Homeschooling in Maine

Compulsory attendance generally runs from the student's sixth birthday until their seventeenth birthday.

Statute requires an initial written notice within 10 calendar days after home instruction begins, while DOE guidance states within 10 days of withdrawal or by September 1 for a fall start. The notice identifies the parent/guardian, student, address, student age, start date, and required instructional and assessment assurances, submitted via an online portal or on paper to the resident superintendent.

Continuing families must submit notice along with the prior year assessment by September 1.

Parents must provide at least 175 instructional days annually. There is no minimum number of hours required per day or year, and school days completed prior to a midyear switch count toward the annual total.

Instruction must include English and language arts, mathematics, science, social studies, physical education, health education, library skills, and fine arts. Students must also complete Maine studies in at least one grade from 6 through 12 and demonstrate computer proficiency in one grade from 7 through 12.

Permitted assessment methods include a standardized achievement test through the district or approved arrangements, an agreed-upon district-developed test, a review by a currently certified Maine teacher, a portfolio review by a local homeschool support group that includes a certified teacher or administrator, or a review by a superintendent-selected board. An assessment is not required for a first-year filing, but remains due after a completed homeschool year even if the student will not continue homeschooling.

Parents must notify the superintendent regarding exits, graduation, or address changes.

As a practical planning recommendation, parents should retain notices, acknowledgments, attendance logs, work samples, assessment results, and secondary course records. Maine does not issue homeschool grades, credits, transcripts, or diplomas.