Homeschool Laws in Maryland: What You Need to Know Before You Start

Maryland sits in the middle of the homeschool-regulation spectrum — not as permissive as Texas or Missouri, not as demanding as Pennsylvania or New York. The state requires families to choose a supervision option, maintain a portfolio, and submit to annual reviews. But the flexibility within those requirements is significant, and many families navigate the system with minimal friction once they understand what is actually required versus what local school systems claim is required.

Here is a complete breakdown of Maryland homeschool law for families who are considering the switch or who are mid-process and trying to figure out if they are doing it correctly.

The Three Supervision Options Under Maryland Law

Maryland Education Code §7-301 gives families three distinct pathways to legally operate a home school. You must choose one before you begin — it determines who reviews your portfolio and on what schedule.

Option 1: Local School System Supervision

Your local public school system (the county Board of Education) supervises your home school program. Under this option:

• You submit a portfolio for review twice per year (once in the fall and once in the spring)
• A school system representative reviews the portfolio and may request a meeting
• You must provide instruction in English, mathematics, science, social studies, art, music, health, and physical education
• There is no minimum instructional hours requirement specified in the statute, but the local system may have additional guidance

This is the most common option for families who are new to homeschooling and want some structure, or who plan to re-enroll their children in public school in the future and want to maintain a formal relationship with the district.

Option 2: Approved Church or Religious Group

A church or religious organization that has been approved by the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) supervises your home school. These entities provide oversight of your portfolio, which typically means the supervision is more values-aligned and less adversarial than local school system oversight can sometimes be.

MSDE maintains a list of currently approved church supervisors. The requirements vary somewhat by organization, but all must include portfolio-based assessment of the same subject areas.

Option 3: Certified Teacher

A Maryland-certified teacher reviews your portfolio and certifies that your instruction is "regular and thorough." Under this option, you arrange for a certified teacher to review your portfolio — this can be done informally through a teacher you know, or through various tutoring services that offer portfolio review.

The teacher files a certification statement with the local school system. This option gives families the most control over the review process while satisfying the oversight requirement.

What Your Portfolio Must Contain

Maryland law requires a "portfolio of educational materials" for each child. The portfolio serves as evidence that you are providing regular and thorough instruction. It typically includes:

• Lesson plans or a course of study — a written record of what subjects you are teaching and roughly how you are approaching them. This does not need to be a detailed daily plan; weekly or unit-level planning notes are generally sufficient.
• Samples of the student's work — written assignments, math worksheets, art projects, lab reports, or any other output that demonstrates the child is engaged in the subject areas. Reviewers typically want to see a representative sample across subjects, not every single assignment.
• Reading lists — books read during the year, whether for school subjects or independently
• Test results or assessments — if you give tests, include results. If you do not use traditional tests, alternative assessment evidence (oral evaluations, projects, demonstrations) should be documented.

The standard applied during review is whether the instruction was "regular and thorough" — the same phrase used in the statute. Reviewers are not looking for evidence that your child is performing at a specific grade level; they are looking for evidence that genuine instruction is happening.

Notifying the School System: The First Step

Before beginning home instruction, Maryland families must notify their local school system. The process varies by county but generally involves:

1. Submitting written notification of intent to homeschool, including the names and ages of the children and your chosen supervision option
2. Receiving confirmation from the school system and often a packet explaining their specific portfolio review requirements
3. Beginning instruction — you can typically start as soon as notification is submitted

If your child is currently enrolled in public school, the notification serves as the withdrawal trigger. You should send this letter via certified mail and keep the delivery confirmation. Some county school systems have their own withdrawal forms; others accept a letter. Ask your county's homeschool coordinator what they require.

What Maryland School Systems Cannot Demand

This is where families most often run into problems. Maryland law sets the requirements. Local school systems sometimes add to them in ways that are not legally supported.

Things that are NOT required by Maryland law:

• Pre-approval of your curriculum. The school system cannot require you to submit your curriculum for approval before you begin. They review what you have done, not what you plan to do.
• Home visits. Maryland law does not authorize home inspections. Portfolio reviews are conducted by appointment at the school system office or with your chosen supervisor — not in your home unless you agree to it.
• Specific commercial curriculum. The school system cannot mandate that you use a particular textbook series, accredited program, or state-approved curriculum. You have full discretion over curriculum choice.
• Teacher certification for the teaching parent. Maryland does not require that homeschooling parents hold teaching credentials.

If a school system representative tells you that one of these things is required, ask them to cite the specific statutory authority. If they cannot, you have the right to decline.

What Happens If You Do Not Comply with Review Requirements

Maryland takes its portfolio review requirement seriously. If you miss review deadlines repeatedly or your portfolio does not demonstrate regular and thorough instruction, the local school system can:

• Issue a compliance notice requiring corrective action
• Refer the case to the Department of Social Services for an educational neglect investigation
• Seek a court order requiring the child to return to school

In practice, these escalations are rare and typically preceded by multiple warnings. But families who do not engage with the review process at all — particularly those who pull their child from school and never notify the school system — are most at risk. The notification and portfolio process is not optional in Maryland.

Mid-Year Withdrawals in Maryland

Families who decide to homeschool mid-year face the same process as families who start at the beginning of the year, with one practical difference: you may have less time to assemble a portfolio before your first review, and the school system may schedule your first review earlier than it would for a family starting in September.

When you withdraw mid-year, send your notification letter immediately — do not wait until "a good stopping point" in the school year. Every day your child is absent from school without a formal withdrawal on record creates an attendance problem. The withdrawal letter is what converts absences into legitimate home school enrollment.

Maryland vs. Missouri: Key Differences

If you are reading this while trying to compare states — perhaps you are a family in a border area, or you are relocating — the contrast with Missouri is worth noting.

Missouri is significantly less regulated than Maryland. Missouri requires no registration, no supervision option, no portfolio submission to any state or local agency, and no annual review. The only requirement is maintaining certain records internally and meeting the 1,000-hour instructional threshold. Missouri families essentially operate their home schools in complete privacy.

Maryland's requirements are more involved, but they are also clear and predictable. The portfolio review creates a structured checkpoint that some families find reassuring rather than burdensome — it is external accountability that can also serve as motivation to maintain good records.

If you are in Missouri and navigating the legal steps for withdrawal and home school establishment in that state specifically, the Missouri Legal Withdrawal Blueprint covers Missouri's specific statute (RSMo §167.031), the withdrawal letter process, the optional §167.042 declaration question, and how to handle district pushback. The Blueprint is specific to Missouri law — not Maryland and not a generic guide — which is why it is useful if you are a Missouri family figuring out your legal position.

Practical First Steps for Maryland Families

1. Choose your supervision option before you contact anyone. Option 1 (school system) is simplest administratively. Option 3 (certified teacher) gives you more control.
2. Send written notification to your county school system via certified mail.
3. Request your child's cumulative records — academic history, test scores, health records, and any special education evaluations — at the same time you send your withdrawal letter. FERPA gives you this right.
4. Start a portfolio folder immediately — even a manila folder or a binder with dividers. Collect work samples from day one; backfilling months of documentation before a review deadline is stressful and avoidable.
5. Contact your county's homeschool coordinator — most counties have one — to understand their specific submission process. Some accept digital portfolios; others require in-person review.

Maryland's framework is manageable. The families who struggle are almost always the ones who tried to start homeschooling without understanding the review cycle, then faced a compliance notice on top of the stress of an already difficult transition. Get the legal structure right first, then focus on the curriculum.

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