Is homeschooling legal in Minnesota?
Yes, homeschooling is fully legal in Minnesota. Homeschooling is well established in Minnesota, and as a parent you are automatically considered qualified to teach your own children. The state asks for a report to your district each fall and an annual standardized test, but the test results stay with you, they are not turned in. Once you learn the October 1 rhythm, the rest is routine.
Minnesota homeschool requirements at a glance
| Notice required | Yes, an initial report by October 1 (or within 15 days of withdrawal), then a short annual letter. |
|---|---|
| Required subjects | Yes, a broad list including reading, writing, math, science, and history. |
| Testing / assessment | Yes, an annual nationally norm-referenced test, but results stay private with the parent. |
| Recordkeeping | Yes, documentation of subjects taught, materials, and assessment methods. |
| Parent qualifications | None for parents, a parent teaching their own child is automatically qualified. |
Minnesota homeschool law in detail
We link the governing law so you can read it yourself instead of taking our word for it. The governing law is Minn. Stat. 120A.22 (Compulsory instruction), Minn. Stat. 120A.24 (Reporting).
Notice / letter of intent
In your first year, you submit an initial report to the superintendent of your resident district by October 1, or within 15 days of withdrawing your child from public school, or within 15 days of moving into a new district (Minn. Stat. 120A.24). It includes each child's name, birth date, and address; the annual tests you intend to use; the name of each instructor; and evidence of compliance with instructor qualification and immunization requirements. The Minnesota Department of Education publishes an Initial Registration Form for Unaccredited Schools that covers all of it. In later years you send only a short letter of intent to continue, due each October 1, generally until the child turns 16 (reporting runs through age 17 if the initial report was filed after the child turned 16).
Required subjects
Instruction must include reading, writing, literature, fine arts, math, science, history, geography, economics, government and citizenship, health, and physical education (Minn. Stat. 120A.22). The law does not dictate curriculum, grade-by-grade scope, or how many minutes each subject gets. A common approach is covering each area at an age-appropriate level through the elementary and middle years and at least once in high school.
Required days or hours
Minnesota law does not set a required number of instructional hours or days for home schools. You choose your own calendar and pace.
Recordkeeping
Keep documentation showing the required subjects are being taught and that the annual test was administered, class schedules, copies of instructional materials, and descriptions of how you assess achievement all work. HSLDA suggests retaining at least two years of records, and keeping high school records permanently for transcripts. Immunization compliance information is part of the initial report and is resubmitted in 7th grade.
Testing and assessment
Each year your child must take a nationally norm-referenced standardized achievement test, with the specific test agreed upon with the district superintendent (Minn. Stat. 120A.22, subd. 11). Here is the part that reassures most parents: results are kept by you, they are not submitted to the district or the state. If a child scores at or below the 30th percentile (or one grade level below peers), the parent must have the child evaluated for learning difficulties. Home schools accredited by a state-recognized agency are exempt from the testing agreement requirement entirely.
Withdrawing from public school
Send the school a short written withdrawal notice, then file your initial report with the resident district superintendent within 15 days of the withdrawal. There is no waiting period and no approval step, the report is a notification, not an application. Keep dated copies of both documents.
Good to know
Minnesota offers homeschoolers real perks: PSEO college courses in high school, access to extracurricular activities under the state's eligibility rules, and an aids-to-nonpublic-students program that can reimburse some textbook and testing costs through your district. Accredited-homeschool status (through a state-recognized accreditor) trims the testing-agreement requirement and instructor documentation. The annual test must be agreed upon with the superintendent, so build in a little lead time each fall.
How to start homeschooling in Minnesota
- Check ages: compulsory instruction in Minnesota covers children 7 through 17, so file your first report by October 1 of the school year your child is 7.
- If your child is in public school now, hand in a written withdrawal letter and file your initial report with the district superintendent within 15 days.
- Complete the initial report (MDE's Initial Registration Form for Unaccredited Schools works well): child info, planned annual test, instructor names, and immunization compliance.
- Pick a curriculum that touches the required subject list, and set up a simple records folder with your schedule, materials list, and assessment notes.
- Each fall by October 1, send the short letter of intent to continue, and arrange that year's standardized test with the superintendent.
File your notice
Minnesota families file an Initial Registration Form with their resident school district superintendent by October 1 (or within 15 days of withdrawal), then submit an annual Letter of Intent to Continue by October 1 each following year.
- Initial Registration Form for Unaccredited Nonpublic Schools, Including Home Schools (MDE PDF)
- Letter of Intent to Continue to Provide Instruction (MDE PDF)
No login and no fee to file. If you need wording, our fill-in-the-blank letter template is just below.
Form links checked when we built this page.
Homeschool funding in Minnesota
We're verifying Minnesota's funding programs against official sources right now, dollar amounts and rules change yearly, and we'd rather be right than first. Check back soon.
Free Minnesota initial homeschool report template
Fill-in-the-blank and ready to send. Free, no email required.
Download the free templateFind homeschool families near you in Minnesota
Co-Op
- HOPE Co-op MN · Cokato
Homeschooling Opportunity for Purposeful Education is an affordable co-op meeting every other Friday morning with supplemental classes across fall and spring semesters. They even cap off the year with a family camping trip.
Visit website - Mankato Homeschool Connection · Mankato
A Christian homeschool co-op creating a supportive community for both parents and students in the Mankato area, with fun enrichment classes meeting Thursdays through the school year for preschool through 12th grade.
Visit website - Minnesota Association of Christian Home Educators (MACHE) · Statewide
Minnesota's statewide Christian homeschool organization, connecting families to local support groups and co-ops, legal guidance on the state's homeschool requirements, and a big annual convention. A great first stop when you're getting started anywhere in Minnesota.
Visit website - PATH Educational Cooperative · Rochester
A Christian homeschool cooperative offering academic classes from elementary through high school, including PSEO support for teens and a 'PATH Peeps' program for the younger crew. Parents pitch in through defined roles, and registration is open for the 2026-27 year.
Visit website - Partnership Homeschool Co-Op · Rogers
A faith-based, parent-taught academic co-op for grades K-12 that meets Thursday afternoons from September through April. Students take two core academic classes plus an elective or gym, and parents teach and enjoy fellowship time together.
Visit website - Planet Homeschool · St. Anthony Village (Twin Cities)
A secular, inclusive learning community for homeschooled middle and high schoolers ages 10-19, meeting Fridays September through May. Now in its 28th year, with small classes spanning lab sciences, humanities, and the arts, and a famously welcoming vibe for neurodivergent and LGBTQ+ kids.
Visit website - St. Cloud Unschooling Network · St. Cloud
A secular, inclusive community for unschooling and eclectic homeschooling families in central Minnesota. Expect monthly gatherings, interest-based clubs, field trips, and lots of outdoor play alongside gentle-parenting-minded families.
Visit website - The Hive Homeschool Community · Minneapolis metro
A parent-led, faith-based weekly co-op that alternates structured classroom days with outdoor nature-learning days. Classes run kindergarten through high school with an emphasis on creativity, play, and building lasting friendships.
Visit website
Forest & Nature School
- Cedar Hollow Forest School · Duluth
A small nature-based preschool built around honoring childhood, supporting exploration, and encouraging limitless imagination in a forest setting. Accepting applications for the 2026-27 school year plus summer programming.
Visit website - Dodge Nature Preschool · West St. Paul
A beloved nature preschool where children explore the Dodge Nature Center's farm, ponds, prairies, and woodlands, building a lifelong connection with the wonder of the outdoors. School-year and summer programs are offered, with scholarships available.
Visit website - Everwild Nature School · Rochester
A nature-based preschool for ages 3-6 where nature hikes, circle time, and plenty of unstructured outdoor play anchor each day. Come prepared for mud, because the outdoor classroom is the heart of the program, with summer camps too.
Visit website - Hartley Nature Preschool · Duluth
A play-based outdoor preschool for ages 3-5 inside Duluth's 660-acre Hartley Park, with full-day and half-day options and time outside in every kind of weather. State-licensed and Parent Aware rated, with need-based scholarships.
Visit website - Roots & Wings Forest School · New York Mills (Otter Tail County)
A full-time forest school in rural west-central Minnesota serving preschool through the elementary grades, expanding to Pre-K through 6th by fall 2026. Learning happens mostly outdoors in their forest classroom, with child-led discovery at the center plus seasonal summer camps.
Visit website - The Forest School of Minnesota · Minneapolis
A year-round nature-immersion preschool in southwest Minneapolis, one of the first programs of its kind in North America, where kids ages 2.5 to 7 learn outdoors across forests, prairies, and lakeshores in every season.
Visit website
Waldorf School
- City of Lakes Waldorf School · Minneapolis
A PreK-8 Waldorf school in Minneapolis's Powderhorn neighborhood offering hands-on, screen-free education that nurtures the whole child through arts, music, movement, and nature-based learning. Serving Twin Cities families for over 35 years.
Visit website - Minnesota Waldorf School · St. Paul
Minnesota's longest-running Waldorf school, established in 1981, serving children 12 months through grade 8 on a wooded 8-acre campus just north of St. Paul. Days are screen-free and rich with storytelling, the arts, and daily outdoor exploration, plus a parent-child Growing Together program for the littlest ones.
Visit website
Homeschooling in nearby states
Minnesota homeschooling FAQ
Do I need a degree or teaching license to homeschool my own kids in Minnesota?
No. A parent of a child is automatically considered qualified to instruct that child. Qualification rules (license, supervision by a licensed teacher, bachelor's degree, or teaching in an accredited school) only apply to non-parent instructors.
Who sees my child's test scores?
You do, and that is it. The annual test is required, but the results are retained by the parent and are not submitted to the district or the state. Only a score at or below the 30th percentile triggers a follow-up obligation: an evaluation for learning difficulties.
What is due every year after the first report?
Just a letter of intent to continue, sent to your district superintendent by October 1, noting any changes to the originally reported information. The full report is only for year one, district moves, and the 7th grade immunization resubmission.
When can I stop filing reports?
Annual reporting generally runs while your child is between 7 and 16. If your initial report was filed after the child turned 16, reporting continues through age 17. Compulsory attendance itself covers ages 7 through 17.
Does the district have to approve my homeschool?
No. Minnesota's system is reporting, not permission, the superintendent receives your report and test agreement but does not approve or deny your homeschool. Keep dated copies of everything you submit.
Can homeschoolers use Minnesota's PSEO program for college credit?
Yes, homeschooled high schoolers can participate in Post-Secondary Enrollment Options for free or reduced-cost college courses, subject to the program's application deadlines and eligibility rules. Check the MDE PSEO page for current details.
Sources
- MN Dept. of Education, Home School Education
- Minn. Stat. 120A.24 (Reporting; Revisor of Statutes)
- Minn. Stat. 120A.22 (Compulsory Instruction)
- HSLDA, Minnesota
This is a plain-language summary, not legal advice. Homeschool laws change, always confirm current requirements with your state's official sources before relying on them.