Mississippi Homeschool Laws and Requirements
What Mississippi requires, in plain English — and a free way to track it without spreadsheets. Log activities, watch your pace, and generate records when you need them.
The short answer
Mississippi has light but formal homeschool requirements with no mandated hour or day minimums, and you'll file notice with your county school attendance officer.
Mississippi at a glance
Verified September 2026- Required hours
- No state minimum
- Required subjects
- Your choice
- Notice
- Required each year
- Testing / evaluation
- Not required
- Recordkeeping
- Recommended
Jump to the full Mississippi requirements for plain-English detail on each of these.
Free tool
Calculate your homeschool pace
Mississippi doesn't set a minimum. If you want a personal target, 900 hours/year is a common one. Enter your end date to see the pace.
Leave at 0 if you haven't started tracking yet.
Add your school year end date to see your pace.
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What Homeschool Fox tracks for Mississippi
Mississippi leaves the records to you. Keep them in one place anyway. No spreadsheets, no lost notebooks.
- Daily activity logs
- Printable PDF reports
- Progress tracking
- High school transcripts
See it work
Log a homeschool day in seconds
Type or speak what you did in plain English. Homeschool Fox sorts it into subjects, adds up the time, and updates your Mississippi progress automatically.
You write
Homeschool Fox logs
- Reading 45 min
- Math 30 min
- History / Social Studies 20 min
Today's total
1 hr 35 min
Your Mississippi requirements, in plain English
Tap any item for the details.
Notice requirements
Required
Required hours
Flexible
Required subjects
Your choice
Testing / evaluation
Not required
Recordkeeping & portfolio
Recommended
Withdrawing from public school
Letter + notice
Full guide
Homeschooling in Mississippi: the complete guide
The Mississippi homeschool framework is built around a single, simple idea: let the state know you're homeschooling, then get on with it. The state's compulsory school-age band is 6-17. A child outside those ages isn't legally required to be in formal instruction at all.
With no statutory minimum for hours or school days, families in Mississippi design a schedule that fits their household, whether that's year-round learning, a traditional school calendar, or a mix of the two. Many families aim for around 900 instructional hours per year as a self-imposed benchmark, even though the state doesn't mandate it.
Each homeschool year in Mississippi begins with a notice of intent filed with your county school attendance officer, on the schedule the withdrawal section below sets out. Read the required contents before drafting, since Mississippi sets them. The withdrawal section below covers the form and where it goes.
In practice, Mississippi homeschool families use Homeschool Fox to log daily activities, keep work samples in one place, and print a record of the year when they want one.
Notice requirements
Notice is required
Yes, Mississippi requires you to file notice of your intent to homeschool. You must notify your county school attendance officer. The notice is filed again each school year.
Need a head start? Use the free Notice of Intent generator to draft your Mississippi filing, then check the withdrawal section below for the form or affidavit Mississippi expects it on.
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 intentReporting calendar
Mississippi homeschoolers file on this schedule. Put each date on your calendar. Missing one can put you out of compliance.
| Filing | Due |
|---|---|
| Certificate of enrollment | August 15 |
Homeschool Fox reminds you before each Mississippi deadline and builds the reports you file. Start tracking free.
Withdrawing from public school
Mississippi requires a Certificate of Enrollment filed with your county school attendance officer by August 15 each year (SB 2103, 2026, moved it up from September 15). If your child is leaving public school, file the certificate and notify the current school so attendance reflects the change. Keep a copy.
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 not required
Mississippi does not require standardized testing or formal assessment.
Portfolio & records
Portfolio not required
While Mississippi doesn't mandate a portfolio, keeping records is still recommended.
Looking for curriculum?
Browse our curriculum directory to find the right fit for your family, then log the year in Homeschool Fox.
School choice & ESA
Not open to homeschool familiesProgram
Equal Opportunity for Students with Special Needs (ESA)
Who qualifies and what you give up
Targeted to special education only. Eligibility is limited to Mississippi students who have had an active Individualized Education Program (IEP) within the last three years. The award is roughly $8,007 per student per year (FY2026), but it does not reach a homeschooling family: the Department of Education's ESA FAQ says "An eligible school does not include a home instruction program under Section 37-13-91", the parent agrees not to file the homeschool certificate of enrollment, and the allowable-expense rules repeat that "the student cannot be home schooled or enrolled in a public school and receive these funds." Taking it means enrolling in an eligible private school instead. There is no general-population ESA in Mississippi as of June 2026 — the proposed Magnolia Student Accounts legislation (HB2) died in committee in the 2026 session.
For an IEP-holding homeschool family the program is genuinely accessible, but the strings are non-trivial: participants must use the program's vendor list for therapies and curriculum, file annual progress documentation, and re-verify the qualifying disability on a set cadence. Funds left at year end revert to the state. Families without an active IEP have no path into this program; for them, Mississippi's existing homeschool law (Certificate of Enrollment by August 15) remains the operative framework.
Deeper guides: homeschool ESAs explained — which states offer them in 2026 covers eligibility and the trade-offs you sign up for. How to use an ESA for homeschool curriculum walks through what's reimbursable and where families get stuck.
Additional notes
No statutory hour or day minimum — homeschool exemption in § 37-13-91(3)(c) is silent on instructional time. Certificate of Enrollment due to the district attendance officer by August 15 each year (SB 2103 moved it from September 15 starting in 2026).
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to notify anyone to homeschool in Mississippi?
How many hours do I need to homeschool in Mississippi?
Does Mississippi require testing for homeschoolers?
Do I need to keep a portfolio in Mississippi?
What subjects must I teach in Mississippi?
Nearby states
View all statesHow Mississippi compares
Nine rules side by side with the states families move between most, and what changes in each direction.
- Mississippi vs Louisiana (4 rules differ)
- Mississippi vs Tennessee (3 rules differ)
Want the cross-state comparison? Homeschool laws by state covers the legal regime in every state side by side.
Common mistakes in Mississippi
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Looking for an hour requirement that isn't there
The Mississippi homeschool exemption says nothing about instructional time. No hours, no days. Families still find charts online listing a Mississippi hour figure, and it has no basis in the statute.
Free Mississippi printables
Two ready-to-use PDFs for Mississippi homeschoolers. No account needed.
Templates, not legal advice. Confirm the current rule with your state or district.
Get notified when Mississippi changes its rules
We track Mississippi's statute and department pages and email you when the requirements move. Free, and you can unsubscribe anytime.
Mississippi last verified September 25, 2026.
Reviewed and sourced
Last verified: September 2026. We review Mississippi's requirements against official sources and update this page when the rules change.
Our monitor last confirmed the source pages were live on Sep 28, 2026.
Sources
Homeschool Fox is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice. We turn public homeschool requirements into practical tracking tools for families. Always confirm details with your state or a qualified advisor.
More Mississippi guides
Mississippi in context: one of 36 states that require notice.
- How to Start Homeschooling in Mississippi A step-by-step guide from withdrawal to your first logged day.
- Homeschooling High School in Mississippi Credits, GPA, transcripts, and graduation.
- Record Keeping in Mississippi What to document, how to organize it, and staying compliant.
- How to Withdraw From School in Mississippi The steps, the letter, and timing to avoid truancy issues.
- Moving to Mississippi What to file when you arrive and whether your records transfer.
- Public School Sports in Mississippi Whether homeschoolers can play, what it takes, and who to ask.
- Mississippi Letter of Intent Who to file with, when it's due, and a free generator.
- ESA & School Choice in Mississippi Funding amounts, who qualifies, and the trade-offs.
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