How to Start Homeschooling in Maryland

Yes. Homeschooling in Maryland is legal.

Maryland's compulsory attendance law, Md. Code, Education Article, Section 7-301, excuses a child who is receiving regular, thorough instruction during the school year in the studies usually taught in the public schools to children of the same age. The detailed home instruction regulations live in COMAR 13A.10.01.

The main accountability tool is a portfolio review. There is no standardized testing requirement. And a local school system may not impose requirements beyond those in the state regulations.

Maryland's compulsory attendance applies to children ages 5 through 18 under Md. Code, Education Article, Section 7-301.

If you have a child approaching age 5, plan ahead: the state form must reach your local superintendent at least 15 days before your home instruction program begins.

Here is how to homeschool in Maryland under the school-system-supervised pathway (COMAR 13A.10.01.01).

Step 1: Get the state form. Maryland requires you to sign a statement on a form prescribed by the Maryland State Department of Education. A free-form letter is not a substitute. Your local school system's home instruction office can provide the form. Anything on the form that MSDE does not prescribe is marked optional. No notarization is required.

Step 2: Submit it at least 15 days before you begin. Send the signed form to your local school superintendent at least 15 days before your home instruction program begins. If your child is enrolled in school, plan your timing so the form is in at least 15 days before home instruction starts.

Step 3: Start your portfolio on day one. Keep materials that show regular, thorough instruction in each of the eight subject areas, such as instructional materials, reading materials, and examples of your child's writing, worksheets, workbooks, creative work, and tests. These are examples, not a required checklist.

Step 4: Plan for portfolio reviews. A representative of your local school system reviews your portfolio at times and places that are mutually agreeable. Confirm the review schedule with your local school system. The purpose of the review is to make sure your child is receiving regular, thorough instruction.

Step 5: Verify every year. Before the beginning of each school year, verify with your local superintendent that you are continuing home instruction. If your child's homeschool status changes during the year, let the superintendent know.

Your first filing is the home instruction form prescribed by the Maryland State Department of Education. By signing it, you consent to the program, portfolio, and review requirements in the regulation. Submit it to your local school superintendent at least 15 days before your home instruction program begins. No notarization is required.

Each year after that, before the school year begins, verify the continuation of home instruction with your local superintendent. If your child's homeschool status changes during the school year (for example, you return to public school), notify the superintendent.

Your notification does not ask the school system to approve your curriculum. And under COMAR 13A.10.01.01, a local school system may not impose additional requirements beyond the state regulations.

Under COMAR 13A.10.01.01, your program provides regular, thorough instruction in the studies usually taught in public schools to children of the same age, including these eight subject areas:

1. English
2. Mathematics
3. Science
4. Social studies
5. Art
6. Music
7. Health
8. Physical education

Your portfolio reviewer will look for evidence of instruction in each of these areas, so plan for all of them from the start.

The regulation does not dictate how you teach any of these. No required textbooks and no approved curriculum list. Nature walks can support science, cooking projects can support math, and museum trips can support social studies. Your program may also include part-time or full-time college courses.

No standardized testing is required under the school-system-supervised pathway. Assessment happens through your portfolio.

You keep a portfolio of materials that shows regular, thorough instruction in the eight subject areas. A representative of your local school system reviews it at a time and place that are mutually agreeable, to make sure your child is receiving regular, thorough instruction. Confirm the review schedule with your local school system. If your child takes college courses, you may provide the college report card or transcript for those courses at the end of each college semester instead of portfolio materials.

If a reviewer finds a deficiency, the superintendent notifies you in writing. Within 30 days of receiving that notice, you provide evidence that the deficiency has been or is being corrected. Only if there is no satisfactory plan to correct it, or it is not corrected, must your child be enrolled in a public or nonpublic school.

Maryland gives you two legal pathways.

Pathway 1: Home Instruction Supervised by the Local School System (COMAR 13A.10.01.01). Submit the state form to your superintendent at least 15 days before you begin. Teach eight subject areas. Keep a portfolio for school-system review. Verify continuation every year. This guide covers this pathway.

Pathway 2: Umbrella Program or Church-Exempt School (COMAR 13A.10.01.05). Your home instruction is supervised by a school operated by a bona fide church organization, or by a nonpublic school with a certificate of approval from the State Board. Your program still offers regular, thorough instruction in the studies usually taught in public schools. You still notify your local superintendent at least 15 days before you begin, but after that the supervising school handles annual verification with the superintendent. The state sets no subject list, testing, or recordkeeping requirement for the family on this pathway; the supervising school provides materials and conferences or a teacher who helps with progress reports and grading.

Before you enroll in an umbrella program, confirm that it is operated by a bona fide church organization or holds a State Board certificate of approval, and ask what it expects from families.

No teaching credentials required. No certificate, degree, or background check is required for a parent providing home instruction.

No guaranteed access to school sports or classes. Maryland does not have a statewide law granting homeschoolers access to public school extracurricular activities or individual courses. Each local school system decides. Contact your district to ask what is available.

Special education. Homeschooled children are not entitled to an IEP from the district. Your district must still evaluate your child under federal Child Find if you suspect a disability. Contact your local special education office and ask what services, if any, it offers homeschooled students.

You issue your own diploma. Maryland does not offer a state homeschool diploma. You create your child's diploma and transcript yourself, and no state template exists. Keeping your portfolio organized through high school makes transcripts easier.

No state financial help. Maryland has no ESA, voucher, or scholarship program for homeschool families.

Avoid these common mistakes. Missing the 15-day notice before home instruction begins. Forgetting the annual verification before each school year. Letting portfolio documentation slide before a review. Assuming your child can join public school activities without confirming with your school system.