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State Requirements

Homeschooling in Maine

175 days/year Notice required Assessment required

Maine has moderate homeschool requirements. Families must homeschool at least 175 days per year, and you'll file notice with your local school district.

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If you're homeschooling in Maine, you're working inside a moderately regulated framework with enough structure to keep the state informed but plenty of room to build a family-shaped program. Compulsory attendance in Maine covers children ages 7-17, which means a homeschool program needs to be in place for any child in that range.

Rather than counting hours, Maine counts days: 175 of them in each school year. Parents decide what makes a day a school day, which leaves room for travel days, field trips, and co-op mornings to count toward the total.

Notice filing is the gateway for Maine homeschool families: a short document submitted to your local school district sets the record straight for the year ahead. Most districts accept a straightforward letter listing each student, their grade level, and a brief statement of intent.

Assessment in Maine takes the form of parent's choice (testing, portfolio, or evaluation) annually. It's more of a pulse-check on how learning is landing than a pass/fail exam.

The required subjects in Maine (english, math, science, social studies, health, physical education, and fine arts) form the backbone of each year's plan, with real freedom in how deeply or creatively each is taught. The record-keeping side of homeschooling doesn't need to dominate Maine families' evenings. Homeschool Fox lets you log activities as they happen, then builds the compliance picture on its own.

At a glance

175 days/year

School days

Ages 7-17

Compulsory attendance

Notice requirements

Notice is required

You must notify your local school district of your intent to homeschool.

Need a head start? Use the free Notice of Intent generator to draft a Maine-ready letter.

Deeper guides: how to write a notice of intent to homeschool covers the language admins look for, and when and where to file your notice of intent covers state-by-state deadlines and recipients.

Generate your notice of intent

Withdrawing from public school

To withdraw your child from public school in Maine, send a written withdrawal letter to the principal or registrar, then file a notice of intent with your local school district so the transition is on record before instruction begins. Rather than hand-writing the withdrawal letter, Homeschool Fox produces a pre-formatted PDF ready to send to the district.

For the play-by-play, how to withdraw your child from public school walks through the conversation, the timing, and the paperwork. What to send the district when you pull your child covers exactly what the letter should and shouldn't say.

Assessment requirements

Assessment is required

Type:
Parent's choice (testing, portfolio, or evaluation)
Frequency:
Annually

Standardized testing for homeschoolers walks through which test to choose, where to register, and how to prep.

Portfolio & records

Portfolio not required

While Maine doesn't mandate a portfolio, keeping records is still recommended.

Required subjects

Maine requires instruction in the following subjects.

english math science social studies health physical education fine arts

Additional notes

Annual assessment required - multiple options available.

Calculate your Maine hours

Maine tracks days, not hours. We suggest aiming for 900 hours/year as a personal target. Enter your end date to see the pace.

Leave at 0 if you haven't started tracking yet

Enter an end date to see your targets

Prefer a full-page version? Open the standalone hours calculator.

Sources

Verified May 2026

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to notify anyone to homeschool in Maine?
Yes, Maine requires you to file notice of your intent to homeschool. You must notify your local school district.

How many hours do I need to homeschool in Maine?
Maine doesn't specify a minimum number of hours, but requires at least 175 days of instruction per year.

Does Maine require testing for homeschoolers?
Maine requires one annual assessment, submitted with the annual letter to the commissioner and your school unit. Families pick from a nationally standardized test, a local test developed by the school unit, or a portfolio review conducted by a Maine-certified teacher, a homeschool support group that includes a certified Maine educator, or an approved local advisory board.

Do I need to keep a portfolio in Maine?
No, Maine does not legally require you to maintain a portfolio. However, keeping records of your homeschool activities is still highly recommended for your own reference and for potential college applications or if you ever need to demonstrate educational progress.

What subjects must I teach in Maine?
Maine requires instruction in the following subjects: english, math, science, social studies, health, physical education, and fine arts. Beyond these requirements, you have flexibility to add subjects that interest your family.

Nearby states

View all states

Want the cross-state comparison? Homeschool laws by state covers the legal regime in every state side by side.

What we track

Track your 175 Maine days automatically

Log activities by voice or text and Homeschool Fox rolls them up against Maine's requirements automatically. Free for 14 days.

  • Instruction hours per student
  • Attendance days toward 175-day goal
  • Subject coverage (core & non-core)
  • Activity log (text, voice, AI-parsed)
  • Portfolios & PDF year-end reports
  • Transcripts with GPA & credits
  • Test scores & evaluations
  • Notice of intent & withdrawal letters
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