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Homeschooling in Maine

Homeschool rules in Maine, in plain English

In Maine, a family homeschooling under the home instruction law must file a one-time Notice of Intent with the local school superintendent and the state Commissioner of Education within 10 calendar days of starting. Each year after that, by September 1, the family files a continuation letter with a year-end assessment, and it must provide at least 175 days of instruction covering the required subjects.

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This explains each state's homeschool rules in plain English, from the state's own published sources. It isn't legal advice, and we aren't lawyers. Laws change and every family is different, so check with your state, your school district or a lawyer before you rely on it.

How much it asks
Detailed: notices plus tests or reviews
School age
From the 6th birthday until the 17th birthday
Time
175 days a year

Home instruction under Maine law (20-A M.R.S. section 5001-A)

Parents who teach their own children at home and meet the state's notice, subject, day and assessment requirements. This is the path the state's home instruction forms cover.

  1. Within 10 calendar days of starting home instructionPaperwork

    File the Notice of Intent to Provide Home Instruction

    Send a written notice with the parent's name, signature and address, the child's name and age, the start date, and the assurances the state lists. Send it to the local school superintendent's office for your school administrative unit and to the Commissioner of Education. The state's form is optional; any format with the required information works. Keep a copy.

  2. Before you file the Notice of IntentTesting

    Choose the annual assessment method

    Pick one of the state's accepted methods: a nationally normed standardized achievement test, a test developed by local school officials, a review by a currently certified Maine teacher, a portfolio review by a homeschool support group that includes a certified Maine teacher or administrator, or a review by a local advisory board. Some methods, such as a district-run test or an advisory board, must be agreed with the district before you file the notice.

  3. Ongoing during the school year, which runs July 1 to June 30Time

    Provide at least 175 days of instruction in the required subjects

    The program must give at least 175 days of instruction each year. It must cover English and language arts, math, science, social studies, physical education, health education, library skills, and fine arts. The state does not set a required number of hours.

  4. Once between grades 6 and 12 (Maine studies) and once between grades 7 and 12 (computers)What to teach

    Cover Maine studies and computer proficiency

    Teach Maine studies in at least one grade from 6 to 12. The student must also show proficiency in computer use at one grade level from 7 to 12.

  5. Ongoing until home instruction endsRecords

    Keep copies of required filings and assessments

    Keep copies of the notice of intent, each continuation letter, and each year-end assessment. The state says you must keep them until the home instruction program ends, and you must give them to the Commissioner if asked.

  6. Every year by September 1Paperwork

    File the continuation letter with the year-end assessment

    Each year, send a letter stating you will continue home instruction. Enclose the prior year's assessment. Send it to the local superintendent and the Commissioner. The state also has an online Home Instruction Portal, but using it is optional.

Subjects to teach

  • English and language arts
  • Math
  • Science
  • Social studies
  • Physical education
  • Health education
  • Library skills
  • Fine arts
  • Maine studies (in at least one grade from 6 to 12)
  • Computer proficiency (shown at one grade level from 7 to 12)

Tests and reviews

Each year you must provide an annual assessment of academic progress, using one of these: a nationally normed standardized achievement test; a test developed by local school officials, agreed in advance; a review by a currently certified Maine teacher; a portfolio review by a homeschool support group that includes a certified Maine teacher or administrator; or a review by a local advisory board. The assessment is not required when you file for the first time. Copies go with the September 1 letter.

Records to keep

  • Copy of the Notice of Intent to Provide Home Instruction
  • Copies of each annual continuation letter
  • Copies of each year-end assessment or teacher review letter
  • Keep all of these until the home instruction program ends

About time

The state requires at least 175 days of instruction each year. It does not set a number of hours. The school year runs July 1 to June 30.

Also good to know

  • Home instruction is part of the compulsory attendance law, so truancy rules apply.
  • The state does not set a specific curriculum or teaching standards for home instruction.
  • The state does not issue homeschool grades, credits, diplomas or transcripts for home instruction.
  • If you withdraw a child from public school to homeschool, the Notice of Intent is the filing that counts. The state's FAQ says a first-year notice is due within 10 days of withdrawal, or by September 1 if you begin in the fall.

What we couldn’t confirm

  • Whether the 15-year-old exit and college-attendance exceptions to compulsory attendance apply. Other sites mention them, but I did not confirm them in an official source.
  • Details of the private school 'equivalent instruction' path and the state's recognized equivalent private school guidelines. I did not read an official source for their steps, so I left them out.
  • Whether the notice must go to both the superintendent and the Commissioner, or only to the superintendent. The statute text I read says both, but the Department's FAQ says filing with either is acceptable, and the Department has said parents only need to notify the local school administrative unit.
  • Whether a child with an IEP or 504 plan has any special requirements under home instruction. I did not find an official source.
  • Whether returning to public school carries special credit or placement rules. I did not find an official source.

From Maine’s own sources

Last checked against these sources on November 7, 2026. We check every state each week.

How Study Naturally helps in Maine

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  • Set each child’s lessons, in the subjects you teach
  • A patient tutor teaches every child at their own level
  • A learning record counts days and time against what the state asks
  • Print it, save it as a PDF, or download a spreadsheet for your files

Homeschooling in Maine

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