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hayway hearth

Maryland homeschool laws and recordkeeping

Reviewed against primary sources 2026-07-26 · next review due 2026-10-26

Maryland home instruction runs on a notification form and a portfolio. A parent files the signed consent form with the local school system at least 15 days before starting and verifies continuation annually, teaches the eight subjects usually taught in public schools, and keeps a portfolio of materials and work the local system may review up to three times a year. Families who prefer not to have school-system review can instead place the program under an approved nonpublic school or a registered church-exempt organization. No testing or formal annual evaluation is required.

LEGAL STATUS

Maryland frames home instruction as an exemption from compulsory public school attendance under Md. Code, Educ. 7-301, for a child receiving regular, thorough instruction in the studies usually taught in the public schools to children of the same age. The State Board's regulations at COMAR 13A.10.01 set the notification, subject, portfolio, and review procedure, and a local school system may not impose requirements beyond that chapter.

What Maryland requires

Notification

A parent signs the MSDE-prescribed notification form and submits it to the local superintendent at least 15 days before beginning home instruction (the regulation does not specify calendar or school days), then annually verifies continuation and reports any status change during the year.

Source: COMAR 13A.10.01.01(B); Md. Code, Educ. 7-301

Compulsory ages

Compulsory attendance covers children who are 5 or older and under 18. Receiving regular, thorough home instruction is one of the statute's listed exemptions from the public school attendance requirement.

Source: Md. Code, Educ. 7-301

Instruction time

No specific number of days or hours is set. Instruction must occur on a regular basis during the school year and be of sufficient duration to carry out the program.

Source: COMAR 13A.10.01.01; MSDE Home Instruction page

Required subjects

The program must include instruction in English, mathematics, science, social studies, art, music, health, and physical education, offered with a frequency comparable to public schools for a child of the same age.

Source: COMAR 13A.10.01.01

Portfolio and review

Parents keep a portfolio of instructional materials and the child's work sufficient to demonstrate regular, thorough instruction. The local school system, through the superintendent or a designee, may review it up to three times a school year at a time and place mutually agreed with the parent.

Source: COMAR 13A.10.01.01

Assessment

Maryland requires no standardized testing, portfolio grading, or formal annual evaluation. On request, a home-instructed child may take part in the regularly scheduled standardized testing program of the public school the child is eligible to attend.

Source: COMAR 13A.10.01.02

Deficiency process

If a portfolio review finds instruction deficient, the parent receives written notice and has 30 days to show the deficiency is corrected. If it is not, or the parent does not agree to the program requirements at all, the child must promptly enroll in a public or nonpublic school.

Source: COMAR 13A.10.01.03

Returning to school and diplomas

A child entering public school from home instruction is placed based on the local superintendent's evaluation, which may include standardized tests, examinations, or interviews, and which also determines any high school credit awarded. A Maryland High School Diploma is not earned through home instruction alone; families use a nonpublic school's diploma or the GED pathway at 16 or older.

Source: COMAR 13A.10.01.04; COMAR 13A.03.02.09; MSDE Home Instruction page

Umbrella alternative

Instead of local school system review, a parent may place the program under the supervision of an MSDE-approved nonpublic school or a bona fide church organization, which registers separately with MSDE's Nonpublic School Approval Branch under Maryland's church-exempt school rules. The supervising entity then verifies enrollment annually in place of local portfolio review.

Source: COMAR 13A.10.01.05; MSDE Nonpublic School Approval Branch

Where hearth fits

hayway hearth is in development, and for Maryland families it is planned to track the 15-day notification window and annual verification, keep the eight required subjects visibly covered week by week, and hold a dated portfolio that is always ready for a semester review. It will not submit the notification form, stand in for a portfolio review, or claim a record satisfies COMAR 13A.10.01 on a family's behalf.

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Primary sources

This page is informational, not legal advice. Requirements change; verify against the linked primary sources or your district before acting.