A Maryland Field Guide · Updated for 2026

How to start homeschooling in Maryland.

Maryland runs homeschooling on one short form and a genuine choice about who looks over your shoulder - the school system, or an umbrella you pick. One notification 15 days ahead. Eight required subjects. Portfolio reviews capped at three a year - or none, under an umbrella. Here is how the whole system fits together.

The Path · Getting Started

Five steps from first conversation to a compliant Maryland homeschool.

№ 01
01

Choose who supervises: school system or umbrella.

Every Maryland homeschool files the same notification form - the fork in the road is supervision. Under local school system supervision, a reviewer looks at your portfolio up to three times a year. Under umbrella supervision (COMAR 13A.10.01.05), a church-exempt school or MSDE-approved nonpublic school takes the school system's place, usually with lighter, friendlier check-ins - which is why most experienced Maryland homeschoolers choose one.

What to weigh
The two supervision models:
  • Local review: free, portfolio shown up to 3x/yr
  • Umbrella: fees, but reviews move to the umbrella
  • Umbrellas often add transcripts & diplomas
  • You can switch models in a later year
02

File the notification form 15 days ahead.

Complete the MSDE-prescribed Home Instruction Notification Form and submit it to your local school system at least 15 days before instruction begins. You are signing consent to the home instruction regulation and naming your supervision choice - not asking permission. Verify continuation annually before each school year.

The form covers
  • Signed consent to COMAR 13A.10.01
  • Child's name, age & address
  • Your supervision election
  • Annual verification thereafter
03

Plan regular instruction in the eight subjects.

Maryland asks for regular, thorough instruction in English, math, science, social studies, art, music, health, and physical education - with no day count, no hour count, and no curriculum approval. 'Sufficient duration to implement the program' is the whole timing rule; the shape of the week is yours.

Useful starting points
  • Maryland College & Career Standards (benchmarks only)
  • Umbrella school curriculum guidance
  • Co-ops & classes via Maryland Homeschool Association
  • Library systems & free museum days
04

Build the portfolio as you go.

The portfolio is Maryland's whole evidence system: instructional materials, reading materials, and examples of your child's writings, worksheets, workbooks, creative work, and tests. A simple accordion file fed weekly beats any year-end assembly job - and doubles as a keepsake.

Feed the file with
  • Samples of written work, dated
  • Worksheets & workbook pages
  • Reading lists & materials used
  • Creative projects & any tests given
05

Handle reviews calmly - or let your umbrella.

Under local supervision, reviews happen at times and places mutually agreeable to you and the school system - never more than three in a school year, and in many counties just two. The reviewer's question is whether instruction is regular and thorough, not whether your methods match the public school's. Under an umbrella, this step belongs to the umbrella entirely.

Review-day notes
  • Bring the portfolio, organized by subject
  • Reviews are conversations, not exams
  • 'Mutually agreeable' includes the timing
  • Umbrella families skip school-system reviews
The Law · Maryland

Three ways to satisfy one Maryland rule

№ 02

Maryland's compulsory attendance law, Md. Code, Educ. § 7-301, recognizes regular, thorough home instruction, and COMAR 13A.10.01 supplies the working rules: one notification form filed 15 days ahead, eight subject areas, and a portfolio reviewed by either your local school system or an umbrella school you choose. No testing, no hour counts, no curriculum approval.

Option 01

Local School System Portfolio Review

Best for families who want zero fees and don't mind showing a portfolio to a school system reviewer up to three times a year.

  • File the MSDE notification form 15 days ahead
  • Teach the 8 subjects on a regular basis
  • Keep a portfolio of materials & work samples
  • Reviews at mutually agreeable times - max 3 per year
  • Governed by COMAR 13A.10.01.01
Option 02

Church-Exempt Umbrella School

Best for families who want a supportive community of record and reviews handled outside the school system - Maryland's most popular route.

  • Enroll under a school operated by a bona fide church organization
  • The umbrella supervises instead of the school system
  • Requirements set by the umbrella - often one or two friendly check-ins
  • Many issue transcripts & diplomas; modest fees typical
  • Authorized by COMAR 13A.10.01.05
Option 03

Approved Nonpublic School Supervision

Best for families who want umbrella-style oversight from a school holding a State Board certificate of approval, often with fuller academic services.

  • Supervision by a nonpublic school approved by the State Board
  • Replaces school-system portfolio reviews
  • Often includes records, course guidance & testing services
  • Tuition or program fees apply
  • Authorized by COMAR 13A.10.01.05
Requirements · Curriculum

Eight subjects, taught your way.

№ 03

COMAR 13A.10.01 asks for regular, thorough instruction in eight areas - and stops there. No curriculum approval, no prescribed materials, no minimum hours. Your portfolio simply needs to show each area alive in your child's work.

01

English

Reading, writing, grammar, and literature across grade levels.

02

Mathematics

Numeracy through algebra and geometry, applied and practiced.

03

Science

Inquiry and observation across life, physical, and earth sciences.

04

Social Studies

History, geography, civics, and Maryland's place in the story.

05

Art

Visual art, appreciation, and hands-on creative work.

06

Music

Listening, performing, and the language of music.

07

Health

Nutrition, safety, and the habits of a healthy life.

08

Physical Education

Movement, fitness, and active play - parks and trails count.

15
Days before you begin

File the MSDE notification form with your local school system at least 15 days ahead; verify continuation annually.

8
Required subjects

English, math, science, social studies, art, music, health, and physical education - regular and thorough, methods yours.

3
Maximum reviews per year

Under local supervision, portfolio reviews are capped at three per school year, at mutually agreeable times. Umbrella families skip them.

0
Standardized tests required

Maryland requires no testing of homeschooled students - the portfolio (or your umbrella's oversight) is the whole accountability system.

Questions · Answered Honestly

Maryland questions, answered without spin

№ 04
No. Maryland requires no license, degree, or qualification of the parent or guardian providing home instruction. You sign the notification form, teach the eight subject areas regularly and thoroughly, and keep the portfolio - your credentials never enter into it.
Yes, many families should at least consider one. Under COMAR 13A.10.01.05, your home instruction can be supervised by a church-exempt school or an MSDE-approved nonpublic school instead of the local school system. The umbrella takes over the review role - typically with one or two friendly check-ins on its own terms - and many provide transcripts, diplomas, and community. The trade is a modest fee and the umbrella's own enrollment requirements.
Yes. File the MSDE notification form with your local school system at least 15 days before home instruction begins, then withdraw your child in writing once the form is in. The 15-day lead time is the only clock - there is no requirement to wait for a semester break.
No. Maryland school systems do not approve curriculum, materials, or methods. Under local supervision their role is limited to portfolio reviews - at mutually agreeable times, never more than three per school year - checking that instruction is regular and thorough in the eight subject areas. Under umbrella supervision, even that role moves to your umbrella.
The regulation lists it plainly: relevant instructional materials, reading materials, and examples of your child's writings, worksheets, workbooks, creative materials, and tests. Date the samples and file a few pieces per subject each month - a portfolio built weekly takes minutes and makes review day a non-event.
No - not currently. MPSSAA rules require athletes to be officially registered at and attending the public school they represent, which excludes home-instruction students from public school teams. HB 1043, introduced in the 2026 General Assembly session, would authorize public high schools to open athletics to homeschoolers - worth tracking, but not yet law. Homeschool athletic leagues and rec leagues fill much of the gap.
You do, or your umbrella does. Maryland has no state homeschool diploma: parents set graduation requirements and issue a diploma with a transcript, and many umbrella schools issue their own to enrolled graduates. Both are routinely accepted by colleges, employers, and the military.
Not currently. Maryland has no education savings account program, and the BOOST scholarship applies only to tuition at eligible nonpublic schools - it cannot fund home instruction. No funding also means no funding strings: no testing mandates and no curriculum oversight beyond the portfolio. Check current legislation, as policy can change.
Resources · Maryland

Where Maryland families find their lane

№ 05
Official - State

Maryland State Department of Education

MSDE's home instruction pages and fact sheet - the notification form, the regulation's text, and county school system contacts.

Visit MSDE
Community - Statewide

Maryland Homeschool Association

Statewide, inclusive support - the full COMAR text annotated for parents, portfolio review FAQs, umbrella school directories, and legislative updates.

Visit MDHSA
Legal - National

Home School Legal Defense Association

Plain-language summaries of Maryland's options, plus member legal help if a review or records question ever goes sideways.

Read the Law
The Maryland Getting Started Kit

From notification to review day, already organized.

The Maryland Getting Started Kit turns COMAR 13A.10.01 into paperwork and routines you can run on autopilot - five polished, print-ready documents built around the 15-day form, the eight subjects, and the portfolio that carries it all.

  • Notification Form companion + cover letter - a walkthrough of the MSDE form's choices (including the supervision election) with a dated cover letter that proves your 15-day lead under COMAR 13A.10.01.
  • Umbrella Decision Worksheet - local review vs. church-exempt vs. approved nonpublic supervision compared on cost, reviews, transcripts, and diplomas, with questions to ask any umbrella.
  • Portfolio Builder system - monthly collection sheets for all eight subjects matching the regulation's own list: writings, worksheets, workbooks, creative materials, and tests.
  • Review Day Checklist - what reviewers look for, your 'mutually agreeable' scheduling rights, and the three-review annual cap, on one calm page.
  • First 30 Days Roadmap - a day-by-day plan from filing the form through withdrawal to your first full week of teaching.
Instant Digital Download
$29
One-time purchase · Yours forever
Get the Maryland Kit
Secure checkout · Instant delivery by email
Arrowstead Academy

Insights, tools, and inspiration to help you cultivate wisdom, curiosity, and character at home.

Arrowstead Academy provides educational information, not legal advice. Homeschool law changes; verify current requirements with the Maryland State Department of Education and your local school system, or consult an attorney. Statute and regulation citations reflect Maryland law as of 2026.

© Copyright 2026 Arrowstead Academy. All rights reserved.