How to Register for Homeschool in Maryland: Options and Forms

To register for homeschool in Maryland, choose one of three state-recognized supervision options and file a Home Instruction Notification Form with your local school superintendent at least 15 days before instruction begins.¹ Maryland does not require parents to hold a teaching certificate or a college degree; the regulations focus on the program, not the teacher.

Compulsory attendance applies to every child at least 5 and under 18, and home instruction is one of the recognized ways to meet it.² Registering correctly is what turns your decision into a legal exception to that rule.

Step 1: Pick a Supervision Option

You have to choose who will oversee your program before you fill out any form, because the form asks which option you’ve picked. Maryland recognizes three.

Local School System Supervision

Your district’s home instruction coordinator reviews your program. You keep a portfolio of your child’s work, and a school system representative may review it up to three times per school year at a time and place you agree on. The review’s only purpose is to confirm the child is receiving regular, thorough instruction in the required subjects.¹ This path costs nothing beyond your curriculum materials.

Nonpublic School Supervision (Umbrella School)

You can enroll your child in a state-approved nonpublic school that supervises home instruction. These are commonly called umbrella schools. The Maryland State Department of Education publishes a directory; the most recent listing shows 348 nonpublic schools and education ministries registered to supervise home instruction.³ The umbrella school handles the review process itself. Most charge an annual enrollment fee.

Church-Exempt School Supervision

The third option is supervision by a school or program operated by a bona fide church organization. You do not maintain a portfolio for the local school system under this option, but you do have to meet the church school’s own requirements.⁴ Church-exempt entities appear on the MSDE directory alongside umbrella schools.

Step 2: File the Home Instruction Notification Form

Once your option is chosen, you file the Home Instruction Notification Form with your local school superintendent. The form asks for your child’s name and age, your contact information, and the supervision option you selected. You can download it from the Maryland State Department of Education website or request a copy from your local school board.⁵

The form must reach the superintendent at least 15 days before your program begins.¹ If your child is currently enrolled in a public school, submit it to that school. If your child isn’t enrolled anywhere, send it to the school your child would attend based on your home address. Some counties accept online submissions; others require mailing the form to the home instruction coordinator.

Withdrawing From Public School Mid-Year

If you’re pulling your child out partway through the school year, two things happen at once: you file the notification form and you formally withdraw your child from the current school. There is no state-mandated withdrawal form, but local schools often have their own. Send a written withdrawal letter to the principal and keep a copy.

The 15-day advance-filing rule still applies, so build that window into your timeline. Until the notification is properly filed and the 15 days have passed, the school may continue to count your child absent.

Renewing Each Year and Reporting Changes

Registration is not a one-time filing. Each year before the school year begins, you verify the continuation of your homeschool with the local superintendent or with your supervising nonpublic or church-exempt school. You also have to notify the superintendent during the school year if anything significant changes, such as switching from one supervision option to another or ending home instruction entirely.¹

What You’re Committing To Once Registered

Filing the form obligates you to run a program that covers eight subject areas:

English
Mathematics
Science
Social studies
Art
Music
Health
Physical education

Instruction must be regular and thorough, covering what public school students of the same age would typically learn.¹ Maryland does not prescribe textbooks, curricula, teaching methods, instructional hours, or a required number of school days. The standard is functional: your program runs on a regular schedule during the school year and lasts long enough to actually deliver the instruction. Part-time or full-time college enrollment can count toward the program, and a report card or transcript from those courses can take the place of portfolio materials for that portion.⁶

If you registered under local school system supervision, you keep a portfolio that includes instructional and reading materials and examples of your child’s work: writing samples, worksheets, workbooks, creative projects, and tests. The district representative may review up to three times a year, though many districts review once or twice in practice.¹ Families using an umbrella or church-exempt school don’t submit portfolios to the local system; the supervising school handles reviews under its own procedures.⁴

What Happens If You Don’t Comply

If a portfolio review turns up deficiencies, you get written notice describing them and 30 days to provide evidence that the problem has been corrected or is being corrected. If the superintendent concludes you don’t have a satisfactory plan or the deficiency goes unresolved, your child must be enrolled in a public or nonpublic school.⁷ Refusing to consent to the home instruction requirements produces the same outcome.

If your child ends up not enrolled anywhere and not receiving proper instruction, you could face truancy charges. A first conviction for a custodial parent or guardian carries a fine of up to $50 per day of unlawful absence, up to 3 days in jail, or both. A second or subsequent conviction raises the fine to $100 per day and up to 5 days in jail.² These penalties are rare for families making a good-faith effort, but they’re the reason filing on time and cooperating with reviews matters.

1
Maryland Division of State Documents. COMAR 13A.10.01.01 – Home Instruction Program
2
Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Education Code Section 7-301 – Compulsory Attendance
3
Maryland State Department of Education. Nonpublic Entities Registered to Supervise Home Instruction of Maryland Students
4
Cornell Law Institute. COMAR 13A.10.01.05 – Home Instruction Under Supervision of Nonpublic School or Institution
5
Maryland State Department of Education. Home Schooling Notification Form
6
Maryland State Department of Education. Home Instruction in Maryland
7
Cornell Law Institute. COMAR 13A.10.01.03 – Noncompliance With Requirements