Mississippi Homeschool Requirements Checklist
Everything you need to do to homeschool legally in Mississippi, based on Miss. Code Ann. 37-13-91(3)(c). Mississippi is classified as Low regulation.
This is the general checklist for Legitimate Home Instruction Program, the most common of Mississippi'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 School attendance officer where the child resides. Deadline: On or before August 15 of each year.
Deadline: On or before August 15 of each year
More details
Include: child's name, child's address, child phone, child's date of birth, parent/guardian name, parent/guardian address, parent phone, resident district, education description, parent/guardian signature, date signed
Ongoing
Review curriculum requirements
Check the cited source for curriculum requirements that may be described without a subject-by-subject list.
Review instructional-time requirements
Check the cited source for the school-term or instructional-time rule that applies to your pathway. Conditions: Nonpublic schools, which by definition include home instruction programs, set their own term: the number of days the school requires for promotion from grade to grade (Miss. Code Ann. 37-13-91(2)(e), (2)(i)).
Renew each year
You must renew your homeschool notice each year by August 15.
Good news
No testing or assessment required
No standardized testing or assessments required under this pathway.
Education savings: Equal Opportunity for Students with Special Needs Act (ESA)
Equal Opportunity for Students with Special Needs Act (ESA): Up to $8,421 for the 2026-27 school year, paid quarterly as reimbursement of documented expenses (Mississippi Department of Education). — Children who live in Mississippi, have had an active IEP from a public school district within three years of applying, and have been accepted into an eligible private school. Not available while homeschooling: a home instruction program under Miss. Code Ann. 37-13-91 is not an eligible school, and the parent agrees not to file a home instruction certificate of enrollment while in the ESA (Mississippi Department of Education).
Filing requirements
- What to file
- simple notice
- Send to
- School attendance officer where the child resides
- Deadline
- On or before August 15 of each year
- How often
- annual
Your notice must include:
- •child's name
- •child's address
- •child phone
- •child's date of birth
- •parent/guardian name
- •parent/guardian address
- •parent phone
- •resident district
- •education description
- •parent/guardian signature
- •date signed
Miss. Code Ann. 37-13-91(3)(c) (Certificate of Enrollment for home instruction)
Ongoing requirements
Reporting
Varies by pathway. Legitimate Home Instruction Program: "August 15"; Non-Public School: null
- Annual renewal
- Required by August 15
Miss. Code Ann. 37-13-91(3)(c) (annual Certificate of Enrollment)
What you don't need to worry about
No testing or assessment required
No standardized testing or assessments required under this pathway.
Education savings: Equal Opportunity for Students with Special Needs Act (ESA)
Equal Opportunity for Students with Special Needs Act (ESA): Up to $8,421 for the 2026-27 school year, paid quarterly as reimbursement of documented expenses (Mississippi Department of Education). — Children who live in Mississippi, have had an active IEP from a public school district within three years of applying, and have been accepted into an eligible private school. Not available while homeschooling: a home instruction program under Miss. Code Ann. 37-13-91 is not an eligible school, and the parent agrees not to file a home instruction certificate of enrollment while in the ESA (Mississippi Department of Education).
Other ways to homeschool in Mississippi
This checklist covers Legitimate Home Instruction Program, the most common pathway. Mississippi offers 2 different ways to homeschool, each with different requirements:
- •Legitimate Home Instruction Program(this checklist) : You complete a certificate of enrollment and return it to the school attendance officer where your child resides on or before August 15 of each year. The law sets no required subjects, testing, instructional time, teacher qualifications or records for home instruction, and gives the state no authority to supervise a home instruction program. The annual certificate is your only ongoing legal obligation.
- •Non-Public School : Your child attends a nonpublic school, such as a private, church or parochial school. The school's principal or headmaster completes the certificate of enrollment and returns it to the school attendance officer where the child resides on or before August 15 of each year. The law sets no state rules for the school's subjects, testing or teacher qualifications.
Our wizard helps you choose the right one. Compare all pathways for Mississippi
Education savings available
Mississippi offers Equal Opportunity for Students with Special Needs Act (ESA). Learn about ESA programs
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 Mississippi checklistRequirements sourced from Miss. Code Ann. 37-13-91(3)(c). Last reviewed October 2026