Do You Need a Degree to Homeschool in Minnesota?

The most common reason Minnesota parents hesitate to withdraw from public school is a single sentence they half-remember: "Minnesota requires a teaching license or a bachelor's degree." They assume they don't qualify, so they stay stuck in a school situation that isn't working.

That fear is understandable — Minnesota's instructor qualification rule is real, and it's stricter than most states. But it has four distinct pathways, and the one that trips people up is only one of them. Most parents without a degree qualify through one of the alternatives without much difficulty. Here is what the statute actually says and what each pathway looks like in practice.

What Minnesota Law Actually Requires

Minnesota Statutes § 120A.22, Subd. 10 governs who may provide homeschool instruction in the state. The law lists five ways an instructor can qualify. Meeting any one of the five is sufficient — you do not need to meet all of them.

The five pathways are:

1. Hold a valid Minnesota teaching license
2. Hold a baccalaureate (bachelor's) degree in any field
3. Be directly supervised by a person with a valid Minnesota teaching license, with supervision occurring at least once per week
4. Operate within a school or program accredited by a state-recognized accrediting agency
5. Pass a teacher competency examination approved by the state

Most online summaries only mention pathways 1 and 3, which is why so many non-degreed parents believe they cannot legally homeschool. They can — pathways 4 and 5 exist precisely for this situation.

Pathway 1: Bachelor's Degree

If you hold any four-year college degree — in any subject — you satisfy the instructor qualification requirement. The degree does not need to be in education. A parent with a degree in accounting, nursing, history, or anything else qualifies under this pathway.

This is the most straightforward pathway for parents who attended college. When you file your annual Statement of Assurance with your school district, you check the box confirming your qualification and note the degree. No transcript submission is required; you are attesting to your qualification, not proving it to a credentialing body.

If both parents hold degrees, either parent can serve as the primary instructor. The law does not require the instruction to come from a single person.

Pathway 2: Licensed Teacher Supervision

If neither parent holds a bachelor's degree, the most common alternative is to arrange for a licensed Minnesota teacher to provide supervision. Under the statute, supervision means contact at least once per week — reviewing the student's work, providing guidance, and being available for consultation.

This is less onerous than it sounds. Many Minnesota homeschool co-ops and umbrella programs employ or contract with a licensed teacher precisely to fulfill this requirement for member families. The licensed teacher does not need to be present in your home every day or teach every subject — weekly oversight is sufficient.

Some families hire a retired teacher or a current public school teacher who does private consulting. Others join a co-op where the licensed supervisor covers all member families collectively. The cost varies widely depending on the arrangement, but this pathway is accessible to families in most parts of the state.

One important detail: the licensed supervisor's involvement needs to be documented somewhere in your records in case a district asks. A brief log of weekly contacts — dates and what was reviewed — is sufficient. No formal report goes to the district under this pathway.

Pathway 3: Accredited Curriculum Program

This is the pathway most parents without degrees do not know about, and it is often the cleanest solution.

If your homeschool operates within a program accredited by a state-recognized accrediting agency, the instructor qualification question is resolved through the program rather than through your personal credentials. The accrediting body vouches for the educational program as a whole.

In Minnesota, the most commonly used organization for this purpose is the Home-Based Educators' Accrediting Association (HBEAA). HBEAA is recognized by the Minnesota Department of Education and provides accreditation to home-based educators. Annual membership runs approximately $450, and in exchange you gain:

• Satisfaction of the instructor qualification requirement under Subd. 10
• An exemption from Minnesota's annual standardized testing requirement (accredited programs are not subject to the testing mandate)
• Access to HBEAA's support resources and documentation templates

The testing exemption alone is significant. Minnesota requires non-accredited homeschoolers to administer a nationally standardized achievement test each year, administered by a qualified evaluator who is not the parent. Joining HBEAA eliminates this requirement entirely, which can offset a meaningful portion of the membership cost.

For non-degreed parents who also prefer not to navigate the annual testing process, the HBEAA pathway handles both issues at once.

Pathway 4: Teacher Competency Examination

The statute also allows instructors who pass a teacher competency examination approved by the state to qualify. This pathway is the least commonly used and the most involved — it essentially requires passing a version of the licensing exam that certified teachers take, without completing a full teacher preparation program.

In practice, very few Minnesota homeschool families pursue this route. The accredited curriculum pathway and the licensed supervisor pathway are far more accessible and less burdensome. If you are in a situation where neither of those options works, the competency exam pathway exists, but it warrants a conversation with a Minnesota homeschool organization before you invest time in it.

What "Instructor" Means Under the Statute

There is a legitimate question about who the qualification requirement applies to. The statute uses the word "instructor," which has led to some debate.

The practical interpretation followed by most Minnesota homeschool families and broadly accepted by districts: the qualification requirement applies to whoever is serving as the primary instructor. If a parent with a bachelor's degree is the primary instructor, that parent satisfies the requirement. If a non-degreed parent is the primary instructor, they need to meet one of the other pathways.

The statute was not written to disqualify parents from teaching their own children. The alternative pathways — licensed supervision and accredited curriculum in particular — exist because the legislature understood that not all parents would hold degrees or licenses, and still wanted to create a workable framework. A non-degreed parent who joins HBEAA or arranges weekly licensed teacher contact is fully compliant with the law.

Filing Your Statement of Assurance

Whichever pathway you use, you will indicate your qualification method on the annual Statement of Assurance filed with your local school district. The SOA must be submitted by October 1 each year (or within 60 days of beginning homeschool if you start mid-year).

The SOA asks you to confirm:

• The subjects your child will cover
• Your instructor qualification method
• The curriculum materials you plan to use
• Your assessment plan for the year

Districts cannot require you to submit proof of your degree, a copy of your supervision agreement, or your HBEAA membership documentation with the SOA. You are making a sworn statement about your compliance. Records supporting that statement should be kept at home.

Getting the Withdrawal Right First

Before the qualification question becomes relevant, you need to formally withdraw your child from public school. In Minnesota, withdrawal is not automatic — you must notify the district in writing before you begin homeschooling. Filing the Statement of Assurance serves as your notice, but timing matters: if you pull your child from school without the SOA on file, the district may classify the absence as truancy.

The Minnesota Legal Withdrawal Blueprint at /us/minnesota/withdrawal/ covers the withdrawal process step by step — what to submit, when to submit it, how to handle a district that pushes back, and how to structure your records from day one regardless of which instructor qualification pathway you use. If you are still deciding whether to withdraw or figuring out the sequence of steps, that is the right place to start.

The Short Answer

No, you do not need a degree to homeschool in Minnesota. A bachelor's degree is one pathway under § 120A.22 Subd. 10, but there are four others. The most practical options for non-degreed parents are arranging weekly supervision by a licensed Minnesota teacher or joining an accredited program like HBEAA. Both pathways are legal, widely used among the state's 31,000-plus homeschooled students, and compatible with virtually any curriculum or teaching approach you want to use.

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