Maryland BOOST Scholarship: What Homeschool Families Need to Know

Most Maryland families pulling their children out of the public school system assume the state offers them nothing in return. That assumption is mostly correct — but not entirely. Maryland's BOOST program (Broadening Options and Opportunities for Students Today) is a targeted education scholarship trust fund that sends state money to qualifying families choosing nonpublic educational settings. If you are withdrawing your child to homeschool through a registered umbrella school or nonpublic entity, BOOST is worth understanding before you finalize your plan.

What the BOOST Program Actually Is

BOOST is Maryland's education scholarship program, funded through the state budget and administered by the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE). It was created to help lower-income families access nonpublic school options — private schools and registered nonpublic entities — that they otherwise could not afford.

The scholarship is funded annually through the state legislature. Award amounts have historically reached up to $5,000 per student depending on the family's income level and the availability of funds in a given year. Maryland appropriates a fixed pool of money each budget cycle, and awards are distributed until the pool is exhausted. This means BOOST operates on a first-come, first-served basis, and families who delay applications often miss out entirely.

A critical distinction: BOOST is not a universal school choice voucher. Maryland has not passed the kind of broad Education Savings Account (ESA) legislation seen in states like Arizona or Arkansas. BOOST is income-restricted and limited in scope. As of the 2025-2026 school year, eligible families must have a household income at or below 185% of the federal poverty level. For a family of four, that threshold sits around $58,000 annually.

Who Qualifies — and the Homeschool Complication

Here is where homeschool families need to read carefully. BOOST scholarship funds can only be used at a participating nonpublic school that is registered with MSDE. The scholarship pays the school directly — it does not send a check to the parent.

This means purely independent homeschoolers operating under Option 1 (county supervision portfolio pathway) are not eligible for BOOST. You cannot use BOOST funds to purchase curriculum, pay tutors, or cover operational costs for a home-based program you run yourself.

However, families who choose Option 2 supervision through a registered nonpublic umbrella entity may have a path to BOOST eligibility — but only if their specific umbrella school participates in the program and charges tuition. Many Maryland umbrella organizations are church-exempt, low-cost covers for legal compliance purposes and charge nominal annual fees ($100 to $400 per year). These organizations typically do not qualify as participating BOOST institutions.

Larger, more structured nonpublic schools that also offer umbrella supervision services are more likely to participate. If you are considering Option 2 and want BOOST eligibility, you need to verify directly with the umbrella or nonpublic school whether they are listed as a BOOST-participating institution through MSDE before enrolling.

The Maryland Homeschool Funding Gap

If BOOST does not apply to your situation, you are not entirely out of options. Federal law now allows families to use 529 college savings plan funds for K-12 qualified education expenses. Under H.R. 1, effective July 2025, qualified K-12 expenses expanded to include curriculum materials, books, online educational subscriptions, standardized testing fees, and tutoring by licensed teachers or subject matter experts. Beginning in 2026, families can withdraw up to $20,000 annually per student for these purposes.

Maryland enhances this by offering a state income tax deduction on contributions to the Maryland College Investment Plan: up to $2,500 per beneficiary per year, with a 10-year carryforward provision. This is not free money — it is a tax efficiency tool — but for families paying out-of-pocket for curriculum and enrichment, routing those expenses through a 529 can effectively recover several hundred dollars in state taxes annually.

What Happens During the Withdrawal Process

If you are in the process of pulling your child out of a Maryland public school and weighing your funding options, the sequence matters. Maryland requires a 15-day Notice of Intent filed with the local superintendent before home instruction begins. During that window, school administrators cannot legally delay your withdrawal or demand curriculum approval. Under COMAR 13A.10.01, homeschooling is a notification process, not an approval process.

You must decide at the time of filing whether you are operating under Option 1 (county portfolio reviews) or Option 2 (umbrella supervision). If BOOST eligibility is part of your planning, that decision directly affects whether you can pursue the scholarship.

For families with household incomes above the BOOST threshold — which covers a substantial portion of Maryland's homeschool-active counties like Montgomery, Howard, and Anne Arundel — state scholarship funds are not available regardless of supervision pathway. The focus shifts entirely to compliant execution of the withdrawal and building a legally defensible program.

The Most Common Mistake with State Funding Research

Parents in the middle of a stressful withdrawal frequently spend hours researching Maryland school funding programs before completing the basic legal steps. The BOOST scholarship, while real, applies to a narrow income band and requires a specific institutional setup that most Maryland homeschool families are not pursuing.

The more pressing legal task is ensuring the 15-day notice is filed correctly, the withdrawal letter reaches the principal via certified mail with return receipt, and the Option 1 vs. Option 2 decision is made with a clear understanding of what each pathway requires long-term.

Getting the foundational legal paperwork right prevents truancy flags, DSS contact, and administrative conflict with the district. That step comes before funding research — not after.

If you are beginning this process and want a clear, step-by-step walkthrough of Maryland's withdrawal requirements — including ready-to-use letter templates, an explanation of COMAR obligations, and a curated breakdown of umbrella organizations — the Maryland Legal Withdrawal Blueprint covers all of it in one document built specifically for this state's regulations.

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