Maryland homeschool requirements and record-keeping, 2026-27
In Maryland you sign a state form agreeing to the home instruction requirements and send it to your local superintendent at least 15 days before you begin. Each year before school starts you confirm that you are continuing. You give regular, thorough instruction in English, math, science, social studies, art, music, health and physical education. You keep a portfolio of materials, and the school system may review it at the end of each semester, no more than three times a year. Alternatively, you can home school under the supervision of a church-operated program or a state-approved nonpublic school.
What you file and when
- Signed statement on the MSDE form consenting to the home instruction requirements
To: Local superintendent. When: At least 15 days before the home instruction program begins - Annual verification that home schooling continues
To: Local superintendent (or the supervising umbrella school). When: Each year before the school year begins - Notice of a change in home school status
To: Local superintendent (or umbrella school). When: When the change happens
What you keep
- Portfolio showing regular, thorough instruction in each required subject: instructional materials, reading materials, and examples of writings, worksheets, workbooks, creative materials and tests
Portfolio. Reviewed by the local superintendent or designee at the end of each local semester, at mutually agreeable times; no more than three reviews a year.
How long to keep it. The sources we read set no retention period. Keeping a record for at least a few years is a sensible habit.
Hours, days and subjects
- No fixed number of hours or days found in the sources we read.
- Compulsory attendance ages: 5 to 18
Subjects. English; Mathematics; Science; Social studies; Art; Music; Health; Physical education.
Work out your hours for Maryland with the free calculator.
Things people miss
- Portfolio reviews follow your local school system's semester dates, so ask the district for them.
- Local systems may not add requirements beyond the state regulation.
- Standardized testing is voluntary for home-instructed children.
- Under an umbrella school, you still file the initial 15-day notice; the umbrella school then handles the rest.
Official sources
- COMAR 13A.10.01 Home Instruction, General Regulations (COMAR 13A.10.01.01-.05)
Verified checked on 2026-10-18 - Md. Education Art. § 7-301 Compulsory attendance (Md. Code, Educ. § 7-301)
Verified checked on 2026-10-18
How Schoolkeeper helps
A twenty-second daily log, and then an export in the shape Maryland asks for:
- A portfolio of work samples, photos and what they read, in date order.
- An attendance record showing the days you taught.
- Minutes by subject, totalled for the year.
Questions parents ask
What do I have to file to homeschool in Maryland?
Signed statement on the MSDE form consenting to the home instruction requirements, to Local superintendent. When: At least 15 days before the home instruction program begins. Annual verification that home schooling continues, to Local superintendent (or the supervising umbrella school). When: Each year before the school year begins. Notice of a change in home school status, to Local superintendent (or umbrella school). When: When the change happens.
What records do I keep for homeschooling in Maryland?
Portfolio showing regular, thorough instruction in each required subject: instructional materials, reading materials, and examples of writings, worksheets, workbooks, creative materials and tests.
How many hours or days does Maryland ask for?
Maryland does not set a minimum number of hours or days in what we found.
What trips people up when homeschooling in Maryland?
Portfolio reviews follow your local school system's semester dates, so ask the district for them. Local systems may not add requirements beyond the state regulation.
This is a plain-English summary with its sources, not legal advice. Tell us if this is wrong.