How to Start Homeschooling in Minnesota

Yes. Homeschooling is legal in Minnesota.

Under Minn. Stat. 120A.22, instruction at home meets the compulsory instruction law when it follows the state's rules. Minn. Stat. 120A.24 covers reporting and documentation.

You file a report and a yearly letter of intent, teach set subject areas, and test annually. But you pick your own curriculum and set your own pace. You do not need a teaching license: a parent may teach any child who is assessed under the state's testing rules.

Minnesota requires instruction for children between 7 and 17 unless the child has graduated (Minn. Stat. 120A.22).

You are not required to file homeschool paperwork for a child under 7 who is not enrolled in school. (If a child under 7 is enrolled in kindergarten or a higher grade in public school, compulsory attendance rules can apply, so check with your district before switching.)

File your first report by October 1 of the first school year your child receives instruction after reaching age 7. If you withdraw a child age 7 or older from public school, file within 15 days.

Here is how to start homeschooling in Minnesota.

Step 1: Prepare your report. Ask your superintendent's office whether it has a form. Your report includes: your child's name, birth date, and address; the annual tests you intend to use; the name of each instructor; and evidence that each instructor meets one of the requirements in Minn. Stat. 120A.22, Subd. 10. For a parent without a license or degree, that requirement is being the parent of a child who is assessed under the state's testing rules. A superintendent may offer an online format, but cannot require you to file electronically.

Step 2: Send it to your superintendent on time. Send the report to the superintendent of the district where your child lives, not the state education department. The deadline is October 1 of the first school year your child receives instruction after reaching age 7, or within 15 days if you withdraw a child age 7 or older from public school.

Step 3: If your child is enrolled, plan the withdrawal. The required step is your report to the superintendent within 15 days of withdrawal. State law does not require a separate letter to your child's school.

Step 4: Teach the required subject areas. Cover basic communication skills including reading and writing, literature, and fine arts; mathematics and science; social studies including history, geography, economics, government, and citizenship; and health and physical education. Instruction, textbooks, and materials must be in English. Beyond that, you choose your own textbooks, methods, and pace.

Step 5: Test your child each year. Use a nationally norm-referenced standardized achievement test. You and your superintendent agree on the specific test and how and where it is given. Keep proof that the test was given.

Step 6: Renew every October 1. By October 1 each school year, send a letter of intent to continue, along with any changes to the information in your report.

Your required filings go to the superintendent of the district where your child lives.

Initial report. Include your child's name, birth date, and address; the annual tests you intend to use; the name of each instructor; and evidence that each instructor meets one of the Subd. 10 requirements. File by October 1 of the first school year your child receives instruction after reaching age 7, or within 15 days of withdrawing a child age 7 or older from public school.

Annual letter of intent. By October 1 of each school year, send a letter of intent to continue, with any changes to your report information. This applies to a child "between the ages of seven and 16," and to 16- and 17-year-olds whose initial report was filed after age 16.

If you move. File within 15 days of moving out of a district, and by October 1 after a new resident district is established.

You do not submit test scores with your report. You keep proof of testing in your own records.

If your child is in public school now, file your report with the superintendent of your resident district within 15 days of withdrawing (Minn. Stat. 120A.24, Subd. 1).

State law does not require a separate withdrawal letter to the school.

You can withdraw at any point in the school year. The 15-day filing window is the same whenever you start.

Minn. Stat. 120A.22, Subd. 9 requires instruction in at least these subject areas:

• Basic communication skills including reading and writing, literature, and fine arts
• Mathematics and science
• Social studies including history, geography, economics, government, and citizenship
• Health and physical education

Instruction, textbooks, and materials must be in English. Another language may be used only as state law allows for specific programs.

Do not skip fine arts or physical education; they are in the statute. Music, drawing, and crafts can cover fine arts, and outdoor time or swimming can cover PE. There is no approved textbook list.

Annual testing is a key part of Minnesota homeschool law. Each year, your child takes a nationally norm-referenced standardized achievement test (Minn. Stat. 120A.22, Subd. 11). You and your superintendent agree on the specific test and how and where it is given.

If you are a parent teaching without a Minnesota teaching license (or supervision by a licensed teacher), you also assess your child in any required subject the test does not cover.

If the total battery score is at or below the 30th percentile, or one grade level below children of the same age, you must arrange an additional evaluation of your child's abilities to determine whether your child has learning problems. This is not a failing score, and it applies under both pathways.

You do not send scores to the superintendent each year. Keep proof that testing took place. Scores must be shared with the county attorney if a truancy or child-protection case is started, and with the public school if your child later enrolls full time.

Children taught by an accredited nonpublic school are exempt from these testing rules.

Minnesota gives you two pathways.

Pathway 1: Non-Qualified Instructor with Testing Alternative. Any parent can teach. No degree or license is needed, because your child is assessed under the state's testing rules (Minn. Stat. 120A.22, Subd. 10 and 11).

Pathway 2: Qualified Instructor. The instructor holds a valid Minnesota teaching license, is directly supervised by a licensed teacher, teaches in an accredited or recognized school, or holds a bachelor's degree. Annual testing still applies, and the 30th-percentile additional-evaluation rule applies here too.

Both pathways use the same report, the same subject areas, and the same annual test. The difference is the instructor's qualifications and whether the parent also assesses subjects the test does not cover.

Public school activities. Under Minn. Stat. 123B.49, Subd. 4, homeschool students may participate in extracurricular activities at their resident public school district on the same basis as public school students. Reach out to the school's activities office to sign up.

Use PSEO for free college courses. Minnesota's Post-Secondary Enrollment Options program (Minn. Stat. 124D.09) lets 10th through 12th graders take college courses at eligible institutions at no cost. Tenth graders are limited to one career and technical education course. Contact the college's PSEO office to apply.

Claim your tax benefits. Under Minn. Stat. 290.0674, you may qualify for an education tax credit for expenses such as curriculum, textbooks, tutoring, and testing fees; income limits apply. The K-12 education subtraction (Minn. Stat. 290.0132, Subd. 4) is available regardless of income.

Shared-time special education. Home-educated children do not get a full IEP from the district while homeschooling. But under Minn. Stat. 125A.18, your district must allow shared-time special education services. Contact your resident district to arrange them.

Build your transcript starting in 9th grade. You issue the diploma. Minnesota has no state homeschool diploma or transcript template. The University of Minnesota and Minnesota State schools have their own homeschool admissions processes.

File with the superintendent, not the state. Your report goes to the superintendent of your resident school district. If you move, file within 15 days of moving out of a district, and by October 1 after a new resident district is established.