Homeschooling in Maryland: Laws, Requirements & Curriculum
This guide to homeschooling in Maryland starts with File Notice of Consent with local superintendent. It then explains the instruction standard (Must provide regular and thorough instruction), the assessment posture (Portfolio review at least 2 times per year by local school system), and the record rule (Maintain portfolio of materials and instruction). The practical decision for many Maryland families is meeting portfolio review requirements twice per year. Use the cited Maryland State Department of Education: Registered Home Instruction Supervisors source to verify the current filing authority or timing before acting; the rest of the page connects that legal starting point to withdrawal, sports, dual enrollment, funding, records, and day-to-day operations.
Maryland Homeschool Requirements
Start with the legal requirements. Optional planning and recordkeeping recommendations are identified later in this guide.
| Notification or filing | File Notice of Consent with local superintendent |
|---|---|
| Required curriculum | Must provide regular and thorough instruction |
| Testing | Portfolio review at least 2 times per year by local school system |
| Required records | Maintain portfolio of materials and instruction |
| Parent qualifications | No requirements |
Official sources: Maryland State Department of Education: Registered Home Instruction Supervisors · Maryland Home Instruction Regulation COMAR 13A.10.01
Last reviewed: 2026-07-21
Important Decisions Before You Begin
Withdrawal and notice
If the student is enrolled in a school, follow the notification or withdrawal rule listed above before changing the daily routine. Keep a dated copy of what was submitted and any response. Record preservation is a practical safeguard; it does not add a filing duty that Maryland law does not require.
Sports eligibility
Maryland homeschool sports access depends on state athletic-association rules, local district policy, and season-specific eligibility paperwork. Treat public-school participation as a verify-first decision, not an assumption.
Dual enrollment
Maryland homeschool dual enrollment access usually runs through community colleges, public colleges, or district partnerships, but homeschool eligibility, tuition treatment, and credit-transfer rules vary by campus.
Testing
Portfolio review at least 2 times per year by local school system
Tax credits and education accounts
Maryland does not guarantee a universal homeschool tax deduction. Parents should check for ESA programs, scholarship accounts, state tax-credit scholarships, and current 529 treatment before making large curriculum purchases.
How to Start and Operate Your Maryland Homeschool
Use the Maryland legal pathway as the first operating decision
The starting rule listed for Maryland is File Notice of Consent with local superintendent. The practical question is meeting portfolio review requirements twice per year. Read the cited Maryland State Department of Education: Registered Home Instruction Supervisors source for the current filing authority or timing, then keep a dated record of the action or no-action the family takes.
- Write the Maryland starting rule—File Notice of Consent with local superintendent—as one dated task with its recipient, timing, and proof.
- Keep the instruction plan beside the stated coverage rule: Must provide regular and thorough instruction.
- Treat the assessment posture as state-specific: Portfolio review at least 2 times per year by local school system.
Document the transition into Maryland home education
When a student is leaving an enrolled school in Maryland, begin with file Notice of Consent with local superintendent. Record the last enrolled day, first home-education day, and proof of the action; confirm the exact route in the cited Maryland State Department of Education: Registered Home Instruction Supervisors source.
- Record the last enrolled day and first home-education day.
- Save the notice, acknowledgment, form, or proof of delivery tied to the starting rule.
- Keep the transition record with the state's maintain portfolio of materials and instruction.
Keep Maryland records that match the rule
The record posture listed for Maryland is Maintain portfolio of materials and instruction. The assessment posture is Portfolio review at least 2 times per year by local school system; the instruction standard is Must provide regular and thorough instruction. Keep the archive organized around these three entries so it reflects the legal baseline and remains useful if a district, college, athletic organization, or evaluator later asks for context.
- Required record posture: Maintain portfolio of materials and instruction.
- Assessment posture: Portfolio review at least 2 times per year by local school system.
- Keep course titles, materials, dates, and representative work in a folder labeled Maryland; retain any state-specific proof separately.
Maryland Startup Checklist
- Start by translating File Notice of Consent with local superintendent into a dated action. Confirm the responsible office or organization and save the exact Maryland State Department of Education: Registered Home Instruction Supervisors instructions before filing.
- Plan instruction around Must provide regular and thorough instruction. Keep a dated subject and materials list so the student's work can be matched to Maryland's stated coverage rule.
- Calendar Portfolio review at least 2 times per year by local school system before lessons begin; keep the result, review, or evaluation with the annual records.
- Create the records named by the state: Maintain portfolio of materials and instruction. Keep optional work samples, transcript materials, and future placement evidence in a separate folder.
- Before launch, resolve the page's distinctive decision: Meeting portfolio review requirements twice per year. Write down the choice and retain notices, acknowledgments, and proof of delivery with the annual records.