New Mexico asks for very little. New Mexico 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

Yes, register/notify the New Mexico Public Education Department (state agency, not the district) within 30 days of establishing the home school, and again on or before AUGUST 1 of each subsequent year of operation. Filed through the NMPED online Home School System (or a mailed paper form). The system issues an annual 'Home School, Parent Notification Report' with a 5-digit registration number per child, keep it; it is your proof of compliance and is required for Lottery Scholarship eligibility later.

Days or hours

NMPED guidance states a minimum of 1,140 instructional hours per year (550 for half-day kindergarten), mirroring the public-school year set by 22-2-8.1 NMSA after the 2023 instructional-time changes. CAUTION: the homeschool statute (22-1-2.1) itself does not spell out an hours figure; the 1,140-hour number comes from PED FAQ/guidance applying the general school-year standard. Treat it as the agency's position and the safe compliance target, but note it is guidance rather than an explicit homeschool statutory mandate.

Subjects you must cover

Reading, language arts, mathematics, social studies, and science. Curriculum choice and approval are entirely the parent's; PED does not approve curricula.

Records you keep

Must maintain records of each student's disease immunization or an approved exemption (NM Health Form 454). Also keep your annual PED notification report. No curriculum, attendance, or portfolio submission to the state is required.

Testing or evaluation

None required. Homeschooled students may opt in to state standardized testing through the local district, but there is no mandatory testing or evaluation.

Diplomas and transcripts

New Mexico does NOT issue a state diploma to homeschooled students and PED explicitly does not validate homeschool credits. Three completion paths: (1) parent-issued diploma/transcript (legally usable, and NM institutions may not discriminate against homeschool applicants); (2) transfer back into a public or state-approved private school before graduation and meet NM graduation requirements, expect the receiving district to evaluate/validate prior homeschool credit at its discretion; (3) high school equivalency (HiSET/GED) at age 16+. Legislative Lottery Scholarship: homeschool graduates ARE eligible but only if the family notified PED for the relevant years of home schooling, a compelling reason not to let an annual August 1 filing lapse during grades 9-12. Instructor must hold at least a high school diploma or equivalency.

Where this comes from

Statute: N.M. Stat. Ann. §§ 22-1-2.1 (home school definition/requirements), 22-1-2(K)/(L), 22-2-2(H) (PED enforcement), 22-12A-3 to -12 (compulsory attendance); school-year length at § 22-2-8.1

Source: https://web.ped.nm.gov/bureaus/options-for-parents-and-families/home-schooling/frequently-asked-questions/

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.