The portfolio is a scramble when it is assembled at the end, and unremarkable when it is assembled as you go. This sheet is the second version: print it, work down it once a term, and the review stops being an event. The items are the ones that turn out to matter regardless of what a state names in statute.
What is on the sheet
- A checkbox per item, with a line on what each one needs to contain
- A line for the assessment record Minnesota requires
- Student and school year fields at the top
- US Letter, black and white, one sheet per student per year
How to read the checklist
Three parts, and the detail line under each item is the one that matters.
Student and school year
One sheet per student per year. The pair of fields is what makes a stack of them navigable three years later.
The checkboxes
Tick them once a term rather than once a year. The point of the sheet is catching the gap while there is still time to fill it.
The detail line under each item
What that item has to contain to be worth having. A reading list of five titles and a folder of one good week both tick a box and neither survives a look.
How to use it
-
1
Print one per student
The checklist is per student per year, not per family.
-
2
Work down it once a term
Three passes a year is enough to keep it honest and few enough to actually do.
-
3
File the assessment result with it
Minnesota requires an assessment, and the result is the piece that normally travels while the portfolio stays with you. Keep the two together -- they get asked for together.
-
4
Keep it at the front of the folder
The ticked sheet is the index to the portfolio. It is also the fastest way to show someone the portfolio is complete.
The Minnesota rules behind this sheet
This page covers the document. The Minnesota guide covers the requirement it serves — the statute wording, the filing authority, the deadlines, and the date we last verified it against the state's own source.
Minnesota homeschool portfolio guideComparing states? All 19 states that require testing or evaluation, each with its rule and a link to that state's guide.
Common questions
Does Minnesota require a homeschool portfolio?
Not by name. Minnesota requires an assessment, and the portfolio is the record behind it -- the thing that makes the assessment reportable.
Who sees the portfolio?
You keep it. No state collects portfolios routinely. It is the evidence you can produce if a question is raised, which is why it is worth having complete before one is.
How long should I keep it?
Keep it at least through your student's high school years. Transcripts, course descriptions, and college applications all get built out of what the portfolio holds, and rebuilding a 9th-grade year in 12th grade is its own project.
Minnesota Homeschool Portfolio Checklist
Free PDF, no account needed. Print as many copies as you want.
Download the PDFRather not track it by hand?
Homeschool Fox logs hours and attendance as you go, checks them against Minnesota's requirement, and builds the compliance report when you need it.
Want new printables as we add them?
We'll email you when we add new free printables, plus occasional homeschool tips. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
More free Minnesota printables
Templates, not legal advice. Confirm the current rule with Minnesota or your district. We verify against the Minnesota source, last verified September 2026.