Alden House. Parent Center

Homeschooling in Maryland

What the law requires, what you file and when, and what to keep — with the statute behind each rule.

notice and review 8 sources Verified 12 October 2026

What Maryland requires

Notify
Local school superintendent (county school system) — At least 15 days before the home instruction program begins (annual)
Testing or evaluation
Required. No standardized testing required (a child may join the public school's regular standardized tests on parent request, COMAR 13A.10.01.02).
Subjects set by the state
Yes — 8 required subjects, listed below
Teaching time
No set number of days or hours; instruction must be regular and thorough, on a regular basis during the…
Compulsory school age
5 to 18 — in detail
Records
Portfolio showing regular, thorough instruction in each required subject: instructional and reading materials, samples of writing, worksheets, workbooks, creative work and tests (portfolio option).

Taking your child out of school in Maryland

First move: Submit the MSDE notification form to the local superintendent (regulation says 15 days before starting; HSLDA says filing on the day of withdrawal is generally sufficient), naming an umbrella if using one, then withdraw the child.

Notify the superintendent or umbrella of any later change in status.

The legal routes

2 routes exist in Maryland. They carry different duties, and families often do not know the alternatives to the obvious one.

Home instruction with local school system portfolio review (COMAR 13A.10.01.01)
File the state notification form with the local superintendent, teach the required subjects, and keep a portfolio that the school system may review up to three times a year.
Home instruction under umbrella supervision (COMAR 13A.10.01.05)
Enroll under a church-operated school or institution, or a state-approved nonpublic school, registered to supervise home instruction. The umbrella handles reviews/conferences and annual reporting to the superintendent instead of the school system portfolio review; the initial notice to the superintendent is still required.

The notice, and who receives it

Goes to
Local school superintendent (county school system)
Deadline
At least 15 days before the home instruction program begins
Renews
annual
Form
MSDE home instruction notification form (statement of consent prescribed by the State Department of Education); annual verification of continuation before each school year

No official state form was found online for this route; the body above supplies it, or a letter serves.

Subjects Maryland requires

  • English
  • Mathematics
  • Science
  • Social studies
  • Art
  • Music
  • Health
  • Physical education

See which courses here cover these subjects →

Compulsory school age

5 to 18 (a 5-year-old may be delayed one year for maturity on written request to the local school system)

Teaching time

No set number of days or hours; instruction must be regular and thorough, on a regular basis during the school year, and of sufficient duration to carry out the program

Who may teach

Maryland sets no qualification for the parent teaching at home: no teaching certificate, no college degree, and no requirement that you hold a high school diploma.

Testing and evaluation

No standardized testing required (a child may join the public school's regular standardized tests on parent request, COMAR 13A.10.01.02). Portfolio option: the local superintendent's designee reviews the portfolio at the end of each school-system semester, at a mutually agreeable time and place, no more than three times a year.

Deficiencies must be addressed within 30 days or the child must enroll in school. Umbrella option: the umbrella's conferences/supervision replace the school system review. College report cards may substitute for portfolio materials for college courses.

Records to keep

Portfolio showing regular, thorough instruction in each required subject: instructional and reading materials, samples of writing, worksheets, workbooks, creative work and tests (portfolio option).

High school, diplomas and transcripts

The state issues no diploma for home instruction; diplomas are handled by the family or umbrella. HSLDA reports MSDE's position that an umbrella that is not a school cannot issue a valid diploma.

On returning to public school, the superintendent decides grade placement and credits by evaluation. Homeschoolers may take college courses part- or full-time as part of the program.

Public school classes, sports and activities

No statewide right to public school classes or sports; local discretion. Homeschoolers may join the public school's regular standardized testing on request.

'Right to Play' sports-access bills (HB 1185 in 2025, HB 1043 in 2026) received hearings but were not enacted.

Funding: education savings accounts, vouchers and tax credits

None for homeschooling. BOOST scholarships cover private school tuition for lower-income students only and do not apply to home instruction.

What changed recently

No change to the home instruction regulations since 2019 (that revision allowed college courses in the program; HSLDA says it also ended any right of school staff to see the child at a portfolio review). Bills to give homeschoolers access to public high school sports were filed in 2025 and 2026 and not enacted.

What we could not confirm

MSDE's current home instruction FAQ and notification form could not be read (site bot protection), so the official form's exact title and URL are unconfirmed. Diploma guidance relies on HSLDA's account of MSDE's position.

Whether a church-exempt school may enroll a homeschooled child as a full-time student instead of acting as an umbrella was not confirmed.

Listed because a legal summary that hides its gaps is harder to trust than one that names them. How these pages are checked.

Statutes and sources

Statute and regulation

  • Md. Code, Educ. § 7-301
  • COMAR 13A.10.01.01-.05

Statute text

State agency

Secondary sources