MARYLAND
Homeschooling in Maryland: Requirements, Paperwork, and How to Start
Two routes, and the difference is who reviews you. Notify your district and take up to three portfolio reviews a year, or enroll under an approved umbrella and take none at all.
Homeschooling in Maryland, Summarized
The Seven Things Maryland Asks of You
Legal in Maryland
Yes
two supervision routes
Compulsory ages
5 to 18
a one-year maturity waiver exists
Your two options
District-supervised or under an approved umbrella
Do I notify anyone?
Yes — 15 days before you begin
on the district route
Paperwork load
Low to Medium
no reviews on the umbrella route
Parent qualification
None required
Standardized testing
Not required
public tests available on request
Legal requirements last reviewed: June 2026 · Plain English · Not legal advice
Homeschooling is legal in Maryland
What You Need to Know
Maryland gives you a choice about oversight. On the district-supervised route you notify the superintendent at least fifteen days before starting and take up to three portfolio reviews a year. A state-approved umbrella removes district review entirely. Eight subjects apply either way; neither route tests.
What Maryland Asks of You
Choose who supervises you — the district, or an umbrella.
Must do
File the state notification form with your local superintendent
Teach English, mathematics, science, social studies, art, music, health and physical education
Keep a portfolio of instructional materials and samples of your child's work
Let the superintendent or a designee review the portfolio and observe instruction
Dates that matter
At least 15 days before you begin, then reverify each year
Reviews are scheduled by the district, typically at the end of each semester — no more than three a year
Good practice — not required
Build the portfolio as you go: three reviews a year is not many, but each wants current work
Remember the reviews are not graded — they check that instruction is regular and thorough
The reviews are not graded. What the district is checking is that regular, thorough instruction is happening across the required subjects.
Must do
Enroll your child under a state-approved supervising entity
Follow whatever that entity asks of you
Dates that matter
Per the umbrella's own enrollment calendar
Good practice — not required
Compare before enrolling — church-exempt and accredited nonpublic schools ask different things
The trade-off
You take on the entity's requirements in place of the district's
Enrolling under an approved entity removes district portfolio review altogether. The same eight subjects still apply.
Maryland's district route wants a portfolio ready three times a year. StudyPug assembles one while your child works.
Funding for Maryland Home Education
The short answer, before the detail.
Maryland provides no direct funding to homeschooling families.
No education savings account or voucher exists for home instruction here. The state's income-qualified scholarship pays private-school tuition, and home-schooled students are not eligible — the award follows enrollment.
To your family
$0 — no state funding
State scholarship
Private-school tuition only — not open to you
Available on request
Public-school standardised testing
What StudyPug Handles for You
Not templates you fill in — records that fill themselves in.
Work-samples portfolio that assembles itself
Hours & attendance log that fills itself in
Progress reports you can download and share
Scope & Sequence export across the eight required subjects
One-click portfolio package for each of your district reviews
Every child in one account — up to 5
Questions About Homeschooling in Maryland
Quick answers for homeschooling families.
Is homeschooling legal in Maryland?
Yes, as home instruction under state regulation and the education code. You choose between two supervision routes: the local school system, or a state-approved umbrella entity.
Do parents need a teaching certificate?
No. Maryland's regulations set no parent credential, certification or qualification requirement on either route, and nobody assesses your suitability to teach at any point.
Does Maryland fund homeschooling?
No. There is no education savings account or voucher for home instruction. The state's income-qualified scholarship program pays tuition at participating private schools, and home-schooled students are not eligible.
Which route should I choose?
It comes down to who reviews you. The district route means up to three portfolio reviews a year and instruction observation. The umbrella route removes district review entirely, but you take on the entity's own requirements instead. Neither adds testing.
Which subjects do I have to teach?
Eight, on either route: English, mathematics, science, social studies, art, music, health and physical education. The standard is regular, thorough instruction during the school year rather than a set number of hours.
What happens at a portfolio review?
The superintendent or a designee looks at your instructional materials and samples of your child's work, and may observe instruction. The reviews are explicitly not graded — no more than three may be scheduled in a year, and they typically fall at the end of each semester.
Can my child sit the state tests?
Yes, on request, but nothing requires it. Standardised testing is not mandated on either route; home-schooled students may take the public-school tests if a benchmark is wanted.
Official Sources
Confirm the rules and apply directly with your state.
Maryland Home Instruction
→The Department's overview — both routes, the form and the reviews.
marylandpublicschools.org — Home Instruction
Code of Maryland Regulations
→COMAR 13A.10.01 carries the home-instruction rules and the subject list.
dsd.maryland.gov — COMAR
Md. Code, Education § 7-301
→Compulsory attendance, and the home instruction exemption.
mgaleg.maryland.gov — ED § 7-301
Other States:
Homeschooling in Massachusetts·Homeschooling in Michigan·Homeschooling in Minnesota— each reviewed against its own official sources
See How Families Run Their Homeschool on StudyPug
Lessons, practice, and the records above — one family plan.
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StudyPug is a records tool, not legal advice. Homeschool rules, funding amounts, and deadlines change at least yearly — always confirm with the official sources above before you act. Requirements can also differ at the school-board or district level, so check with your local board or district too. We review every jurisdiction page and show you the date we last checked it; each requirement in your dashboard carries its own source and last-verified date.
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