- How much it asks
- Detailed: notices plus tests or reviews
- School age
- 5 through 17 (children who are 5 or older and under 18)
- Time
- No set number
Option 1
Portfolio option, supervised by your local school system (COMAR 13A.10.01)
Families who want the local school system to supervise their program directly. This is the most common route. No standardized test is required.
- Before you startPaperwork
Get the Notice of Consent form
The Notice of Consent is a form prescribed by the Maryland State Department of Education. Get it from your county school system's home instruction office. Sign it to confirm you will follow the home instruction rules.
- Before you start, at least 15 days aheadPaperwork
Send the Notice of Consent to your superintendent
Send it to your local superintendent or the office they name, at least 15 calendar days before home instruction begins. Certified mail with return receipt is a common way to get proof of delivery. Keep a copy.
- OngoingWhat to teach
Teach the required subjects
Give regular, thorough instruction in English, mathematics, science, social studies, art, music, health and physical education. Instruction must take place on a regular basis during the school year and be of sufficient length to carry out the program.
- OngoingRecords
Keep a portfolio
Keep instructional materials, reading materials, and examples of your child's writing, worksheets, workbooks, creative work, and tests. The portfolio shows regular, thorough instruction in the required subjects.
- Up to three times each school yearTesting
Portfolio reviews
A local school system representative may review the portfolio and talk with you about the program. Reviews are no more than three per school year, at a time and place you both agree on. The state's FAQ says reviews usually happen at the end of each semester.
- Within 30 days of a written deficiency noticeTesting
Answer any deficiency notice
If the superintendent finds the program is not providing regular, thorough instruction, they must notify you in writing. You then have 30 calendar days to show evidence that the problem is fixed or being fixed. If you do not, your child must be enrolled in a public or nonpublic school.
- Every year before the school year beginsPaperwork
Verify you are continuing
Each year, before the school year starts, confirm to your local superintendent that you are continuing to homeschool. This is a verification, not a new Notice of Consent.
- Within the school year, when a change happensPaperwork
Report a change in status
Tell your local superintendent if your child's homeschool status changes during the year, for example if you stop homeschooling or change supervision.
Option 2
Supervised by a nonpublic school with a State Board certificate of approval
Families who want a state-approved nonpublic school to supervise their home instruction program instead of the local school system.
- Before you startWho teaches
Choose a supervising school
Pick a nonpublic school that holds a certificate of approval from the Maryland State Board of Education. The school must supervise the program, including the minimum supervision steps set in the regulation.
- Before you start, at least 15 days aheadPaperwork
Send the Notice of Consent
Fill out the state's home instruction notification form, identify the supervising school, and send it to your local superintendent at least 15 days before home instruction begins.
- OngoingWhat to teach
Teach the required subjects
Provide regular, thorough instruction in English, mathematics, science, social studies, art, music, health and physical education.
- OngoingWho teaches
Work with the supervising school
The supervising school handles supervision under the regulation. Your local school system does not run portfolio reviews for this route.
- Every year before the school year beginsPaperwork
Verify each year
Before the school year starts, confirm with the supervising school that you are continuing. The school reports newly supervised and departing students to the local superintendent.
- When a change happensPaperwork
Report changes in status
Tell the supervising school if your child's status changes during the year. The school then notifies the local superintendent.
Option 3
Supervised by a church school or education ministry of a bona fide church
Families who want a church-operated school or education ministry to supervise their home instruction program.
- Before you startWho teaches
Choose a church supervising program
The church school or education ministry must be run by a bona fide church organization. Its chief officer must contact the Maryland State Department of Education for registration before it supervises any home instruction.
- Before you start, at least 15 days aheadPaperwork
Send the Notice of Consent
Identify the church program on the state's home instruction notification form and send it to your local superintendent at least 15 days before home instruction begins.
- Before you start and during the yearWho teaches
Meet the supervision steps
The church program must provide pre-enrollment conferences with parents, materials designed for independent study outside a school, and conferences with parents at appropriate intervals.
- OngoingWhat to teach
Teach the required subjects
Provide regular, thorough instruction in English, mathematics, science, social studies, art, music, health and physical education.
- Every year before the school year beginsPaperwork
Verify each year
Before the school year starts, confirm with the church program that you are continuing. Report any change in status to the program.
Subjects to teach
- English (reading, writing and spelling)
- Mathematics
- Science
- Social studies
- Art
- Music
- Health
- Physical education
Tests and reviews
No standardized test is required. Under the local school system route, a representative may review your portfolio up to three times a year. You may ask for your child to take part in the standardized testing your local public school gives, and you must contact that school to arrange it.
Records to keep
- Portfolio of instructional materials, reading materials, and examples of your child's writing, worksheets, workbooks, creative materials, and tests
- Copy of the signed Notice of Consent and proof it was delivered
- Annual verification letters and any correspondence with your local school system
About time
Maryland sets no minimum number of days or hours. Instruction must take place on a regular basis during the school year and be of sufficient duration to carry out the program.
Also good to know
- A five-year-old may be delayed one year from starting school if the parent files a written request with the local school system based on the child's level of maturity.
- Children who have a Maryland high school diploma or GED, or who have completed a Maryland certificate of completion for students with disabilities, are not covered by the attendance law.
- Children who are severely ill and receive home or hospital instruction are excused from the attendance law.
- Home instruction students may enroll part-time or full-time in courses at accredited or unaccredited colleges. Enrollment depends on the college's acceptance and payment of any fees.
- Home instruction students may not take other courses or activities at the local public school, except the standardized testing program.
- A student returning to public school is placed by the local superintendent, who may test the student and interview them to decide placement and credits.
- Local school systems may not add requirements beyond the state regulation.
- A parent does not need a teaching certificate or a college degree to homeschool in Maryland.
What we couldn’t confirm
- How long records must be kept. I did not find a retention period in the official sources I read.
- Whether a 180-day school year applies. Some non-official sites say so, but I did not confirm it in an official source.
- The exact minimum supervision steps for nonpublic school supervision. The regulation text I could read was incomplete on this point.
- Special education services for homeschooled children. The state FAQ refers families to the Student Services office rather than stating rules.
- Whether the state's proposed amendments to COMAR 13A.10.01 have been adopted. A draft that would remove home visits and observation was published, and I did not confirm its final status.
- Whether a Maryland High School Diploma can be issued to home-instructed students. The state FAQ says it is issued only by public schools, but I did not read the full answer.
From Maryland’s own sources
- Maryland State Department of Education, Home Instruction FAQ (revised June 2022)
- Maryland State Department of Education, proposed amendments to COMAR 13A.10.01 (home instruction regulation text)
- Maryland Code, Education Article, section 7-301, compulsory attendance
Last checked against these sources on November 7, 2026. We check every state each week.