Homeschool Requirements in Mississippi
Mississippi asks for very little. Mississippi is a light-touch state. There is something to file, and it is short. Below is exactly what, by when, and where it comes from in the code.
What you file, and by when
Annual certificate of enrollment filed with the school attendance officer of the school district where the child resides, on or before September 15 of each year (Miss. Code § 37-13-91(3)). Contents: the child's name, address, telephone number, and date of birth; the parent/guardian/custodian's name, address, and telephone number; a 'simple description of the type of education the child is receiving'; and the parent's signature. Note: some districts and secondary sources circulate an August 15 date; the statutory deadline is September 15. File by whichever date your local attendance officer requests to avoid a dispute. A parent found noncompliant must cure within 10 days of written notice.
Days or hours
None. Mississippi sets no minimum days or hours for home instruction programs. The only limit is that the program must not exist 'for the purpose of avoiding or circumventing the compulsory attendance law.'
Subjects you must cover
None. Mississippi mandates no subjects and imposes no parent qualification requirements.
Records you keep
No state-mandated recordkeeping and nothing to submit beyond the annual certificate of enrollment. Keep a copy of each filed certificate (and any receipt/stamp) as proof of legal status. Attendance and grade records are prudent but not required.
Testing or evaluation
None. No standardized testing, portfolio review, evaluation, or progress reporting.
Diplomas and transcripts
No state regulation of homeschool credits, transcripts, or diplomas; parents issue their own. Because Mississippi requires no testing or records, homeschool graduates should expect Mississippi public universities and the Mississippi Office of Student Financial Aid (MTAG/MESG scholarships) to rely on ACT/SAT scores and a parent-prepared transcript, build a detailed transcript with course descriptions from 9th grade. Compulsory attendance is ages 6-17. Mississippi has no universal ESA for homeschoolers as of mid-2026 (only a special-needs ESA program for eligible students with IEPs, which is a separate program with its own rules); several universal-choice bills have been introduced but check current status.
Where this comes from
Statute: Miss. Code Ann. § 37-13-91 (Mississippi Compulsory School Attendance Law), esp. § 37-13-91(3) and (4)(g); 7 Miss. Admin. Code Pt. 3, R. 30.7 (Home School Guidelines).
Last reviewed: July 2026 · our confidence in this entry: medium
Homeschool law changes, and a page like this goes stale without announcing it. Check the statute above against your own reading before a filing deadline. If we are out of date, we would rather hear it from you than have you find out at the district office.
Keeping the records is the other half of this. Our Records System has 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.