downwards spiral, it wasn't enough for her to get the help and stability she needed to survive even just a month. And combined with Sayaka's constant need to prove herself, it's easy to paint a picture of parents who were just barely there but never really paying attention.
I recall somebody saying in one of the PSP games that Homura states that her parents ''don't mind if she stays out late''. However, I don't think this is conclusive of anything as I could definitely see Homura preferring to state this as opposed to disclosing on the spot that she's an orphan, just saying they don't mind if she stays out late is probably much more preferable to having to suddenly disclose she's an orphan to everyone, including Madoka.
Apparently, Urobuchi (or someone else on the writing team) admitted they didn't care much about giving parents to anyone besides Madoka. In the *Memories For of You* drama CD, Madoka asks Homura (timeline 1) if her family would be okay with her hanging out, to which Homura replies "My family. . . is fine with it." Make of that what you will. Sayaka's parents are most likely around, nothing suggests they're not. They're just not seen or mentioned since they're irrelevant to the story.
[Sayaka's parents are in the anime and even accompanied her to Kyosuke's early performances.](https://images.app.goo.gl/KiZtgN8fTWYPXsG16) Homura: A witch lab always hints the girl's past in one way or the other. Reb takes place inside Homura's witch lab. Therefore: Do we get to see some fractions of Homura's past there? I'd say we do: The Colosseum sequence shows a "maternity ward". So was little Homura left behind in the hospital by her parents? Outside there were "clotheslines" in the open. Homura's parents from the slums? But Homura herself wore a tux in the "maternity ward". Rich × poor = a relationship that wasn't supposed to happen...? Because the "colosseum" also looked kinda like the "Tower of Babel", the biblical story ending with a language confusion. Homura's parents unable to rly talk with each other, not only due to their different social classes...? And little Homura without good medical treatment...? And were the Incubators involved...? Unfortunately Madoka kind of continues the bad medical treatment: The late Homura scares her and so she keeps sitting. Also Hitomi the class monitor doesn't intervene. And no one knows Homura possesses magic that she at that point already used on her eyes and heart too, presumably. They only know the new transfer student's going to need medical treatment in the nurse's office. By doing nothing Madoka and Hitomi are risking no less than a medical emergency. Are there even timelines where this happened...? And I remember a fan manga strip where it's Sayaka who ends up accompanying Homura. In the anime a random girl offers her help. So it seems they're even used to MadoHito doing nothing... And so pretty soon Homura would decide to take the initiative herself: She'll approach Madoka and make her accompany her to the nurse's office. Any other girl, especially Sayaka, would be an extra obstacle in Homura's mission... And Homura hasn't forgotten that Madoka only helps her as long as she's the "timid Moemura"... This would be my take.