What is required to homeschool in Michigan?

An organized educational program at home in reading, spelling, mathematics, science, history, civics, literature, writing and English grammar, taught by the parent or legal guardian. Under exemption (f) nothing is filed, tested or reported.

How do I start homeschooling in Michigan?

Withdraw your child in writing if enrolled, plan the nine subjects, and begin. No form exists.

Are standardized tests required for Michigan homeschoolers?

No. The state assessments are open to home school students but never required.

How many instructional days does Michigan require?

None. The public schools' 180 days do not apply to a nonpublic or home school (the Clonlara decision of 1993).

What is the difference between exemption (f) and exemption (a) in Michigan?

Exemption (f) is homeschooling by a parent with no filing. Exemption (a) is teaching at home as a nonpublic school: a yearly membership report to the Department, that Act's teacher rules, and access to auxiliary services such as speech and special education.

Can I homeschool kindergarten in Michigan?

Yes. Compulsory attendance runs from 6 to 18 on either route, and nothing is filed under exemption (f) at any age.

2026–2027 Homeschool Laws and Requirements

How to Homeschool in Michigan

Yes, you can homeschool your child in Michigan. You do not need a teaching license, a degree or an approved curriculum; you choose your books, your methods and your calendar. Michigan's home school exemption asks one thing: an organized educational program at home, taught by a parent or legal guardian, in nine named subjects. Nothing is filed with the state.

Updated 9 October 2026 · Sources read 8 October 2026

Free printable guide

The Michigan homeschool quick reference, 2026–2027

One page to keep: what Michigan requires, the dates, and the official links, checked for the 2026–2027 school year. Open it here first, then download it.

Download the PDF (314 KB)

What Michigan homeschool law requires

The whole list for the 2026–2027 school year, from the Revised School Code and the Department of Education's home school pages:

Michigan: homeschool requirements at a glance
Requirement	What Michigan asks	Where it says so
The program	An organized educational program at home in reading, spelling, mathematics, science, history, civics, literature, writing and English grammar. The books, the methods and the depth are yours; the state sets no content for the courses.	MCL 380.1561(3)(f)
Filing	None. A family under exemption (f) does not report to the Department of Education or to the district, and no form, registration or approval exists. If your child is enrolled in a public school, tell that school in writing that you are withdrawing to homeschool.	MDE, Exemption (f) Home School
Days, hours, tests	None. The public schools' 180 days do not apply to a nonpublic or home school (the Clonlara decision of 1993), and the state assessments are open to home school students but never required.	MDE, Exemption (f) Home School; the Clonlara decision (1993)
Teacher	The parent or legal guardian, and that is the only qualification.	MCL 380.1561(3)(f)
A second route, and ages	Exemption (a) lets a family teach at home as a nonpublic school under the Private, Denominational and Parochial Schools Act: it files the yearly Nonpublic School Membership Report with the Department, which opens auxiliary services such as speech and special education, and it is subject to that Act's teacher rules. Compulsory attendance from 6 to 18 on either route.	MCL 380.1561; MDE, Nonpublic and Home School Information (October 2025)

MDE: exemption (f) home school MCL 380.1561: compulsory attendance and its exemptions

How to start homeschooling in Michigan

If your child is in a public school, tell that school in writing that you are withdrawing to homeschool. Under exemption (f) nothing is filed with the Department or the district; no form, registration or approval exists.
Build an organized educational program in the nine subjects: reading, spelling, mathematics, science, history, civics, literature, writing and English grammar. The books, methods and depth are yours; Faith Schooling covers reading, spelling, writing, English grammar, literature and mathematics, and you add science, history and civics.
Plan the year. Michigan counts no days or hours; the free Homeschool Rhythm Builder turns your week into a printable plan, and a plan is the plainest sign of an organized program.
Keep the pages. Nothing is filed, but a dated stack of finished work in the nine subjects is the record a school will want if your child ever returns.
Consider exemption (a) if you want auxiliary services: a family teaching at home as a nonpublic school files the yearly Nonpublic School Membership Report with the Department, which opens services such as speech and special education, and is subject to that Act's teacher rules.

How Faith Schooling covers Michigan's requirements

Michigan sets no days or hours. A year of 36 weeks with four or five mornings a week is the common shape, and it is yours to set.

Five of Michigan's nine subjects are ours in full: reading and spelling are Phonics, Decoding, and Early Fluency, writing, English grammar and literature are Grammar Garden, mathematics is Building Number Sense, each a sequenced textbook with a teaching guide for every grade from Kindergarten to Grade 5, which is what the law means by an organized educational program. Science, history and civics are yours to choose.

Michigan asks you to keep no records. Keep them anyway: the dated, finished pages of each program are your own record of the year, and they answer any question a school ever asks when a child moves between home and classroom.

Reading: Phonics, Decoding, and Early Fluency K–5 reading textbooks in four quarterly volumes a year, with complete teaching guides
Spelling: Phonics, Decoding, and Early Fluency and Grammar Garden spelling patterns are taught with the phonics; grammar and writing in Grammar Garden
Mathematics: Building Number Sense K–5 mathematics textbooks; Kindergarten to Grade 2 add practice workbooks and teaching guides
Literature: Phonics, Decoding, and Early Fluency
Writing: Grammar Garden K–5 language and writing coursebooks, four a year, with Preceptor Guides
English grammar: Phonics, Decoding, and Early Fluency and Grammar Garden reading in Phonics, Decoding, and Early Fluency; grammar, writing and composition in Grammar Garden
Science, history and civics: Your choice Faith Schooling does not publish these subjects; choose what fits your family
Bible: The Apostolic Academy not something Michigan 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

Public school access and other opportunities in Michigan

Michigan's auxiliary services come with the nonpublic-school route, not with the homeschool exemption, under which a family files nothing and has no such claim:

Exemption (a) lets a family teach at home as a nonpublic school: it files the yearly Nonpublic School Membership Report with the Department, which opens auxiliary services such as speech and special education, and it is subject to that Act's teacher rules. Source: Michigan Department of Education, Nonpublic and Home School Information 2025–2026 (30 October 2025), read 8 October 2026.

What Michigan does not require, and you should still do

Place your child. Michigan tests no homeschooled child; HARVEST, the free placement check, names the grade and quarter to start in reading and math.
Plan the year. Michigan counts no days or hours; the Homeschool Rhythm Builder turns your week into a printable plan, and a plan is the plainest sign of an organized program.
Keep the pages. Nothing is filed, but a dated stack of finished work in the nine subjects is the record a school will want if your child ever returns.

HARVEST free placement Homeschool Rhythm Builder The Apostolic Academy

Common questions

What is required to homeschool in Michigan?: An organized educational program at home in reading, spelling, mathematics, science, history, civics, literature, writing and English grammar, taught by the parent or legal guardian. Under exemption (f) nothing is filed, tested or reported.
How do I start homeschooling in Michigan?: Withdraw your child in writing if enrolled, plan the nine subjects, and begin. No form exists.
Are standardized tests required for Michigan homeschoolers?: No. The state assessments are open to home school students but never required.
How many instructional days does Michigan require?: None. The public schools' 180 days do not apply to a nonpublic or home school (the Clonlara decision of 1993).
What is the difference between exemption (f) and exemption (a) in Michigan?: Exemption (f) is homeschooling by a parent with no filing. Exemption (a) is teaching at home as a nonpublic school: a yearly membership report to the Department, that Act's teacher rules, and access to auxiliary services such as speech and special education.
Can I homeschool kindergarten in Michigan?: Yes. Compulsory attendance runs from 6 to 18 on either route, and nothing is filed under exemption (f) at any age.

Official Michigan homeschool resources

Read from the state's own pages for the 2026–2027 school year on the date shown. The Revised School Code and the Department of Education are the final word; this page is a plain-language guide, not legal advice.

Homeschool laws in nearby states

Compare all fifty states and Washington, D.C.