Minnesota Homeschool Laws

While we have done our best to accurately convey the information below, it is important that you read this DISCLAIMER before proceeding.

Did you know it was illegal to homeschool in Minnesota just a few decades ago, just like in many, if not most, other states? That changed when the Minnesota Legislature passed “Compulsory Attendance Law H.F. 432” on April 30, 1987. Prior to that, several families were prosecuted for homeschooling their children.

There is no Federal Law specifically addressing homeschooling, and it is now legal to homeschool in all fifty states. However, each state has its own statutes and regulations addressing homeschooling. Please contact your state-wide homeschool organization or HSLDA (Home School Legal Defense Association) to learn the requirements in your state.

It is relatively easy to satisfy the legal demands in Minnesota. As defined in Minnesota Statutes 120A.22 and 120A.24. Parents are automatically qualified to teach their children, regardless of their educational background (MS § 120A.22 subd. 10).

Minnesota Age Requirements
Any child who achieves the age of seven by October 1st is required to be:

1. Educated. (Note: No child in Minnesota is required to be educated prior to age seven, even in the public school system.)
2. Reported on the “Initial” or “Continuing” reporting forms, if homeschooled. (see below)
3. Assessed each year with a nationally norm-referenced standardized achievement test, if homeschooled. (see below)

Any child who turns age seven on October 2nd or later would not be subject to any of the requirements listed on this page until the following October 1st.

Any child who turns age 17 is also not subject to these requirements with the following exceptions:

  Any child who:

1. Begins homeschooling at age 16 (by October 1st) or older must fulfill these requirements until at least age 17.
2. Is older than age 16 and who wishes to continue to access educational opportunities (e.g., PSEO), or other “school” opportunities and services (e.g., participate in sports at their local school) must also fulfill the “Reporting” requirements outlined below, but is no longer required to fulfill the “Testing” and “Record Keeping” requirements outlined below. (Note: PSEO is available to MN students through age 21.)

A child who has not achieved the age of seven by October 1st and who was enrolled in and then withdrawn from a public school is not subject to any of these requirements, including the “Reporting” requirements described below.

Minnesota Homeschooling Requirements
There are just three annual requirements to homeschool your children in Minnesota. All are easy to achieve. These are not mandated until October 1st following a child’s seventh birthday. These are:

1. Reporting: Parents must submit their "Initial" intent to homeschool in writing to the office of the school district in which they live. Families can start homeschooling at any time they wish, but to avoid truancy this must be submitted no later than 15 days after a child stops attending a school. By October 1st each year thereafter they must similarly submit their intent to “Continue” homeschooling in writing to the office of the school district in which they live.
   
   We strongly suggest you DO NOT use reporting forms received from a school district, or even from the MN Department of Education. Not uncommonly, forms from these organizations will request answers to questions families are not legally bound to address, e.g., a supposed grade level, etc. We have seen reporting forms from school districts which are six and eight pages in length! Instead, we recommend using this single-page Initial Reporting Form when families begin homeschooling, and this single-page Continuing Reporting Form by October 1st each subsequent year, or to make changes mid-year, e.g., to start homeschooling another child mid-year. Each of these forms is used for a family and not for each child, and each provides the minimum information required to satisfy the MN reporting requirements.
   
   One of the questions in these forms regards typical childhood immunizations. If a family has chosen not to immunize their children, they should include this notarized Minnesota Conscientious Exemption to Vaccination form with your reporting form, unless you’ve previously provided this to your school district.
   
   Questions on how to complete these forms? Click Help.
   
   
2. Testing: Homeschool children ages seven through sixteen (through seventeen if the child started homeschooling after turning sixteen) are required to be assessed with a nationally norm-referenced standardized achievement test each year. There are many tests families could use which will satisfy this requirement. We often recommend the California Achievement Test (CAT) because in addition to satisfying this obligation, it is a good tool to tell families how they’re doing in educating their children and is one any parent can administer in their own home.
   
   It is important to note that unless required by a court, parents are not required to reveal these test results to anyone, including a school district. Instead, families should keep these test results in your files, “just in case”.
   
   
3. Record Keeping: Families are required to keep records of their homeschooling. The law is not explicit in describing how detailed these records need to be. In general, families should keep a “record of instruction”, copies of the materials used, and the results from the required yearly testing (#2 above).
   
   Families are NOT required to count hours of instruction, as is required in some other states. A “record of instruction” can be something as simple as a weekly chart for each child, with days of the week across the top and subjects listed down the left side. When a subject is taught, check the box under the appropriate day of the week.
   
   Again, unless required by a court, parents are not required to reveal any of these records to anyone, including a school district. HSLDA recommends families keep records for at least the prior two years, and all the high school years.

The Minnesota homeschool laws also require that the following subjects are taught: reading, writing, literature, fine arts, math, science, history, geography, economics, government, citizenship, health, and physical education. However, how often these are taught and at what age / grade level are not defined. Therefore, families should not feel compelled to teach all these subjects every year. Families will want to be sure all these subjects are taught to their child somewhere along the way.

You can learn more about the legal requirements to homeschool in Minnesota and any other state, and learn more about homeschooling in general, by visiting the HSLDA (Home School Legal Defense Association) website.

New homeschoolers often don’t appreciate how difficult it was to obtain the homeschooling freedoms we enjoy today. If you are homeschooling, you are reaping the benefits of decades of hard work by HSLDA and other homeschooling groups in each state. We urge you to consider membership in these groups as they continue the work to keep homeschooling legal and easy to implement.