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ME

Medium regulation

Homeschool laws in Maine

Maine has more paperwork than the least regulated states. Under the home instruction option, parents send a notice of intent when they begin, teach at least 175 days, cover listed subjects, and submit a continuation letter with an annual assessment by September 1 each following year. Maine also allows a private-school pathway, but the raw sources reviewed here give fewer details about how that option works in practice.

Last verified

2026-04-20

Compulsory age range

6-17

Quick-start checklist

What parents need to do first

This is the plain-English checklist a parent can follow to get started without reading a mountain of legal text.

  1. 1If your child is leaving public school, make sure the school has a clear withdrawal record.
  2. 2Send your notice of intent to your local school officials and the commissioner within 10 calendar days of starting home instruction.
  3. 3Choose a curriculum that covers Maine's required subjects and plan for at least 175 instructional days.
  4. 4Decide early which annual assessment method you will use so you can collect the right records during the year.
  5. 5Keep copies of your notice, yearly continuation letters, and assessments in one place until home instruction ends.
  6. 6By September 1 each following year, send your continuation letter and the annual assessment to the required recipients.

Maine homeschool law hub

These state-specific guides turn the core law summary into focused SEO pages for the questions parents search most: requirements, forms, records, testing, graduation, and support groups.

Requirements

Plain-English Maine homeschool requirements: notice, subjects, hours, testing, records, teacher qualifications, and source links.

Letter of intent

Find out whether Maine homeschool parents need a letter of intent, who receives it, timing, and what to include.

Recordkeeping

Plain-English guide to homeschool records in Maine: attendance, portfolios, grades, transcripts, and what parents should keep.

Graduation

How homeschool graduation works in Maine, including diplomas, transcripts, college admission, dual enrollment, and high-school records.

Testing

Plain-English Maine homeschool testing guide: whether tests or evaluations are required, how often, and what records to keep.

Co-ops & support groups

How to think about homeschool co-ops, umbrella schools, virtual options, sports access, and local support while homeschooling in Maine.

Popular Maine homeschool searches

These guides connect the state law checklist to the long-tail questions parents actually search: curriculum by grade, secular options, ADHD support, public-school comparisons, teacher qualifications, and testing.

Best 1st grade curriculum in MaineBest secular 4th grade curriculum in MaineHomeschooling a child with ADHD in MaineHomeschool vs public school in MaineCan you homeschool without a degree?Do homeschoolers need testing?

What to do next: choose curriculum after you understand the law

The legal checklist tells you what Maine expects. Curriculum is the next decision. Start with your child’s age, learning style, parent prep time, and whether you want faith-based, secular, online, workbook, or literature-rich materials.

New homeschoolers

Pick a simple open-and-go core for math and language arts first. Add science, history, and enrichment after your routine is stable.

Busy parents

Favor programs with clear lesson plans, independent student work, grading support, or online components if parent prep time is limited.

High school

Choose courses you can document with credits, grades, descriptions, labs where needed, and a transcript-friendly record from day one.

Curriculum recommendation links will only be added after official affiliate/tracking URLs are approved and verified. No placeholder affiliate links are used on this page.

Free printables

Download the homeschool starter kit

Print these before you start: a state startup checklist, letter-of-intent template, attendance tracker, and high-school transcript template.

View all downloads

New homeschool families

State homeschool startup checklist

A printable first-week checklist for choosing your pathway, handling notices or withdrawal, tracking deadlines, and setting up records.

Download PDF →

Notice or withdrawal paperwork

Homeschool letter of intent template

A parent-safe fill-in notice/withdrawal template with reminders to use official state forms when required.

Download PDF →

Recordkeeping

Homeschool attendance tracker

A simple school-year tracker for days, hours, holidays, field trips, and notes you can keep with your records.

Download PDF →

High school planning

Homeschool transcript template

A fill-in high-school transcript starter with course records, credit summary, and parent certification lines.

Download PDF →

These printables are general planning tools, not legal advice. Always verify the current rule on your state page and official source links before filing deadlines.

Full breakdown

Every field is designed to answer the real-world compliance questions parents ask first.

Legal status
Homeschooling is legal in Maine, and families can usually comply either through the home instruction law or by using a private school recognized as providing equivalent instruction.
Compulsory age range
6-17
Notification required
Yes. Under the home instruction option, parents send an initial notice of intent and then send a yearly continuation letter with an annual assessment.
Who you notify
Both the school officials of the local administrative unit and the Maine commissioner of education.
Notification deadline
Send the initial notice within 10 calendar days of beginning home instruction. In each later year, send the continuation letter and annual assessment on or before September 1.
Required subjects
English and language arts, Math, Science, Social studies, Physical education, Health education, Library skills, Fine arts, Maine studies in at least one grade from grades 6 to 12, Computer proficiency in at least one grade from grades 7 to 12
Hours or days required
Maine's home instruction law requires at least 175 days of instruction each year.
Record keeping
Keep copies of the notice of intent, each annual continuation letter, and each annual assessment until the home instruction program ends. The statute says these records must be available to the commissioner on request.
Testing and evaluation
Yes. Maine requires an annual assessment of academic progress for students using the home instruction option.
Testing frequency
Annually, with the assessment submitted by September 1 each following year.
Teacher qualifications
The home instruction statute does not say the parent must hold a teaching license. Some assessment options do require review by a currently certified Maine teacher or administrator.
Curriculum freedom
Moderate. Parents choose their curriculum and teaching approach, but they must provide at least 175 days of instruction, cover the listed subject areas, and complete the annual assessment process.
Umbrella school option
Yes. The HSLDA source says Maine also allows homeschooling through a private school recognized as providing equivalent instruction.
Virtual school option
The raw sources reviewed do not clearly describe a separate Maine homeschool virtual-school pathway.
Special education
The raw sources reviewed note that Maine has separate special education provisions for homeschoolers, but the excerpts provided here do not give enough detail to summarize them confidently.
High school diploma
The raw sources reviewed do not clearly explain diploma issuance rules for Maine home instruction programs.
College admission
College admission expectations for Maine homeschoolers were not clearly addressed in the raw sources reviewed here.
Sports access
Public school sports access was not clearly explained in the raw source excerpts reviewed for this draft.
Dual enrollment
Dual enrollment was not clearly addressed in the raw sources reviewed here.
Notes
First-pass draft. Maine's statute page for compulsory attendance and home instruction was readable, but the Maine DOE homeschool page in the raw source inventory returned 404 during source capture, so that official link needs final QA before publication. Maine has multiple pathways because families can use home instruction or a recognized private school option, but this draft mainly summarizes the clearer home instruction rules from the statute and the HSLDA compliance page.

From our sister site

Overwhelmed by curriculum choices?

Now that you know the laws, find the right curriculum. Take the free 5-minute quiz at The Curriculum Compass — matched to your child, your teaching style, and your family values.

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Official sources

Parent-friendly reminder

This page is designed to reduce confusion, not replace legal advice. If something changes or feels unclear, verify with your state Department of Education before making compliance decisions.

Want more homeschool guidance and encouragement? Follow Dani at @thedanicerrato.