Romeschool

Mississippi homeschool requirements

To homeschool in Mississippi, file a Certificate of Enrollment with your local school attendance officer by August 15 each year — the deadline moved up from September 15 in 2026. No testing, no mandated subjects, and no required records.

Last reviewed June 5, 2026 · corrected September 23, 2026 · Sources below

Minimal regulation Notice required
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Mississippi homeschool requirements at a glance

Notice
RequiredWhere it goes: Your local school attendance officer — a Department of Education employee assigned to the county where your child lives, not a school district employee (Miss. Code Ann. § 37-13-91(2)(g)). MDE lists them by county. When: By August 15 each year (10 days to file after written notice from the attendance officer).
Required subjects
No set list
Instruction time
NoneNo minimum days or hours required.
Testing or evaluation
NoNo testing required by Mississippi law.
Records
No
Parent qualifications
Not required
Compulsory attendance ages
6–17Both ends are measured on September 1 (Miss. Code Ann. § 37-13-91(2)(f)): a child is covered once they have turned 6 on or before September 1, and stops being covered once they have turned 17 on or before September 1. So a child whose sixth birthday falls after September 1 is not covered until the following school year, and a child who turns 17 after September 1 stays covered for that whole school year. A five-year-old counts as well, but only once enrolled in a full-day public school kindergarten program — pull a five-year-old out of public kindergarten and you file a Certificate of Enrollment; one who never enrolled has nothing to file. Above the top age the Department's Rule 30.7 cuts the other way: it will not accept a Certificate of Enrollment from a student beginning home instruction for the first time after passing compulsory school age, and will not record them as a transfer to home school — though a student already in home instruction before that age can keep filing.
Ways to homeschool
Independent (Certificate of Enrollment to the local school attendance officer)
Law
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-13-91
Official source
mdek12.org ↗

Do I have to notify anyone to homeschool in Mississippi?

Yes. Mississippi requires homeschooling families to file a notice. Where it goes: Your local school attendance officer — a Department of Education employee assigned to the county where your child lives, not a school district employee (Miss. Code Ann. § 37-13-91(2)(g)). MDE lists them by county. How: Certificate of Enrollment (state form). Return it to your local school attendance officer, or email the completed form to homeschool@mdek12.org. When: By August 15 each year (10 days to file after written notice from the attendance officer). One form per child, filed every year. It asks for your child's name, address, phone and date of birth; your name, address and phone; the school district where your child lives (added by Senate Bill 2103, effective July 1, 2026); a simple description of the education; and your signature. Guides that still say September 15 are out of date — SB 2103 moved the deadline to August 15. The Department of Education will not accept a form for the coming year until the current school year has ended, so the filing window is short. The form comes from the Department's Office of Compulsory School Attendance Enforcement, which is the only office that issues and collects it: district staff cannot hand you one or fill one in (State Board Policy Rule 30.7). Missing August 15 is not automatically a violation — you have 10 days to file after written notice from the attendance officer, and if your child was enrolled in a public school within 15 calendar days of the first day of the school year you may move to home instruction later, send the certificate then, and still meet the requirement. One limit catches families withdrawing an older teen: under Rule 30.7 the Department will not accept a Certificate of Enrollment from a student beginning home instruction for the first time after passing compulsory school age, and will not record them as a transfer to home school. A student who was already in home instruction before passing that age can keep filing. Rule 30.7 has said this since 2015; the Department currently posts a July 2026 revision of the rule, marked temporary, while the permanent version goes through rulemaking.

What subjects does Mississippi require homeschoolers to teach?

Mississippi does not spell out a list of required subjects for homeschoolers. No state-mandated subjects.

How many days or hours of instruction does Mississippi require?

None. Mississippi does not set a minimum number of instructional days or hours for homeschoolers. No minimum days or hours required.

Is standardized testing required to homeschool in Mississippi?

No. Mississippi does not require standardized testing for homeschooled students. No testing required by Mississippi law.

What records do I need to keep to homeschool in Mississippi?

Mississippi does not require homeschooling families to keep specific records. Mississippi imposes no record-keeping duty on families teaching at home. The only document Miss. Code Ann. § 37-13-91 requires is the Certificate of Enrollment, which is the annual notice you send your attendance officer rather than a record you keep — and § 37-13-91(9) bars any state agency from affecting the operation, program or curriculum of a home instruction program. The Department of Education recommends, but does not require, keeping a copy of that form and a portfolio for each child with samples of activities, assignments, projects and assessments, plus a log of books and materials used. Worth knowing: because the state asks for nothing, it also creates nothing — a family returning to public school, applying to college, or moving out of state has no state record of the year to fall back on.

Do parents need a teaching certificate or other qualification to homeschool in Mississippi?

No. Mississippi does not set a general qualification for homeschooling parents.

What ages does Mississippi's compulsory attendance law cover?

Mississippi's compulsory attendance law covers children from age 6 to age 17. Both ends are measured on September 1 (Miss. Code Ann. § 37-13-91(2)(f)): a child is covered once they have turned 6 on or before September 1, and stops being covered once they have turned 17 on or before September 1. So a child whose sixth birthday falls after September 1 is not covered until the following school year, and a child who turns 17 after September 1 stays covered for that whole school year. A five-year-old counts as well, but only once enrolled in a full-day public school kindergarten program — pull a five-year-old out of public kindergarten and you file a Certificate of Enrollment; one who never enrolled has nothing to file. Above the top age the Department's Rule 30.7 cuts the other way: it will not accept a Certificate of Enrollment from a student beginning home instruction for the first time after passing compulsory school age, and will not record them as a transfer to home school — though a student already in home instruction before that age can keep filing.

What are the ways to homeschool in Mississippi?

In Mississippi, families homeschool under this pathway: independent (Certificate of Enrollment to the local school attendance officer).

Yes. Homeschooling is legal in Mississippi, as it is in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. To homeschool in Mississippi, file a Certificate of Enrollment with your local school attendance officer by August 15 each year — the deadline moved up from September 15 in 2026. No testing, no mandated subjects, and no required records.

How to get started in Mississippi

1
File a Certificate of Enrollment every year
Complete the state's Certificate of Enrollment form and get it to your local school attendance officer by August 15 — one form per child, every year. You can return it to the officer, or email the completed form to homeschool@mdek12.org. It asks for your child's name, address, phone and date of birth; your name, address and phone; the school district where your child lives (a new item added by Senate Bill 2103, effective July 1, 2026); a simple description of the education your child is receiving; and your signature. SB 2103 also moved the deadline up from September 15 to August 15. Only the Department of Education's Office of Compulsory School Attendance Enforcement issues and collects this form — under State Board Policy Rule 30.7 your school district cannot hand you one or fill one in — and the Department will not accept a form for the coming year until the current school year has ended, so the filing window is short.
Official resource (mdek12.org) →
2
Know who your school attendance officer is
School attendance officers in Mississippi are Department of Education employees assigned to the county where your child lives (Miss. Code Ann. § 37-13-91(2)(g)) — they do not work for your school district, and district staff cannot supply or complete the certificate for you. The Department lists officers by county, and it accepts the completed form at homeschool@mdek12.org if you would rather send it by email.
Official resource (mdek12.org) →
3
Check whether your child is of compulsory school age
Compulsory school age runs from 6 to 17, and both ends are measured on September 1 (Miss. Code Ann. § 37-13-91(2)(f)): a child is covered once they have turned 6 on or before September 1, and stops being covered once they have turned 17 on or before September 1. So a sixth birthday after September 1 waits until the following school year, and a child who turns 17 after September 1 stays covered for that whole school year. A five-year-old counts as well, but only once enrolled in a full-day public school kindergarten program — pull a five-year-old out of public kindergarten and you file a Certificate of Enrollment, while one who never enrolled has nothing to file. Above the top age the Department's rule cuts the other way: under State Board Policy Rule 30.7 it will not accept a Certificate of Enrollment from a student beginning home instruction for the first time after passing compulsory school age, and will not record that student as a transfer to home school — though a student already in home instruction before that age can keep filing. That bar is the Department's rule rather than the statute, and it is not new: Rule 30.7 has said it since 2015. The version the Department currently posts is a July 2026 revision marked temporary while the permanent version goes through rulemaking.
4
If you miss the date, or move from public school mid-year
Missing August 15 is not automatically a violation. If the attendance officer sends you written notice that a certificate is missing, you have 10 days to file it. And if your child was enrolled in a public school within 15 calendar days of the first day of the school year, you may move to home instruction later in the year, send the certificate then, and still meet the requirement.
5
Teach what fits your child
Mississippi sets no required subjects, no minimum number of days or hours, and no teaching qualifications for parents. You choose the curriculum and the schedule.
6
No testing required
Mississippi law requires no testing or annual evaluations for children taught at home.
7
No records required — keep your own anyway
Mississippi imposes no record-keeping duty on families teaching at home. The Certificate of Enrollment is the notice you send, not a record you must keep, and state law bars any state agency from affecting your program or curriculum. The Department of Education recommends, but does not require, keeping a copy of each certificate and a portfolio for each child with samples of work and a log of the books and materials you used. Because the state asks for nothing, it also creates nothing: a family returning to public school, applying to college, or moving out of state has no state record of the year to fall back on.
What Romeschool tracks for you: Activity log and portfolio.

Sources for Mississippi

Official source (mdek12.org) ↗HSLDA's Mississippi summary ↗
Statute: Miss. Code Ann. § 37-13-91
Last reviewed: June 5, 2026
Corrected: September 23, 2026, after re-reading the official source for what changed

Every requirement above comes from our review of Mississippi’s rules, checked against these sources on June 5, 2026 and corrected on September 23, 2026 after re-reading the official source for what changed. Homeschool law changes, and a state can amend its rules between our reviews — read the official source before you file anything or rely on a date here. How we review state requirements.

Nearby states

States that share a border with Mississippi:

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