Homeschooling in Mississippi: the law and how to start

Yes. Mississippi's compulsory attendance law (Mississippi Code § 37-13-91) requires children of compulsory school age to be enrolled in a public school, a legitimate nonpublic school or a legitimate home instruction program. Home instruction is the legal term for homeschooling.

Mississippi is one of the lighter-touch states. The Mississippi Department of Education's Office of Compulsory School Attendance Enforcement collects the annual certificates of enrollment, but the state does not approve curricula, test homeschooled students or require parents to hold teaching credentials.

Some families instead enroll their child in a nonpublic (private or church) school that offers a home-study program. In that case the school, not the family, is responsible for enrollment paperwork, so ask the school how it reports enrollment.

• Download the form. MDE's home school page links to the current Home School Certificate of Enrollment (the version in use was revised in February 2026).
• Fill it in for each child. It asks for your child's name, date of birth, address and phone number, your contact details, a simple description of the education you will provide, and your signature.
• Submit it. Send it to the school attendance officer who serves your district, or email it to MDE at homeschool@mdek12.org. Keep a copy and proof of the date you sent it.
• Meet the deadline. Senate Bill 2103, approved by the governor on April 8, 2026 and in effect from July 1, 2026, moved the annual deadline from September 15 to August 15. Re-file every school year your child is homeschooled.

Withdrawing mid-year: the law lets a parent move a child from public school into a legitimate home instruction program later in the school year and then send the certificate of enrollment to the attendance officer. Tell the school in writing that you are withdrawing your child to homeschool, and file the certificate straight away so your child is not recorded as absent. If a certificate is missing, the attendance officer gives you written notice and a short window to comply.

Mississippi law does not set required subjects, instructional hours or a minimum number of days for home instruction. You choose the curriculum and schedule.

In practice, most families teach reading, writing, math, science and social studies every year. If your child may return to a public school or apply to college, a broad program with clear records makes placement and admissions much easier.

There is no state testing or evaluation requirement for homeschooled students in Mississippi, and you do not submit work samples or progress reports.

Keep your own records anyway: a copy of each year's certificate of enrollment and proof it was filed, a list of the materials you used, an attendance or lesson log, and some dated work samples. These are useful if your child re-enrolls in school, applies for a driver's license or needs a transcript.

A 2026 bill that would have added an annual academic file and assessment results for homeschoolers (House Bill 1512) died in committee, so the rules above are unchanged.

Mississippi does not issue diplomas to home-instructed students. As the parent running the program, you decide when your teen has completed high school and can prepare a diploma and transcript. Track courses, credits and grades from grade 9 onward.

Driver's license: applicants under 18 must submit a Certification of School Attendance Status to the Department of Public Safety, showing they comply with the compulsory attendance law. The form includes an option for students who are not in public school; check the current form and have your filed certificate of enrollment on hand.

For dual enrollment or college admission, contact the community college or university directly — each sets its own admission and testing requirements for homeschooled applicants.

Mississippi has no law guaranteeing homeschoolers access to public school sports or other activities. "Tim Tebow"-style bills have been filed several times — most recently House Bill 609 in 2026 — but none has become law, so participation depends on your local district and the activity's governing rules.

If your child has a disability, you can still ask your local school district to evaluate them. Contact the district's special education office to ask what services, if any, are available to a child in home instruction.

As of the 2026–27 school year, Mississippi has no general state funding program for homeschoolers. House Bill 2 (the proposed Mississippi Education Freedom Act of 2026), which would have included a small homeschool allowance, passed the House but was killed in a Senate committee in 2026.

The state's Education Scholarship Account (ESA), run by MDE's Office of Special Education, is limited to students with disabilities who have had an IEP within the past three years. Funds reimburse approved costs such as private school tuition, tutoring and therapies. Places are limited; check the program rules with MDE to see whether your child and your education plan qualify.

Governor Reeves has opted Mississippi into the new federal tax credit scholarship program, which starts on January 1, 2027. Scholarships will be awarded by approved scholarship-granting organizations; check which expenses (including any homeschool costs) a given organization will cover before you apply.