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Maine homeschool law

Notice, days or hours, subjects, testing and records, in plain words, with the source for each.

This is general information, not legal advice; check your state's own page. Laws change, and Maine's own statute and education department are the final word. The links below go straight to them.

Checked on against the sources linked on this page.

What to file in Maine

File
A notice, every year. File a written Notice of Intent to Provide Home Instruction every year. §
To
Superintendent's office of the school administrative unit where you live (this also notifies the Department of Education) §
By
First year: within 10 days of withdrawal, or by September 1; later years: by September 1 §
Keep
Parents keep copies of the notices and assessments they file until the home instruction program ends, and must make them available to the commissioner on request. §
Test
Each year after the first, an annual assessment of the child's progress is sent with the notice. §
Starting this year
  • Within 10 days of withdrawing from school, or by September 1 if you start with the new school year: File a Notice of Intent to Provide Home Instruction. One notice goes to both the superintendent's office and the Department.
Already homeschooling
  • By September 1: File the Notice of Intent with the prior year's assessment.
Leaving a school mid-year

If the home instruction program is discontinued, a student of compulsory age must be enrolled in a public school or another allowed alternative. The receiving school decides the placement. The Department asks parents to tell the superintendent and school of any change.

Open your attendance recordStart the Tap Clock, if you want to

What Maine's law asks you to keep, as tools: Attendance · Evaluation packet. The same rows for every state: what to file, by state.

Checked (quoted from the record below). § = source: 20-A M.R.S. 5001-A, compulsory attendance (Maine Legislature). Information, not legal advice.

Quick answers

Notice
Notice every yearFile a written Notice of Intent to Provide Home Instruction every year. In the first year, send it within 10 days of withdrawing from school, or by September 1 if starting in the fall. Later years, send it by September 1 with the prior year's assessment attached. One notice goes to both the resident superintendent and the state. Use the online portal or the paper form. Checked October 27, 2026. Source: 20-A M.R.S. 5001-A, compulsory attendance (Maine Legislature), Department of Education: Home Instruction Frequently Asked Questions
Days or hours
DaysThe notice must state the program will provide at least 175 days of instruction a year. The Department of Education says at least 175 instructional days are required and there is no hourly requirement, per day or per year. Checked October 27, 2026. Source: Department of Education: Home Instruction Frequently Asked Questions
Subjects
English and language arts, math, science, social studies, physical education, health education, library skills, fine arts and, in at least one grade from 6 to 12, Maine studies. At one grade level from 7 to 12 the student shows proficiency in using computers. The Department says there are no specific curriculum standards. Checked October 27, 2026. Source: Department of Education: Home Instruction Frequently Asked Questions
Testing or evaluation
A test or an evaluationEach year after the first, an annual assessment of the child's progress is sent with the notice. Choose one: a standardized achievement test, a test agreed with the school officials, review by a Maine-certified teacher, review of a portfolio by a support group that includes a certified teacher or administrator, or review by a local advisory board. Checked October 27, 2026. Source: 20-A M.R.S. 5001-A, compulsory attendance (Maine Legislature)
Records
Parents keep copies of the notices and assessments they file until the home instruction program ends, and must make them available to the commissioner on request. Checked October 27, 2026. Source: 20-A M.R.S. 5001-A, compulsory attendance (Maine Legislature)
Who must attend school
People 6 years of age or older and under 17 must attend a public day school while it is in session, unless they have an alternative the law allows, such as home instruction (20-A M.R.S. 5001-A). Source: 20-A M.R.S. 5001-A, compulsory attendance (Maine Legislature)
Education savings accounts and vouchers
No program foundWe did not find a state-funded education savings account or voucher open to homeschool families on the Department of Education's home instruction pages (checked 2026-10-27). The Department says home instruction is funded exclusively by the parent. Check the department's pages for changes. Source: Department of Education: Home Instruction

What to do first

  1. Read Maine's own pages, linked under each row below, so you know what applies to your situation.
  2. Notice: First year: within 10 days of withdrawal, or by September 1; later years: by September 1 To: Superintendent's office of the school administrative unit where you live (this also notifies the Department of Education).
  3. If your child is in school now: If the home instruction program is discontinued, a student of compulsory age must be enrolled in a public school or another allowed alternative. The receiving school decides the placement. The Department asks parents to tell the superintendent and school of any change.
  4. Plan the year around the days or hours and the subjects below.
  5. Start your records on day one: a simple attendance log, a list of books read and a work sample or two for each subject.
  6. Put the testing or evaluation date on your calendar.

The state's own form or page: neo.maine.gov/DOE/NEO/Dashboard

Other legal routes in Maine

  • Private school. Equivalent instruction in a private school approved for attendance purposes, or one the Department recognizes as providing equivalent instruction, also excuses a student from public school. The school files an attendance certificate with the district.
  • Other arrangement approved by the commissioner. The statute also allows equivalent instruction in any other manner arranged by the school board and approved by the commissioner.

Records to keep

Parents keep copies of the notices and assessments they file until the home instruction program ends, and must make them available to the commissioner on request. Whatever the law asks, many families also keep a simple attendance log, a list of books read and a few work samples for each subject; they cost nothing and help if you move or return to school.

Good to know

  • Who may teach: the statute sets no teacher qualification. The Department says the parent legally directs the child's education, choosing the curriculum, and that home instruction is funded by the parent.
  • Public school activities: the Department says a home instruction student may take part in public school activities as set out in 20-A M.R.S. section 5021.
  • Special education: home instruction students can get special education and related services at their local public school only if they take classes there, and only as their disability requires.
  • The state does not issue grades, credits, diplomas, transcripts or letters of course completion for home instruction, according to the Department. The local school may lend textbooks if it has extra copies.
  • The Department's FAQ says home instruction students are not eligible for laptops through the Maine Learning Technology Initiative, and that there is no fee to file.

Where this comes from

Checked on October 27, 2026. This is general information, not legal advice; check your state's own page, and confirm with your school district or the department before you rely on a date. Something out of date? Tell us and we will fix it.