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MN

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Homeschool laws in Minnesota

Minnesota allows parents to homeschool directly, but it is not a no-paperwork state. Families generally need to notify the local superintendent, make sure the instructor is legally qualified, teach the required subjects, keep certain records, and complete yearly testing unless an accreditation-based exception applies.

Last verified

2026-04-20

Compulsory age range

7-17

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 enrolled in public school, withdraw them so there is a clear paper trail.
  2. 2Make sure the person teaching your child meets Minnesota's qualification rules.
  3. 3Send the required homeschool notice to your district superintendent by October 1 or within 15 days of withdrawal.
  4. 4Choose a curriculum that covers all required Minnesota subjects.
  5. 5Set up records for schedules, materials used, and how you measure progress.
  6. 6Plan for the required annual testing unless your program clearly qualifies for an allowed exception.
  7. 7Start a transcript early if your student is doing high school-level work.

Minnesota 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 Minnesota homeschool requirements: notice, subjects, hours, testing, records, teacher qualifications, and source links.

Letter of intent

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

Recordkeeping

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

Graduation

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

Testing

Plain-English Minnesota 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 Minnesota.

Popular Minnesota 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 MinnesotaBest secular 4th grade curriculum in MinnesotaHomeschooling a child with ADHD in MinnesotaHomeschool vs public school in MinnesotaCan 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 Minnesota 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 Minnesota, but families have to meet several state requirements, including annual notice, required subjects, testing in most cases, and instructor qualification rules.
Compulsory age range
7-17
Notification required
Yes. Minnesota requires notice to the local superintendent for homeschooled children in the compulsory-attendance ages described in the available sources.
Who you notify
The superintendent of the school district where the child lives.
Notification deadline
By October 1 each school year, or within 15 days after withdrawing a child from public school. HSLDA also says families who move into a new district should notify the new district within 15 days.
Required subjects
Reading, Writing, Literature, Fine arts, Mathematics, Science, History, Geography, Economics, Government, Citizenship, Health, Physical education
Hours or days required
The available Minnesota sources reviewed here do not give one simple statewide homeschool hour-per-day rule. Families must provide real instruction in the required subjects.
Record keeping
Keep documentation showing that the required subjects are being taught and that required tests were given. The HSLDA summary says this should include class schedules, copies of instructional materials, and descriptions of how student progress is assessed.
Testing and evaluation
Yes, in most cases. Minnesota requires annual assessment with a nationally norm-referenced standardized achievement test unless an exception applies, such as instruction through an accredited nonpublic program described in the available sources.
Testing frequency
Annually for students covered by the testing rule.
Teacher qualifications
A parent teaching their own child is automatically qualified under the HSLDA summary. If someone other than a parent teaches, the available sources say that person generally must meet one of the listed qualification options, such as holding a Minnesota teaching license for the field and grade taught, being directly supervised by a licensed teacher, teaching in an accredited or state-recognized school, or holding a bachelor's degree.
Curriculum freedom
Moderate. Families choose their own curriculum and teaching approach, but they must cover Minnesota's required subjects and comply with the state's notice, qualification, recordkeeping, and testing rules.
Umbrella school option
Yes, but it is optional. The available sources refer to accredited or recognized nonpublic school options, while direct parent-led homeschooling is also allowed.
Virtual school option
Yes. Families may use online curriculum privately, and public online options may also exist, but public virtual enrollment is different from independent homeschooling.
Special education
The available source set reviewed for this draft does not clearly explain one simple statewide rule for special education services for independent homeschoolers. Families should confirm current access directly with their district if this matters for their child.
High school diploma
Parents generally handle homeschool records and can usually prepare a homeschool transcript and diploma for a student who completes the family's high school program.
College admission
Colleges commonly look at homeschool transcripts, course descriptions, test results, and outside coursework when available.
Sports access
The available sources reviewed here do not clearly show a simple statewide guarantee of public school sports access for every homeschooler, so families should check local district and activity rules.
Dual enrollment
Possible, but the available source set does not clearly spell out one statewide homeschool dual-enrollment rule. Families should verify current options with local schools or colleges.
Notes
First-pass draft. Verification quality is mixed: Minnesota's official Department of Education homeschool URL in the raw source inventory returned a 404 content-server error during source capture, but the Minnesota statute page was readable and supported the basic compulsory-attendance and annual-testing framework. Minnesota appears to allow direct homeschooling rather than forcing families into multiple main legal pathways, but some details still depend on qualification and accreditation status, so the broken DOE link should get final QA before publication.

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.