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🚀 How to Start Homeschooling in Minnesota

The first steps for a Minnesota family starting to homeschool: what to file, how to leave a public school, and where to find co-ops, classes and help — drawn from our Minnesota guide and articles.

Homeschooling in Minnesota: the basics

Who must be taught: every child between 7 and 17 must receive instruction unless the child has graduated (Minn. Stat. 120A.22, subd. 5). A child under 7 who is enrolled in kindergarten or a higher grade in a public school becomes subject to compulsory attendance unless the district exempts children under 7, and a parent may then withdraw the child for good cause, which includes enrolling the child in another school (subd. 6).
What counts as a home school: for compulsory attendance, a "school" includes a home school in which a child is provided instruction in compliance with 120A.22 and 120A.24 (120A.22, subd. 4).
The initial report: send the superintendent of the district where your child lives the child's name, birth date and address; the annual tests you intend to use (if required); the name of each instructor; and evidence that each instructor meets one of the requirements in 120A.22, subd. 10. It's due by October 1 of the first school year your child receives instruction after reaching 7; within 15 days of withdrawing a child 7 or older from public school to homeschool; within 15 days of moving out of a district; and by October 1 after you establish a new resident district (120A.24, subd. 1).
The annual letter of intent: by October 1 of each school year, send a letter of intent to continue to provide instruction, with any changes to the information in your initial report. This covers children 7 through 16, and 16- and 17-year-olds whose initial report was filed after they turned 16. A superintendent may collect the information online but must not require electronic submission (120A.24, subd. 1).
Immunization records: parents of home-schooled children submit the immunization statements required by Minn. Stat. 121A.15 — or an exemption statement — to the superintendent by October 1 of the first year of homeschooling in Minnesota and of the grade 7 year (121A.15, subd. 8). Exemptions include a physician's statement for medical reasons and a notarized statement of the parent's conscientiously held beliefs (subd. 3).
Instructor options (120A.22, subd. 10): the person teaching must (1) hold a valid Minnesota teaching license in the field and grade level taught; (2) be directly supervised by a licensed Minnesota teacher; (3) teach in a school accredited by a recognized accrediting agency; (4) hold a bachelor's degree; or (5) be the parent of a child who is assessed under the testing rules in subd. 11.
Required subjects (120A.22, subd. 9): reading, writing, literature and fine arts; mathematics and science; social studies, including history, geography, economics, government and citizenship; and health and physical education. Instruction, textbooks and materials must be in English, except as allowed under the state's language-instruction laws.
Recent changes: Laws 2023, chapter 55 (H.F. 2497) removed the option of qualifying as an instructor by passing a teacher competency exam, leaving the five options above. Laws 2024, chapter 85, section 17 (H.F. 4483, a technical corrections law) updated the testing subdivision to match. Laws 2024, chapter 109 (S.F. 3567) added telehealth appointments and instruction by a Tribal spiritual or cultural advisor to the list of excused absences, effective for the 2024–2025 school year; that subdivision governs excused absences from school attendance.
Enforcement: if a superintendent believes a child is receiving instruction in violation of 120A.22 and 120A.24, the superintendent must notify the parent in writing with a list of the specific alleged violations. If they aren't corrected within 15 days, the superintendent requests fact-finding and mediation from the commissioner of education, and only then may notify the county attorney (120A.26).

Read the full section in our Minnesota guide

Official sources

Summarized from our Minnesota guide (as of November 2026) and articles. Rules change — confirm on the official pages before you act.

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