Maine Homeschool Laws

Children who are 6 and under 17 must attend school or comply with an approved alternative, including home instruction (20-A M.R.S. §5001-A; HSLDA: Compulsory School Age in Maine). A 5-year-old enrolled in public school must attend unless withdrawn. A student may be excused before 17 by graduating from high school or by other listed exceptions (HSLDA).

Maine offers two options (HSLDA: How to Comply with Maine’s Homeschool Law):

• Option 1: Home instruction under 20-A M.R.S. §5001-A(3)(A)(4).
• Option 2: A private school recognized as providing equivalent instruction (sometimes called a REPS), formed by parents joining together to function as a private school.

Home instruction is part of the compulsory attendance law, so truancy laws apply (Maine DOE: Home Instruction Requirements).

Option 1: Each year by September 1, submit one form of assessment of your child’s progress (Maine DOE; HSLDA):

• Official results of a national standardized achievement test;
• Results of a test developed by local school officials;
• A review and acceptance of progress by a Maine certified teacher;
• A review by a home instruction support group that includes a currently certified Maine teacher or administrator; or
• A review by a local advisory board, arranged with the superintendent, with one school unit employee and two home instruction tutors.

Keep a copy of each assessment you submit (HSLDA).

Option 2: Requirements are set by the recognized private school (HSLDA).

Option 1: At least 175 days a year of English and language arts, math, science, social studies, physical education, health education, library skills, and fine arts; Maine studies in at least one grade from 6 to 12; and computer proficiency in one grade from 7 to 12 (Maine DOE; §5001-A).

Option 2: To be recognized, the school must teach English (reading, writing, spelling, and grammar), math, science, American history, Maine history and geography, government (including the privilege and responsibility of citizenship), health education, and fine arts (HSLDA).

First year: Provide a written Notice of Intent simultaneously to your local school officials and the Commissioner of Education within 10 calendar days of beginning home instruction. Include the parent’s name, signature, and address; the student’s name and age; the start date; and assurances of 175 days of instruction in the required subjects and an annual assessment (Maine DOE; §5001-A).

Each later year: By September 1, file again with a copy of the prior year’s assessment (Maine DOE). HSLDA describes this as an annual letter of intent to continue sent to the superintendent (HSLDA).

How to file: One submission through the state’s Home Instruction Portal notifies both the Department and the superintendent. Paper forms go only to the superintendent’s office. The school year runs July 1 to June 30. Report mid-year changes, such as an address change or ending home instruction, to the superintendent’s office (Maine DOE).

No attendance form is required, but you assure 175 days of instruction. Keep copies of your notices and assessments, and provide the notice if the commissioner asks to see it (HSLDA).

Option 1: None. Option 2: Your child is enrolled in a private school recognized as providing equivalent instruction (HSLDA).

Option 1: None. HSLDA’s summary notes teacher qualifications apply only to Option 2 (HSLDA: Maine Homeschool Laws).

Yes. Home instruction students may enroll in public school classes and take part in cocurricular and extracurricular activities. Superintendent approval is needed for classes and cocurricular activities but may not be unreasonably withheld; no approval is needed to try out for extracurricular activities (20-A M.R.S. §5021; HSLDA: Public School Access for Homeschoolers in Maine).

Students in a recognized equivalent private school may join curricular, extracurricular, and interscholastic activities unless the public school lacks capacity, under §5021-A (HSLDA).

Dual enrollment: Students who comply with home instruction rules may take college classes at no cost through the Aspirations (dual enrollment) program (HSLDA).

None for homeschoolers, according to HSLDA (HSLDA).

Special education: HSLDA notes that although §5021(3) seems to give homeschoolers access to special education services, schools have taken the position that homeschoolers are not eligible (HSLDA).

Getting started: The Sun Journal published a step-by-step guide for new Maine homeschoolers in July 2026 (Sun Journal).

• 20-A M.R.S. §5001-A: Compulsory attendance and §5021: Participation in public schools
• Maine Department of Education: Home Instruction Requirements
• HSLDA: Maine Homeschool Laws, How to Comply with Maine’s Homeschool Law, Compulsory School Age in Maine, and Public School Access in Maine
• Sun Journal: Homeschooling in Maine: A quick guide to getting started (July 24, 2026)

Last reviewed: November 7, 2026