Michigan Homeschool Requirements Checklist
Everything you need to do to homeschool legally in Michigan, based on MCL 380.1561(3)(f). Michigan is classified as Low regulation.
This is the general checklist for Home Education, the most common of Michigan's 2 pathways. Our free wizard customizes this for your family, including grade, pathway, enrollment status, and IEP.
Your compliance checklist
Do first
Withdrawal letter recommended
A formal letter isn't required, but it is recommended if your child is enrolled in school. Send it to your child's current school. Conditions: Not required by state law. MDE suggests it to help avoid truancy reporting.
Deadline: Before you start (if enrolled)
Ongoing
Required subjects
reading, spelling, mathematics, science, history, civics, literature, writing, English grammar
Review instructional-time requirements
Check the cited source for the school-term or instructional-time rule that applies to your pathway.
Good news
No notification required
Michigan does not require you to notify anyone to begin homeschooling.
No testing or assessment required
No standardized testing or assessments required under this pathway.
Ongoing requirements
Required subjects
- ✓reading
- ✓spelling
- ✓mathematics
- ✓science
- ✓history
- ✓civics
- ✓literature
- ✓writing
- ✓English grammar
Varies by pathway. Home Education: ["reading","spelling","mathematics","science","history","civics","literature","writing","English grammar"]; Nonpublic School: ["comparable to public school curriculum"]
MCL 380.1561(3)(f) (nine subjects enumerated for organized educational program)
What you don't need to worry about
No notification required
Michigan does not require you to notify anyone to begin homeschooling.
No testing or assessment required
No standardized testing or assessments required under this pathway.
Other ways to homeschool in Michigan
This checklist covers Home Education, the most common pathway. Michigan offers 2 different ways to homeschool, each with different requirements:
- •Home Education(this checklist) : As the parent or legal guardian, you educate your child at home in an organized educational program in nine subject areas: reading, spelling, mathematics, science, history, civics, literature, writing and English grammar (MCL 380.1561(3)(f)). The statute sets no notice, testing, recordkeeping or annual filing for this exemption.
- •Nonpublic School : Your child attends regularly and is taught in a state-approved nonpublic school that teaches subjects comparable to those taught in the public schools to children of corresponding age and grade (MCL 380.1561(3)(a)). Under the Nonpublic School Act, the Superintendent of Public Instruction supervises these schools, and their courses of study and teacher qualifications are to meet the same standard as the general school laws (MCL 388.551). The state may examine a school's enrollment records, courses of study and teacher qualifications (MCL 388.555). If your home operates as the nonpublic school (MCL 380.1561(4)), you are its appropriate authority. At the start of each school year you report each enrolled child to the local or intermediate superintendent (MCL 380.1578), and whoever teaches needs a teaching certificate unless the family's religious convictions prohibit using certified instructors (MCL 388.553; People v DeJonge, 442 Mich 266 (1993)).
Our wizard helps you choose the right one. Compare all pathways for Michigan
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.
Get your Michigan checklistRequirements sourced from MCL 380.1561(3)(f). Last reviewed October 2026