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New Mexico 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 New Mexico'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 New Mexico

File
A home school registration, for each child, online or on paper. §
To
New Mexico Public Education Department (not the district). §
By
Within 30 days of starting, then on or before August 1 each year (renewal opens June 1). §
Keep
Immunization records or a waiver, and that the teacher has a high school diploma or equivalent. §
Test
None required. §
Starting this year
  • Within 30 days of starting: Register the home school with the Public Education Department, online or on paper.
Already homeschooling
  • By August 1 (the window opens June 1): Renew your home school notification.
Leaving a school mid-year

The online home school system lets a parent disenroll a student when the student graduates, the family moves to another state, or the student transfers to a public or private school.

Open your attendance recordStart the Tap Clock

What New Mexico's law asks you to keep, as tools: Hours log · Portfolio. The same rows for every state: what to file, by state.

Checked . § = source: NM Public Education Department: Home Schooling FAQs; NM Public Education Department: Home Schooling. Information, not legal advice.

Quick answers

Notice
Notice every yearRegister the home school with the Public Education Department, online or on a paper form, within 30 days of starting, then renew each year on or before August 1. The renewal period opens June 1. Registering is done for each child. The online system gives a printable proof of notification with a 5-digit registration number. For mail, the department suggests certified return receipt or another way to verify delivery. Checked October 27, 2026. Source: NM Public Education Department: Home Schooling FAQs
Days or hours
HoursThe department's home school form and FAQ list 1,140 instructional hours per year (550 hours for half-day kindergarten), citing Section 22-2-8.1, among home school responsibilities. The home school law itself (Section 22-1-2.1) names no hours or days. The department says keeping records of instructional hours is not a legal requirement. Checked October 27, 2026. Source: NM Public Education Department: Home Schooling FAQs, NM Public Education Department: Home Schooling
Subjects
A home school must provide a basic academic educational program that includes reading, language arts, mathematics, social studies and science. The department does not approve curriculum. Checked October 27, 2026. Source: NM Public Education Department: Home Schooling
Testing or evaluation
No testing requiredHome school students are not required to take annual standardized testing. Families who want testing can arrange it with a testing company. Checked October 27, 2026. Source: NM Public Education Department: Home Schooling FAQs
Records
The law requires the home school operator to keep records of student disease immunization or a waiver of that requirement, and to affirm that the person teaching has at least a high school diploma or equivalent. Other records are not a legal requirement, but the department encourages thorough records, portfolios and a record of notifications in case the student transfers to a school or goes on to college. Checked October 27, 2026. Source: NM Public Education Department: Home Schooling
Who must attend school
The Public Education Department says a school-age person is at least five years old before September 1 of the school year, has no high school diploma or equivalent, and has not reached the 22nd birthday on the first day of the school year. Its notification form says a school-age person must attend public school, private school, home school or a state institution until at least age 18, unless they graduate, earn an equivalency credential or withdraw on a hardship waiver (Section 22-12A-4). Source: NM Public Education Department: Home Schooling FAQs
Education savings accounts and vouchers
No program foundWe did not find a New Mexico state education savings account or voucher open to homeschool families on the Public Education Department's home school pages. A 2026 bill to create education opportunity accounts, House Bill 240, is shown as died on the Legislature's site. The department says it does not provide books, materials or computers to home schools. Check the department's site for anything new (checked 2026-10-27). Source: NM Public Education Department: Home Schooling FAQs, NM Legislature: House Bill 240 (2026), Education Opportunity Account Act

What to do first

  1. Read New Mexico's own pages, linked under each row below, so you know what applies to your situation.
  2. Notice: Within 30 days of starting, then on or before August 1 each year To: New Mexico Public Education Department (not the local district).
  3. If your child is in school now: The online home school system lets a parent disenroll a student when the student graduates, the family moves to another state, or the student transfers to a public or private school.
  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.

The state's own form or page: web.ped.nm.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Notification-of-a-Home-School-form-with-Statutes.pdf

Records to keep

The law requires the home school operator to keep records of student disease immunization or a waiver of that requirement, and to affirm that the person teaching has at least a high school diploma or equivalent. Other records are not a legal requirement, but the department encourages thorough records, portfolios and a record of notifications in case the student transfers to a school or goes on to college. 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 home school operator must be the student's parent or legal guardian, who may employ someone else to teach a particular subject. The person giving instruction needs at least a high school diploma or high school equivalency credential.
  • Public-school activities: the department says the local public school district is required to allow home school students to take part in sports and extracurricular activities if they meet certain requirements. Part-time classes are at the district's discretion.
  • Lottery Scholarship: home school students who meet the requirements, including having been registered with the department, may apply for the New Mexico Legislative Lottery Scholarship.
  • Online schools: a student in a New Mexico online public school is not a home school student. A student in an out-of-state online program is treated as home schooled, and the parent must notify the department.
  • Enforcement: the department may order that a student attend a public or private school if it finds a home school is not in compliance with law (Section 22-2-2(H)).
  • 2026 bill: House Bill 240, the Education Opportunity Account Act, is shown as died on the New Mexico Legislature's site.

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.