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Maryland Homeschool Requirements Checklist

Everything you need to do to homeschool legally in Maryland, based on COMAR 13A.10.01. Maryland is classified as Moderate regulation.

This is the general checklist for Home Instruction Supervised by the Local School System, the most common of Maryland's 2 pathways. Our free wizard customizes this for your family, including grade, pathway, enrollment status, and IEP.

Your compliance checklist

Do first

File your Notice of Intent

Submit to local school superintendent. Deadline: at least 15 days before the start of home instruction. Conditions: The notice is a signed statement, on the form your local school system provides, agreeing to the instruction, portfolio and review requirements (COMAR 13A.10.01.01C-E). MSDE prescribes the form; anything on it that MSDE does not prescribe is marked optional. Submit it to the local superintendent at least 15 days before home instruction begins (COMAR 13A.10.01.01B(1)(b)).

Deadline: at least 15 days before the start of home instruction

More details

Include: signed statement agreeing to the home instruction requirements

Ongoing

Required subjects

English, mathematics, science, social studies, art, music, health, physical education

Review instructional-time requirements

Check the cited source for the school-term or instructional-time rule that applies to your pathway.

Show your child's progress

Portfolio review — twice per year. Conditions: No more than three portfolio reviews may be held in a school year (COMAR 13A.10.01.01).

More details

Timeline: 30 days from receipt of written notification. Consequence: Child must be enrolled in a public or nonpublic school

Keep basic records

You must maintain: student portfolio. Records may be reviewed by the district. Conditions: No fixed list of items is required. The portfolio must show regular, thorough instruction in the required subjects (COMAR 13A.10.01.01D(1)(a)). The regulation gives examples such as instructional materials, reading materials, and examples of the child's writings, worksheets, workbooks, creative materials and tests; MSDE says this is not an exhaustive list.

Renew each year

You must renew your homeschool notice each year. Conditions: The notice is a signed statement, on the form your local school system provides, agreeing to the instruction, portfolio and review requirements (COMAR 13A.10.01.01C-E). MSDE prescribes the form; anything on it that MSDE does not prescribe is marked optional. Submit it to the local superintendent at least 15 days before home instruction begins (COMAR 13A.10.01.01B(1)(b)). Before each school year starts, confirm with your local superintendent that home instruction is continuing (COMAR 13A.10.01.01B(2)). You keep a portfolio of your child's work, and the local school system reviews it with you at a time and place you both agree on, no more than three times a year (COMAR 13A.10.01.01D, E). You do not send in progress reports. If a review finds a deficiency, you have 30 days to show the superintendent it is being corrected (COMAR 13A.10.01.03B).

Filing requirements

What to file
simple notice
Send to
local school superintendent
Deadline
at least 15 days before the start of home instruction
How often
annual

Your notice must include:

  • •signed statement agreeing to the home instruction requirements
Practical tip: The Notice of Consent form is prescribed by the State Department of Education. Submit it to the local superintendent at least 15 days before you begin. Each year after that, before the school year begins, you verify that home instruction is continuing. Local school systems may not impose additional requirements beyond COMAR 13A.10.01.

COMAR 13A.10.01.01(B) (notification to local superintendent at least 15 days before instruction begins)

Ongoing requirements

Required subjects

  • ✓English
  • ✓mathematics
  • ✓science
  • ✓social studies
  • ✓art
  • ✓music
  • ✓health
  • ✓physical education

Varies by pathway. Home Instruction Supervised by the Local School System: "general_list"; Umbrella Program or Church-Exempt School: "none"

COMAR 13A.10.01.01(C) (regular, thorough instruction in required subject areas)

Testing and assessment

Varies by pathway. Home Instruction Supervised by the Local School System: "semiannual"; Umbrella Program or Church-Exempt School: null

Accepted types
Portfolio review
Frequency
twice per year

If scores fall short:

  • Process:
  • Timeline: 30 days from receipt of written notification
  • Consequence: Child must be enrolled in a public or nonpublic school
Practical tip: Portfolio reviews take place at the end of each semester of the local school system, at times and places agreed on with you, and there can be no more than three reviews in a school year. The reviewer looks for evidence of regular, thorough instruction. If the superintendent finds deficiencies, you have 30 days from receiving written notice to show they have been or are being corrected.

See our full assessment guide for Maryland for details.

COMAR 13A.10.01.01 (portfolio review; not more than three reviews per school year)

Recordkeeping

Varies by pathway. Home Instruction Supervised by the Local School System: []; Umbrella Program or Church-Exempt School: undefined

  • ✓Student portfolio

Records may be reviewed by the district.

Practical tip: Portfolio must demonstrate regular, thorough instruction in all eight required subjects. There is no fixed list of required items. COMAR gives examples such as instructional materials, reading materials, writing examples, worksheets, workbooks, creative materials, and tests, and MSDE says the list is not exhaustive. Must be available for the school system reviewer at scheduled intervals.

COMAR 13A.10.01.01(D) (portfolio with work samples, materials evidence, and instructional log)

Reporting

Varies by pathway. Home Instruction Supervised by the Local School System: true; Umbrella Program or Church-Exempt School: false

Annual renewal
Required

COMAR 13A.10.01.01(D) (portfolio review as primary reporting mechanism)

Other ways to homeschool in Maryland

This checklist covers Home Instruction Supervised by the Local School System, the most common pathway. Maryland offers 2 different ways to homeschool, each with different requirements:

  • •
    Home Instruction Supervised by the Local School System(this checklist) : You notify your local school superintendent at least 15 days before starting and teach eight required subjects including art, music, and PE. Each year before the school year begins, you verify that home instruction is continuing. You keep a portfolio, which the local school system reviews at the end of each semester, at a mutually agreeable time and place, with no more than three reviews in a school year (COMAR 13A.10.01.01D and E). No standardized testing is required.
  • •
    Umbrella Program or Church-Exempt School : Your home instruction program is supervised by a school or institution operated by a bona fide church organization, or by a nonpublic school that holds a State Board certificate of approval (COMAR 13A.10.01.05). You still notify your local school superintendent at least 15 days before starting. After that, the supervising school verifies your child's enrollment with the superintendent each year. The local school system's portfolio reviews do not apply, but your program must still offer regular, thorough instruction in the studies usually taught in public schools to children of the same age.

Our wizard helps you choose the right one. Compare all pathways for Maryland

Get your personalized checklist

This is the general checklist for the most common pathway. The wizard customizes it for your family's specific situation, including grade, pathway, and IEP status.

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Requirements sourced from COMAR 13A.10.01. Last reviewed October 2026