A Mississippi Field Guide · Updated for 2026

How to start homeschooling in Mississippi.

A clear, practical guide for families ready to bring learning home - written for the way Mississippi actually does it. One certificate of enrollment by September 15. No mandated subjects, hours, or tests. Full freedom over how your children learn. Everything you need to begin with confidence, in plain language and without the noise.

The Path · Getting Started

Five steps from one September form to a full year of learning.

№ 01
01

Find your school attendance officer.

Mississippi's one requirement runs through the school attendance officer for the district where you live - not the school principal or the state office. Attendance officers are tasked with enrolling homeschooling families and will give you the certificate of enrollment form prepared by MDE's Office of Compulsory School Attendance Enforcement.

How to connect
  • Call your local school district and ask for the attendance officer
  • Or contact MDE's Office of Compulsory School Attendance Enforcement
  • Request the certificate of enrollment form
  • Ask how they prefer to receive it - mail, email, or in person
02

File the certificate of enrollment by September 15.

Complete the certificate and return it to your attendance officer on or before September 15, then refile each year you continue. The statute limits the form to basic identifying information 'only' - there is nothing to get approved. Deciding mid-year? Miss. Code Ann. § 37-13-91 expressly lets you enroll in home instruction later and send the certificate then.

The certificate asks only for
  • Each child's name, address, phone & date of birth
  • Parent or guardian's name, address & phone
  • A simple description of the education being provided
  • Your signature and the date
03

Design the education yourself.

Mississippi mandates no subjects, curriculum, hours, or methods - the law's only test is that your program be 'legitimate,' meaning genuinely educational rather than a way to dodge attendance law. Most families build around a familiar core of reading, writing, math, science, and history, then shape the rest to their children.

Useful starting points
  • A recommended core: reading, writing, math, science, history
  • MHEA's getting-started guidance and events
  • Local co-ops, church groups & library programs
  • Curriculum review sites like Cathy Duffy
04

Keep light records for your own sake.

No log, portfolio, or test result is required - nothing is ever submitted or inspected. Keep records anyway: a copy of each year's filed certificate, a simple note of subjects covered, and samples of work. That file quietly documents a legitimate program and grows into a transcript when high school arrives.

Worth keeping on file
  • Copies of every filed certificate of enrollment
  • A simple subjects-covered log
  • Sample work from each season
  • Course and credit notes from 9th grade on
05

Refile each fall and plan ahead.

Your ongoing duty is one form a year, every year a child is compulsory-school-age (6-17). Put September 15 on the calendar. Then look ahead: parents issue the diploma in Mississippi, so decide early how you'll track credits - and note that public school sports remain closed to homeschoolers unless the Legislature finally passes an equal-access law.

The annual rhythm
  • Refile the certificate by September 15
  • Update it if you move or add a child
  • Track high school credits toward a parent-issued diploma
  • Watch the Legislature for 'Tim Tebow Act' sports bills
The Law · Mississippi

One simple route - and all the room in the world

№ 02

Home instruction is expressly recognized in Miss. Code Ann. § 37-13-91, Mississippi's compulsory attendance law. A 'legitimate home instruction program' satisfies attendance for ages 6-17 with exactly one obligation: a certificate of enrollment filed with your school attendance officer by September 15 each year. The statute limits that form to basic identifying information 'only' - beyond it, the state mandates no subjects, hours, tests, or teacher qualifications.

Option 01

Legitimate Home Instruction Program

Best for every Mississippi homeschooling family - it is the state's single, simple legal route, and it leaves the education entirely to you.

  • File the certificate of enrollment by September 15 each year
  • One recipient: the school attendance officer where you live
  • No mandated subjects, hours, testing, or recordkeeping
  • No teacher qualifications - any parent or guardian may teach
  • Governed by Miss. Code Ann. § 37-13-91
Requirements · Curriculum

Nothing is mandated - here's a core worth covering.

№ 03

Be clear-eyed about this: Mississippi requires no subjects at all. The areas below are recommendations - the core most homeschool families cover and the one colleges expect to see on a transcript - offered to help you plan, not because the law demands them.

01

Reading

Phonics, fluency, and comprehension across genres and grade levels.

02

Writing & Language Arts

Composition, grammar, spelling, and clear expression across the curriculum.

03

Mathematics

Numeracy, arithmetic, algebra, geometry, and applied reasoning.

04

Science

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

05

History & Social Studies

American and world history, geography, government, and civic life.

9/15
Annual deadline

The certificate of enrollment is due to your school attendance officer on or before September 15, every year.

1
Form per year

One short certificate - basic identifying information and a simple description of the education you're providing. That's the whole filing.

0
Mandated subjects or tests

Mississippi requires no subjects, no hours, no standardized testing, and no teacher qualifications.

10
Days to cure a miss

If you miss the deadline, the attendance officer must give written notice - and you have 10 days from that notice to file and be in compliance.

Questions · Answered Honestly

The questions Mississippi parents ask first

№ 04
No. Mississippi sets no teacher qualifications of any kind - no degree, license, or training requirement. Any parent, guardian, or custodian may provide home instruction. The law's only standard is that the program be 'legitimate': genuinely educational, not a device for avoiding the compulsory attendance law.
Yes. The statute anticipates exactly this: a child enrolled in school at the start of the year may later be enrolled in a legitimate home instruction program, with the certificate of enrollment sent to the attendance officer at that time. Put the withdrawal in writing to the school, file your certificate, keep dated copies of both, and begin.
No. The certificate of enrollment is the entire interaction, and Miss. Code Ann. § 37-13-91 says the form is 'designed to obtain the following information only' - your attendance officer collects it but cannot evaluate your curriculum, require testing, or visit your home. There is no approval step and no ongoing oversight.
Not currently any - the law requires no attendance logs, portfolios, or test results, and nothing is ever submitted. Wise families still keep a copy of each year's filed certificate, a light log of subjects covered, and samples of work. Those records document a legitimate program if questions ever arise and make high school transcripts straightforward.
No. MHSAA rules require enrollment in a member school, and Mississippi has not adopted an equal-access law. The 'Tim Tebow Act' (HB 1617) passed the House 76-26 in 2025 but died in the Senate - the latest of many attempts over the past decade. Homeschool sports leagues and club teams fill the gap for many families; keep an eye on each legislative session.
Yes. Parents set graduation requirements and issue the diploma and transcript in Mississippi - there is no state homeschool diploma and no state sign-off to wait for. A parent-issued diploma with a clear transcript is accepted by Mississippi colleges and universities, employers, and the military; community colleges in particular are familiar with homeschool graduates.
Not for homeschoolers. Mississippi's Education Scholarship Account program serves students with special needs who have an active IEP, and its rules bar participants from being in a homeschool program while receiving funds. No general homeschool funding exists - the upside is total independence over curriculum and methods. Check current legislation, as school-choice bills surface every session.
You get a chance to fix it. The attendance officer must give you written notice of noncompliance, and you then have 10 days to file the certificate and be in compliance. Don't rely on the cure window, though - put the date on your calendar each August, file early, and keep the stamped or dated copy with your records.
Resources · Mississippi

Three doors into the Mississippi homeschool world

№ 05
Official - State

Mississippi Department of Education

MDE's home school page from the Office of Compulsory School Attendance Enforcement - the certificate of enrollment form and attendance officer contacts.

Visit MDE
Community - Statewide

Mississippi Home Educators Association (MHEA)

Mississippi's statewide homeschool organization - annual conference, support group directory, and practical getting-started help.

Visit MHEA
Legal - National

Home School Legal Defense Association

Plain-language summaries of Mississippi law, plus member legal help if your certificate or program is ever questioned.

Read the Law
The Mississippi Getting Started Kit

Everything from this guide, ready to use.

The Mississippi Getting Started Kit turns one small legal duty into a well-organized year - five polished, print-ready documents built around Miss. Code Ann. § 37-13-91, so the paperwork takes minutes and the planning takes care of itself.

  • Certificate of Enrollment companion sheet - every field of the official MDE form explained, with a model 'simple description of the type of education' and a checklist for filing with your attendance officer by September 15.
  • Mississippi Compliance Checklist - the September 15 deadline, the annual refiling, the 10-day cure window, and the mid-year start rule as checkable items.
  • Recordkeeping Log - a light attendance and subject tracker that documents a legitimate program without inventing requirements the state never set.
  • Weekly Planning Template - built around the recommended core of reading, writing, math, science, and history, with room for co-ops and field trips.
  • First 30 Days Roadmap - a day-by-day action plan from decision to your first week of teaching.
Instant Digital Download
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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 Mississippi Department of Education and your local school attendance officer, or consult an attorney. Statute citations reflect Mississippi law as of 2026.

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