Do I have to notify anyone to homeschool in Mississippi?

Yes. Notice goes to School attendance officer for the public school district where the child lives. Deadline: On or before August 15 each year (was September 15 until SB 2103 took effect July 1, 2026); if starting mid-year, file when you begin It renews annual.

Do I need a teaching certificate to homeschool in Mississippi?

No. Mississippi sets no qualification requirement for the parent teaching at home.

Homeschooling in Mississippi

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

notice only 14 sources Verified 12 October 2026

What Mississippi requires

Notify: School attendance officer for the public school district where the child lives — On or before August 15 each year (was September 15 until SB 2103 took effect July 1, 2026); if starting mid-year, file when you begin (annual)
Testing or evaluation: Not required.
Subjects set by the state: No subject list.
Teaching time: None required (the 180-day public school rule does not apply to home instruction)
Compulsory school age: 6 to 17 — in detail
Records: None required by law; keep a copy of each certificate of enrollment you file and request written verification of filing from the attendance officer (HSLDA reports in Aug 2026 that some officers asked for a 'justification' citing MDE procedures, which the statute does not require).

Taking your child out of school in Mississippi

First move: Withdraw the child from the public school (a written notice is recommended) and file a certificate of enrollment marked 'home instruction' with the district's school attendance officer.

The law expressly lets a child who enrolled in public school transfer to a home instruction program later in the year by filing the certificate. If notified of noncompliance, you have 10 days to comply.

The legal routes

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

Home instruction program: Parents teach at home and file a yearly certificate of enrollment with the local school attendance officer. The program must not be set up just to avoid the attendance law.
Private, church or parochial school (nonpublic school): Enroll in a nonpublic school (including online private programs); since July 1, 2026 the school official, not the parent, completes the certificate of enrollment.

The notice, and who receives it

Goes to: School attendance officer for the public school district where the child lives
Deadline: On or before August 15 each year (was September 15 until SB 2103 took effect July 1, 2026); if starting mid-year, file when you begin
Renews: annual
Form: Certificate of Enrollment (Mississippi Dept. of Education, Office of Compulsory School Attendance Enforcement); asks only for child and parent names, address, phone, child's birth date, a simple description of the education, and signature

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

Compulsory school age

6 to 17 (child who turns 6 on or before Sept 1 and has not turned 17 by Sept 1; a 5-year-old enrolled in full-day public kindergarten is also covered)

Teaching time

None required (the 180-day public school rule does not apply to home instruction)

Who may teach

Mississippi 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 testing or evaluation required.

Records to keep

None required by law; keep a copy of each certificate of enrollment you file and request written verification of filing from the attendance officer (HSLDA reports in Aug 2026 that some officers asked for a 'justification' citing MDE procedures, which the statute does not require). Keeping attendance and work samples is recommended, not required.

High school, diplomas and transcripts

Parent issues the diploma and transcript; no state graduation requirements for home instruction. State law gives the state no authority over a home program's curriculum.

Colleges set their own admission and dual-enrollment rules for homeschoolers.

Public school classes, sports and activities

No statewide right to play public school sports or join activities. 'Tim Tebow Act' bills passed the House in 2025 (HB 1617) but died in the Senate; 2026 versions (SB 2070, HB 609) also did not become law.

Any access is up to local district / MHSAA rules.

Funding: education savings accounts, vouchers and tax credits

Equal Opportunity for Students with Special Needs ESA (students with an IEP in the past 3 years; limited funding/waitlist; scheduled to repeal July 1, 2028) cannot be used for home instruction. No ESA, voucher or tax credit for homeschoolers known.

A House ESA plan (HB 2) died in the Senate in 2026.

What changed recently

SB 2103 (2026; approved by the Governor April 8, 2026; Section 6 effective July 1, 2026) amended Miss. Code § 37-13-91 to move the yearly certificate of enrollment deadline from September 15 to August 15, shift the certificate for nonpublic/charter students to the school official, and lower the truancy prima facie threshold from 12 to 8 unlawful absences (public-school provision).

HB 1512 (2026), which would have required portfolios, 180-day records and standardized tests, died at the Feb 3, 2026 House deadline. Tim Tebow Act bills failed in 2025 and 2026 (SB 2070 died in committee Feb 3, 2026).

What we could not confirm

SB 2103's enactment is confirmed from LegiScan's enrolled text/status and HSLDA (July/Aug 2026), not the legislature's own site (blocked to automated access); chapter number not found. MDE's current 2026 certificate PDF was not located; the 2024 revision is listed as a source only.

Status of 2026 HB 609 (Tebow) not shown as formally dead but no enactment found.

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