Homeschooling in Minnesota: the law and how to start

Yes. Minnesota's compulsory instruction law (§ 120A.22) allows a child to be taught in a home school, which the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) treats as one type of nonpublic school. A home school must meet the reporting, subject, instructor and testing rules in §§ 120A.22 and 120A.24.

Families who want fewer state requirements sometimes use an accredited home school or nonpublic school. MDE says accreditation waives the annual standardized test requirement; check the accrediting agency's own requirements.

• File an initial report with the superintendent of your resident school district. It lists your child's name, birth date and address, the annual tests you plan to use (if required), the name of each instructor, and evidence that each instructor meets one of the qualification options. MDE and many districts provide a form.
• Deadlines: by October 1 of the first school year your child is homeschooled after turning 7; within 15 days of withdrawing a child aged 7 or older from public school; or, if you move, within 15 days of leaving your old district and by October 1 in your new one.
• Withdrawing from school: tell the school in writing that your child is leaving to be homeschooled and send your initial report to the superintendent within 15 days. Keep copies.
• Each later year, send a letter of intent to continue by October 1, noting any changes to the information you reported.
• Immunizations: districts also look for immunization records (or a legal exemption) as part of homeschool compliance, so ask your district what it needs.

Minnesota law lists the subjects a home school must teach:

• basic communication skills, including reading and writing, literature and fine arts;
• mathematics and science;
• social studies, including history, geography, economics, government and citizenship;
• health and physical education.

The law doesn't set a minimum number of days or hours for home schools. You must keep documentation showing these subjects are taught — class schedules, copies of instructional materials and a description of how you assess your child's progress.

Every year, each child aged 7 through 16 must take a nationally norm-referenced standardized achievement test. MDE says the test and how it's given should be agreed with your superintendent, and the results are kept with your homeschool records — they aren't automatically submitted to the district.

If your child scores at or below the 30th percentile on the total battery, or one grade level or more below their current level, the law requires further evaluation to look for learning problems. A parent instructor who doesn't hold a teaching license or similar qualification may also need to assess the required subjects that the test doesn't cover.

Accredited home schools are exempt from the annual test requirement.

Keep your test results, class schedules, instructional materials and assessment descriptions together. This documentation is how you show you are complying with the law if your district asks.

Home school students don't receive a public school diploma. You decide when your teen has met your graduation requirements and can issue your own diploma and transcript.

Through Postsecondary Enrollment Options (PSEO), homeschooled students in grades 10, 11 and 12 can apply to take tuition-free college courses, online or in person, at participating Minnesota colleges and universities. Admission requirements are set by each college.

Extracurricular activities: Minnesota law (§ 123B.49) requires school boards to let resident homeschooled students take part in extracurricular activities on the same basis as public school students. That means a chance to try out, not a guaranteed place on a team. A 2025 bill (HF 784) proposed tightening the wording and linking eligibility to compliance with the homeschool reporting law; we did not confirm whether it passed.

Classes: Homeschoolers can ask any Minnesota public school about shared-time enrollment in individual classes. Local policy decides whether it's available and what limits apply, and shared time doesn't cover public online learning courses.

Special education: Under the federal IDEA, districts must locate and evaluate children who may have a disability, including homeschoolers. Contact your resident district to ask about an evaluation and any services it offers.

Minnesota has no education savings account or voucher program for homeschoolers, but two state income tax benefits can cover some homeschool costs:

• K-12 Education Credit — a refundable credit of 75% of qualifying expenses, up to $1,500 per child in grades K–12, for households under an income limit that is adjusted each year.
• K-12 Education Subtraction — a deduction from taxable income for qualifying expenses, with a higher limit for grades 7–12 than for grades K–6.

The Minnesota Department of Revenue says homeschool supplies and materials can qualify if they are for subjects taught during the normal public school day and aren't primarily religious. Books and materials for sports, music, drama or speech activities don't qualify. Check the department's current guidance for the 2026 tax year limits before you claim.

Minnesota has statewide homeschool organizations, regional support groups and many local co-ops. Public libraries, community education programs and nature centers offer activities that work well for homeschoolers.

Your resident district's homeschool contact can tell you which forms it uses for the initial report and annual letter of intent.