2026–2027 Homeschool Laws and Requirements
How to Homeschool in Maryland
Yes, you can homeschool your child in Maryland. You do not need a teaching license or an approved curriculum; you choose your books and your methods. Maryland asks you to file one form with your local school system before you begin, to give regular, thorough instruction in eight subjects, and to show a portfolio of your child's work at the end of each semester, or to teach under a supervising school instead.
Updated 9 October 2026 · Sources read 8 October 2026
Free printable guide
The Maryland homeschool quick reference, 2026–2027
One page to keep: what Maryland requires, the dates, and the official links, checked for the 2026–2027 school year. Open it here first, then download it.
What Maryland homeschool law requires
The whole list for the 2026–2027 school year, from the Education Article and the State Board's home instruction regulations, COMAR 13A.10.01:
| Requirement | What Maryland asks | Where it says so |
|---|---|---|
| The form | The State Department of Education's home instruction notification form, filed with your local superintendent at least 15 days before you begin. It is your consent to the rules below, not an application, and a local school system may add no requirement of its own. Before each later school year, verify that home instruction continues, and tell the system of any change during the year. | COMAR 13A.10.01.01; MSDE, Home Instruction |
| Subjects | Regular, thorough instruction in the studies usually taught in the public schools to children of the same age: English, mathematics, science, social studies, art, music, health and physical education, on a regular basis and of sufficient duration to carry out your program. No days or hours are set. | COMAR 13A.10.01.01 |
| Portfolio | Instructional and reading materials and examples of your child's writing, worksheets, workbooks, creative work and tests. A representative of the school system reviews it at the end of each semester, at a time and place you both agree to, no more than three times a year, to confirm regular, thorough instruction. College courses may be shown by a report card instead. | COMAR 13A.10.01.01 |
| Or a supervising program | A school operated by a bona fide church organization, or a nonpublic school approved by the State Board, that provides materials for home use and conferences with you (the nonpublic school also assigns a teacher who grades work and issues progress reports). The program, not the school system, then verifies your child's enrollment each year. | COMAR 13A.10.01.05 |
| Tests, teacher, ages | No test (the state's standardized tests are open to homeschoolers who want them), no teacher qualification and no curriculum approval. Compulsory attendance from 5 to 18; a five-year-old may wait a year on a written request to the school system. | Md. Code, Educ. § 7-301; COMAR 13A.10.01.01; MSDE |
COMAR 13A.10.01.01, the home instruction rules MSDE: home instruction and the notification form
How to start homeschooling in Maryland
- File the State Department of Education's home instruction notification form with your local superintendent at least 15 days before you begin. It is your consent to the rules, not an application, and a local school system may add no requirement of its own.
- Withdraw your child from the public school once the 15 days have run.
- Teach the studies usually taught in the public schools to children of the same age (English, mathematics, science, social studies, art, music, health and physical education) on a regular basis and for long enough to carry out your program. Faith Schooling covers English and mathematics; you add the rest. Maryland sets no days or hours.
- Keep the portfolio as you go: instructional and reading materials and examples of your child's writing, worksheets, workbooks, creative work and tests. Set a few dated pages aside from each subject every month.
- Meet the school system's representative at the end of each semester, at a time and place you both agree to and no more than three times a year, to show the portfolio. Or enroll with a supervising program (a school operated by a bona fide church organization, or a State Board-approved nonpublic school), which then verifies your child's enrollment each year instead.
- Before each later school year, verify with the school system that home instruction continues, and tell it of any change during the year.
How Faith Schooling covers Maryland's requirements
Maryland sets no days or hours; its rule asks for instruction on a regular basis and of sufficient duration to carry out your program. A year of 36 weeks with four or five mornings a week is the common shape, and it is yours to set.
Maryland's portfolio review looks at writings, worksheets, workbooks and tests, and its rule lets a church-operated program supervise a home instead of the school system. Two of the eight subjects are ours in full: English is Phonics, Decoding, and Early Fluency and Grammar Garden, mathematics is Building Number Sense, each a sequenced textbook with a teaching guide for every grade from Kindergarten to Grade 5, and their dated, finished pages are exactly what a semester review reads. Science, social studies, art, music, health and physical education are yours to choose.
Maryland asks for a portfolio of materials and your child's work, reviewed at the end of each semester. The dated, finished pages of each program are that record, and a HARVEST report is a placement note for the file.
- English
- Phonics, Decoding, and Early Fluency and Grammar Garden reading in Phonics, Decoding, and Early Fluency; grammar, writing and composition in Grammar Garden
- Mathematics
- Building Number Sense K–5 mathematics textbooks; Kindergarten to Grade 2 add practice workbooks and teaching guides
- Science, social studies, art, music, health and physical education
- Your choice Faith Schooling does not publish these subjects; choose what fits your family
- Bible
- The Apostolic Academy not something Maryland requires; free: Scripture memory, Bible study and printables for the family
The curriculum map Phonics, Decoding, and Early Fluency Grammar Garden Building Number Sense HARVEST placement Homeschool Rhythm Builder
What Maryland does not require, and you should still do
- Place your child. Maryland tests no homeschooled child; HARVEST, the free placement check, names the grade and quarter to start in reading and math.
- Plan the year. The Homeschool Rhythm Builder turns your week into a printable plan, and a plan with dates is the plainest proof of regular instruction a reviewer can see.
- Keep the portfolio as you go. Set a few dated pages aside from each subject every month, and the semester review is a folder you already have.
HARVEST free placement Homeschool Rhythm Builder The Apostolic Academy
Common questions
- What is required to homeschool in Maryland?
- MSDE's notification form to your local superintendent 15 days before you begin, regular and thorough instruction in the eight studies the public schools teach, and a portfolio reviewed by the school system at the end of each semester (or supervision by a church or approved nonpublic school program). No test, hours, teacher qualification or curriculum approval.
- How do I start homeschooling in Maryland?
- File the notification form 15 days ahead, withdraw your child, start the portfolio, and agree the semester review.
- Are standardized tests required for Maryland homeschoolers?
- No. The state's standardized tests are open to homeschoolers who want them, but the required check is the portfolio review.
- How often is the Maryland portfolio reviewed?
- At the end of each semester, no more than three times a year, at a time and place you and the school system agree to. The reviewer looks for regular, thorough instruction.
- Can I homeschool kindergarten in Maryland?
- Yes. Compulsory attendance begins at five, so the notification is due for the kindergarten year, or a five-year-old may wait a year on a written request to the school system.
- How many instructional hours does Maryland require?
- None are set. The rule asks for instruction on a regular basis and of sufficient duration to carry out your program.
Official Maryland homeschool resources
Read from the state's own pages for the 2026–2027 school year on the date shown. The Education Article, COMAR and the State Department of Education are the final word; this page is a plain-language guide, not legal advice.
- Md. Code, Education § 7-301 — compulsory attendance, ages 5 to 18, the one-year delay for a five-year-old, and the exemption for regular, thorough instruction at home — checked 2026-10-08
- COMAR 13A.10.01.01 — Home Instruction Program: the form 15 days before, the yearly verification, the eight subjects, the portfolio, the semester reviews, no added local requirements — checked 2026-10-08
- COMAR 13A.10.01.05 — home instruction under the supervision of a church-operated program or an approved nonpublic school — checked 2026-10-08
- Maryland State Department of Education — Home Instruction (the notification form and local contacts)