2026–2027 Homeschool Laws and Requirements
How to Homeschool in Mississippi
Yes, you can homeschool your child in Mississippi. You do not need a teaching license or an approved curriculum; the law names no subjects, no hours and no test, and you choose your books and your methods. Mississippi asks one thing each year: a Certificate of Enrollment filed with your local school attendance officer by August 15, the deadline the Legislature set in April 2026.
Updated 9 October 2026 · Sources read 8 October 2026
Free printable guide
The Mississippi homeschool quick reference, 2026–2027
One page to keep: what Mississippi requires, the dates, and the official links, checked for the 2026–2027 school year. Open it here first, then download it.
What Mississippi homeschool law requires
The whole list for the 2026–2027 school year, from Mississippi Code § 37-13-91 as amended by Senate Bill 2103 (approved 8 April 2026) and the Department of Education:
| Requirement | What Mississippi asks | Where it says so |
|---|---|---|
| Certificate of Enrollment | Filed with the school attendance officer for the district you live in, on or before August 15 of each year, for every child of compulsory school age taught at home. The Department's form asks for the child's name, address, telephone number and date of birth, your name and address, and a simple description of the type of education you provide. Keep a copy. | Miss. Code § 37-13-91, as amended by Senate Bill 2103 (approved 8 April 2026); MDE, Home School |
| Starting mid-year | When you withdraw a child from a school, complete the certificate with the attendance officer then. A new year's certificate is filed after the current school year ends. | MDE, Home School |
| Subjects, hours, tests, teacher | No set subjects, no curriculum approval, no days or hours, no test and no teacher qualification: the law asks for a legitimate home instruction program and leaves the rest to you. Keep whatever records you find useful; none are filed. | Miss. Code § 37-13-91 |
| Ages | Compulsory school age runs from a child who is six on or before September 1 to one who is under seventeen on that date. | Miss. Code § 37-13-91 |
| Who to ask | Your school attendance officer, not the Department, receives the certificate and answers questions about it; the Department publishes the form and the officers' contacts. | MDE, Home School |
MDE: home school (the Certificate of Enrollment form) Senate Bill 2103 (2026): the August 15 deadline
How to start homeschooling in Mississippi
- Complete the Department's Certificate of Enrollment and file it with the school attendance officer for the district you live in on or before August 15, for every child of compulsory school age: the child's name, address, telephone number and date of birth, your name and address, and a simple description of the type of education you provide. Keep a copy.
- Withdrawing mid-year: complete the certificate with the attendance officer then, and file a new year's certificate after the current school year ends.
- Choose your materials. Mississippi sets no subjects and approves no curriculum; the law asks for a legitimate home instruction program. Faith Schooling's reading, language arts and mathematics programs give the year a sequence, and you add the rest.
- Plan the year. Mississippi counts no days or hours; the free Homeschool Rhythm Builder turns your week into a printable plan.
- Keep your copy of each year's certificate and a dated stack of finished work; none of it is filed, and the attendance officer, not the Department, answers questions about the certificate.
How Faith Schooling covers Mississippi's requirements
Mississippi 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.
Mississippi's certificate asks one question about your teaching: a simple description of the type of education you provide. Faith Schooling's programs are a ready answer, a sequenced reading, language arts and mathematics textbook for every grade from Kindergarten to Grade 5 with teaching guides, which is a legitimate home instruction program by any reading of the words. Science, social studies and health are yours to choose.
Mississippi 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
- Language arts and writing
- Grammar Garden K–5 language and writing coursebooks, four a year, with Preceptor Guides
- Mathematics
- Building Number Sense K–5 mathematics textbooks; Kindergarten to Grade 2 add practice workbooks and teaching guides
- Everything else
- Your choice Mississippi names no subjects; science, social studies, health and the arts are yours to choose
- Bible
- The Apostolic Academy not something Mississippi 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 Mississippi does not require, and you should still do
- Place your child. Mississippi tests no homeschooled child; HARVEST, the free placement check, names the grade and quarter to start in reading and math.
- Plan the year. Mississippi counts no days or hours; the Homeschool Rhythm Builder turns your week into a printable plan.
- Keep the certificate and the pages. Your copy of each year's certificate is your proof of compliance; a dated stack of finished work is the record a school will want if your child ever enrolls.
HARVEST free placement Homeschool Rhythm Builder The Apostolic Academy
Common questions
- What is required to homeschool in Mississippi?
- A Certificate of Enrollment filed with your school attendance officer on or before August 15 each year, for every child of compulsory school age, and a legitimate home instruction program. No set subjects, hours, test, curriculum approval or teacher qualification.
- How do I start homeschooling in Mississippi?
- Fill in the Department's certificate, file it with the attendance officer (by August 15, or at withdrawal mid-year), keep a copy, and begin.
- What homeschool forms must I submit in Mississippi?
- One: the Certificate of Enrollment, each year, to the school attendance officer for your district. The Department publishes the form and the officers' contacts.
- Are standardized tests required for Mississippi homeschoolers?
- No. Mississippi requires no test, portfolio or evaluation.
- Can I homeschool kindergarten in Mississippi?
- Yes. Compulsory school age begins with a child who is six on or before September 1, so the certificate is due from that year.
- How many instructional hours does Mississippi require?
- None. The law sets no days or hours.
Official Mississippi homeschool resources
Read from the state's own pages for the 2026–2027 school year on the date shown. The Mississippi Code, the Legislature and the Department of Education are the final word; this page is a plain-language guide, not legal advice.
- Mississippi Department of Education — Home School: the Certificate of Enrollment with the local school attendance officer by August 15 of each year, after the current year ends — checked 2026-10-08
- Senate Bill 2103, 2026 Regular Session, as sent to the Governor — § 37-13-91 amended: compulsory school age (six by September 1, under seventeen), the certificate's contents, the deadline moved from September 15 to August 15 — checked 2026-10-08
- Senate Bill 2103 — history: passed both houses by conference report on 1 April 2026, approved by the Governor on 8 April 2026 — checked 2026-10-08