Alden House. Parent Center

Homeschooling in Minnesota

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

notice and review 10 sources Verified 12 October 2026

What Minnesota requires

Notify
Superintendent of the school district where the child lives — Initial report (one-time per child, re-filed only on moving districts): by Oct 1 of the first school year the child is instructed after turning 7; within 15 days of withdrawing a child age 7+ from public school; within 15 days of moving out of a district; by Oct 1 after establishing a new resident district. Then an annual letter of intent to continue (with any changes to the initial information) by Oct 1 every year for ages 7-16 (and 16-17 if first reported after 16). Unchanged since 2013; no 2024 change to 120A.24. (annual)
Testing or evaluation
Required. Every year for ages 7-16 (and 16-17 if first reported after age 16): a nationally norm-referenced standardized achievement test, with the specific test, administration and location agreed between the superintendent and the parent.
Subjects set by the state
Yes — 11 required subjects, listed below
Teaching time
None set for home schools
Compulsory school age
7 to 17 — in detail
Records
Documentation that the required subjects are taught (class schedules, copies of instructional materials, descriptions of assessment methods) and proof the annual tests were given; must be shown to the county attorney if a truancy or educational neglect case is opened.

Taking your child out of school in Minnesota

For a child 7 or older, file the report with the resident superintendent within 15 days of withdrawing: child's name, birth date and address, the annual test you plan to use, the name of each instructor, and evidence the instructor meets one of the instructor requirements.

The legal routes

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

Home school (Minn. Stat. 120A.22 and 120A.24)
A home school is a 'school' for compulsory attendance if it reports to the superintendent, teaches the required subjects, meets an instructor requirement, tests annually and keeps documentation.
Accredited or commissioner-recognized nonpublic school/instruction
Instruction through an accredited or commissioner-recognized nonpublic school, person or institution is exempt from the annual testing and documentation requirements; reporting still applies.

The notice, and who receives it

Goes to
Superintendent of the school district where the child lives
Deadline
Initial report (one-time per child, re-filed only on moving districts): by Oct 1 of the first school year the child is instructed after turning 7; within 15 days of withdrawing a child age 7+ from public school; within 15 days of moving out of a district; by Oct 1 after establishing a new resident district. Then an annual letter of intent to continue (with any changes to the initial information) by Oct 1 every year for ages 7-16 (and 16-17 if first reported after 16). Unchanged since 2013; no 2024 change to 120A.24.
Renews
annual
Form
Initial compulsory instruction report and annual letter of intent (no single state form; districts may offer paper or online forms but cannot require electronic filing)

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

Subjects Minnesota requires

  • Reading and writing
  • Literature
  • Fine arts
  • Mathematics
  • Science
  • History
  • Geography
  • Economics
  • Government and citizenship
  • Health
  • Physical education

See which courses here cover these subjects →

Compulsory school age

7 to 17, unless graduated (a child under 7 enrolled in public kindergarten or higher may be subject to attendance rules until withdrawn)

Teaching time

Minnesota sets no required number of teaching hours or days, so what counts as a full year is yours to define. The courses here are planned as a 36-week year of about 180 sessions, which is the ordinary shape of one.

Who may teach

Each instructor must meet one: Minnesota teaching license for the field and grade; direct supervision by a licensed teacher; teach in an accredited or commissioner-recognized school; hold a bachelor's degree; or be the child's parent and have the child tested annually (which already applies to all home-schooled children).

Testing and evaluation

Every year for ages 7-16 (and 16-17 if first reported after age 16): a nationally norm-referenced standardized achievement test, with the specific test, administration and location agreed between the superintendent and the parent. A parent without a teaching license or licensed supervision must also assess subjects the test does not cover.

If the total battery score is at or below the 30th percentile or one grade level below, the parent must get an additional evaluation for learning problems. Results are kept by the parent, not filed. Accredited/recognized instruction is exempt.

Records to keep

Documentation that the required subjects are taught (class schedules, copies of instructional materials, descriptions of assessment methods) and proof the annual tests were given; must be shown to the county attorney if a truancy or educational neglect case is opened. If the child later enrolls full time in public school, the parent must provide test scores.

Immunization: file the immunization statement (or exemption) with the resident superintendent by Oct 1 of the first year of home schooling in Minnesota and again in the grade 7 year (Minn. Stat. 121A.15, subd. 8).

High school, diplomas and transcripts

Parent issues the diploma. Home-schooled 10th-12th graders may use Postsecondary Enrollment Options (PSEO) dual enrollment after registering with the education commissioner.

Public school classes, sports and activities

Districts must let resident home-school students fully participate in extracurricular activities on the same basis as public school students (Minn. Stat.

123B.49, subd. 4). Part-time 'shared time' enrollment in public school classes is possible; check district policy.

Funding: education savings accounts, vouchers and tax credits

Minnesota K-12 Education Credit (Minn. Stat.

290.0674): income-limited tax credit for 75% of qualifying education expenses such as instructional materials and fees.

What changed recently

2023 (ch. 55): removed passing a teacher competency exam as an instructor option; a proposal to make home schools file annual test results with the superintendent was dropped from the 2023 education bill.

2024 (ch. 85, technical corrections): conforming edit to 120A.22 subd. 11 cross-references; no substantive change to testing. 2025 (1st Spec. Sess. ch. 10): changed district attendance-excuse and dropout-reporting rules (districts must notify the county welfare agency when a student is dropped for 15+ consecutive days of unexcused absence), so file the home school report promptly when withdrawing. Bills to end conscientious vaccine exemptions for all students, including homeschoolers (HF 3239/SF 3439 in 2025, SF 4458 in 2026), died in committee; 121A.15 still allows the exemption. No change to home school testing or reporting found.

What we could not confirm

Minnesota Department of Education homeschool pages were not read (bot protection), so any MDE sample form was not checked. A full search for 2026 homeschool-related session laws was not possible (search budget exhausted); revisor history for 120A.22/120A.24 shows no 2026 amendments.

The record's earlier claim that extracurricular fees are 'the same' is not in 123B.49 subd. 4 and was removed.

  • MDE guidance/sample forms not read

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

  • Minn. Stat. § 120A.22
  • Minn. Stat. § 120A.24
  • Minn. Stat. § 123B.49, subd. 4
  • Minn. Stat. § 124D.09 (PSEO)
  • Minn. Stat. § 290.0674
  • Minn. Stat. § 121A.15, subd. 8

Statute text

Secondary sources