Mississippi Homeschool Requirements

MS Code §37-13-91 mandates that parents, guardians, or custodians of compulsory-school-age children enrolled in home instruction complete a Certificate of Enrollment. The COE must be returned to the school attendance officer where the child resides on or before September 15 of each year. The Office of Compulsory School Attendance Enforcement (OCSAE) is the only authorized entity to disseminate and collect COEs. Parents must complete the COE themselves — district personnel may not do so. Noncompliance results in written notice requiring cure within 10 days.

MS Code §37-13-91 requires only that a home instruction program be 'legitimate' — defined as not operated for the purpose of avoiding or circumventing the compulsory attendance law. No specific subjects, curricula, or educational standards are prescribed. The COE form asks for only a 'simple description of the type of education the compulsory-school-age child is receiving.' Parents have complete autonomy over curriculum selection.

MS Code §37-13-91 contains no requirement for minimum hours or school days for legitimate home instruction programs. Unlike states such as Missouri, Mississippi does not set an instructional hour threshold. Parents have complete discretion over their educational schedule. The statute's only requirements are the annual COE filing and that the program be 'legitimate' (i.e., genuinely educational rather than a truancy avoidance device).

MS Code §37-13-91 contains no testing or assessment requirement for home-educated students. The law's obligations are limited to filing the annual COE. No external evaluation, standardized test, or portfolio review is mandated by state law. This makes Mississippi one of the most minimally regulated states for homeschool assessment.

MS Code §37-13-91 imposes no recordkeeping obligations on home instruction families beyond the annual COE filing. No attendance logs, curriculum records, lesson plans, or academic portfolios are required. Parents have complete discretion over what records, if any, they choose to maintain for their own purposes, such as college applications.

MS Code §37-13-91 contains no qualifications for home instructors. There is no requirement for a high school diploma, college degree, teaching certificate, or any other credential. The statute simply requires that the child be enrolled in a 'legitimate home instruction program.' This makes Mississippi one of the least restrictive states regarding instructor qualifications.

Mississippi's immunization requirements under MS Code §41-23-37 apply to children attending public, private, and parochial schools. Home instruction families who comply with MS Code §37-13-91 by filing the annual COE are not subject to school immunization mandates. However, if a homeschooled child wishes to participate in public school extracurricular activities (as proposed under Tim Tebow Act bills), they would be required to comply with the same immunization requirements as other participants.

MS Code §37-13-91 does not address special education for home-educated students. Mississippi does not have a statute comparable to Minnesota's §125A.18 requiring districts to provide services to homeschoolers. Under IDEA, states are required to provide Child Find services to all children, including homeschooled children, but ongoing special education services (IEPs) are typically only available through enrollment in public school. Families may request evaluation through their local school district regardless of homeschool status.

MS Code §37-13-91 does not specify a formal withdrawal notice requirement for families leaving public school to begin home instruction. The primary obligation is to file the COE by September 15. However, if a child enrolls in a public school within 15 calendar days after the first day of the school year, the parent may later enroll the child in a legitimate home instruction program and submit the COE at that later date and still be in compliance. COEs will not be accepted for individuals first registering for home instruction who have already exceeded compulsory school age.

MS Code §37-13-91 requires compulsory attendance for children who have attained or will attain age 6 on or before September 1 of the calendar year and who have not attained age 17 on or before September 1 of that same year. This effectively means ages 6 through 16 (turning 17 no earlier than September 1). Parents must cause their child to enroll in and attend a public school, legitimate nonpublic school, or legitimate home instruction program during this period.

MS Code §37-13-91 and related statutes impose no graduation requirements on home instruction programs. Parents establish their own graduation criteria and issue diplomas. For college admissions, homeschool graduates typically present transcripts prepared by parents and standardized test scores (ACT/SAT). Mississippi community colleges and universities may have their own admissions criteria for homeschool graduates.

Multiple Tim Tebow Act bills have been introduced in the Mississippi Legislature (SB 2179 in 2025, HB 1617 in 2025, and HB 609 in 2026) that would allow homeschooled students to participate in public school interscholastic extracurricular activities. These bills would require homeschool participants to meet the same academic, conduct, immunization, and eligibility standards as public school participants. As of the current date, families should check the Mississippi Legislature's status page for the latest enacted law. Absent a Tim Tebow law, access to public school sports is at the district's discretion.