Homeschool Requirements in Minnesota

Minnesota asks for a few specific things. A handful of real requirements. None of them hard on their own. The dates are the part that catches people, so put them in a calendar the week you start. Here is the whole list.

What you file, and by when

Minnesota asks for more paperwork than most states, and the first filing is the heaviest. Initial report to the superintendent of the district of residence by October 1 of the first school year the child receives instruction after turning seven (or within 15 days of withdrawing a child over seven from public school, within 15 days of moving out of a district, and by October 1 after establishing a new resident district). The initial report must include: the child’s name, birth date and address; the annual test(s) intended to be used under § 120A.22, subd. 11; the name of each instructor; and evidence that the instructor meets one of the qualification options in § 120A.22, subd. 10. In every subsequent year, only a letter of intent to continue providing instruction (plus any changes to the above) is due by October 1. The superintendent may offer an electronic form but cannot require electronic submission. Separately, an immunization statement or a properly executed conscientious/medical exemption must be filed with the district (Minn. Stat. § 121A.15).

Days or hours

None specified for home instruction. Minnesota imposes no minimum days or hours on nonpublic/home instruction; § 120A.22, subd. 5 simply requires that children ages 7 through 17 receive instruction. The 165-day public school year does not apply to homeschools.

Subjects you must cover

Minn. Stat. § 120A.22, subd. 9: basic communication skills including reading and writing, literature, and fine arts; mathematics and science; social studies including history, geography, economics, government and citizenship; and health and physical education. All instruction, textbooks and materials must be in English (with limited statutory exceptions). Instructor qualification is also required (subd. 10): hold a valid Minnesota teaching license; be directly supervised by a licensed teacher; successfully complete a teacher competency exam; teach at an accredited school; hold a baccalaureate degree; or be the child’s parent. The parent option is open only if the child is assessed annually under subd. 11.

Records you keep

Required and specific. Under § 120A.24, subd. 2, the person in charge of instruction must maintain documentation that the subjects in § 120A.22, subd. 9 are being taught and proof that the required annual tests were administered. That documentation must include class schedules, copies of instructional materials used, and descriptions of the methods used to assess student achievement. It is not routinely submitted, but must be made available to the county attorney if a compulsory-instruction case is commenced. If the child later enrolls full time in public school, the parent must provide the child’s test scores and other education records the district needs for placement. Accredited nonpublic schools are exempt from subd. 2.

Testing or evaluation

Each year, every child ages 7 through 16 (and 16-17-year-olds for whom an initial report was filed after age 16) who is not enrolled in public school must be assessed with a nationally norm-referenced standardized achievement examination. The superintendent and the person in charge of instruction must agree on the specific test, how it is administered and where. That is a real point of friction, so get the agreement in writing early. Scores are not reported to the state or district as a matter of course. If the exam does not cover all subject areas in subd. 9, the parent must assess the remaining areas (this applies only to a parent-instructor who does not hold a Minnesota license and is not under a licensed teacher’s direct supervision). If the total battery score is at or below the 30th percentile, or one grade level below the level for the child’s age, the parent must obtain additional evaluation to determine whether the child has learning problems. Children instructed by an accredited nonpublic school/person/institution are exempt from the testing requirement.

What a test result or an evaluator gets attached to is the folder underneath the transcript. The Records Pack has the portfolio index with its evaluator summary as an editable form.

Diplomas and transcripts

Minnesota does not issue a state homeschool diploma; the parent/nonpublic school issues its own diploma and transcript, and there are no state credit or course requirements for it. Practically important: compulsory instruction and the reporting/testing obligations end at 17, so many families file their final letter of intent for the year the student turns 17. Homeschooled students are eligible for Postsecondary Enrollment Options (PSEO) in grades 10-12 (Minn. Stat. § 124D.09), a major reason to keep a rigorous transcript, since PSEO admission is by the college and grade-10 entry generally requires a qualifying reading score. Homeschoolers may participate in public school extracurriculars and may access shared-time instruction and some nonpublic pupil aids (textbook/health services aid, Minn. Stat. § 123B.42). The Minnesota K-12 Education Credit and Subtraction (Minn. Stat. § 290.0674) is available to homeschooling families for qualifying instructional expenses, but does not cover the cost of the parent’s own instruction or, for the credit, textbooks used to teach religious tenets. Minnesota has no ESA or voucher program.

A diploma you signed yourself gets read against the transcript behind it. What a college actually does with a homeschool transcript.

Where this comes from

Statute: Minn. Stat. §§ 120A.22 (subds. 5, 9, 10, 11, 12), 120A.24 (subds. 1-4), 120A.26; see also §§ 121A.15 (immunization), 123B.42, 124D.09, 290.0674

Source: https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/120A.24

Last reviewed: July 2026. The day is not recorded.

Homeschool law changes, and a page like this goes stale without saying so. Before a filing deadline, read the statute above for yourself. If we are behind, we would rather hear it from you than have you find out at the district office.

All fifty states and DC, each with its statute cited.

Filing is one half of it. Keeping the records is the other, and that is what our Records System is for: the editable transcript with the GPA already wired, 131 course descriptions, and this same statute-cited summary for all fifty states and DC. Thirty-nine dollars, one household, however many children you have.