Home Instruction Requirements, Forms & Laws

If you are a parent or guardian who wishes to provide the education for your child and not have your student enrolled in the local Maine public or private school, you must be aware of Maine's home instruction requirements and laws and make sure you submit the appropriate paperwork. Parents are strongly encouraged to review the following information and the Home Instruction Frequently Asked Questions prior to submitting any forms.

This information does not apply to families in local school remote or hybrid learning. Students in local school remote or hybrid learning programs should continue to participate in learning activities and ongoing communication with their local school.

Parents and guardians of home instruction students (as distinct from local school remote or hybrid learning students, and also as distinct from students enrolled in Maine public charter schools or local private equivalent instruction schools) must complete the requirements of M.R.S. 20-A §5001-A(3)(A)(4). As home instruction lies within the compulsory attendance law, truancy laws apply.

Home Instruction Law: M.R.S. 20-A §5001-A(3)(A)(4)

(a) Notice of Intent — First Year Requirements

The student's parent or guardian shall provide a written notice of intent to provide home instruction simultaneously to the school officials of the administrative unit in which the student resides and to the commissioner within 10 calendar days of the beginning of home instruction. The notice must contain the following information:

  1. The name, signature, and address of the student's parent or guardian.
  2. The name and age of the student.
  3. The date the home instruction program will begin.
  4. A statement of assurance that the home instruction program will provide at least 175 days annually of instruction in the following subject areas: English and language arts, math, science, social studies, physical education, health education, library skills, fine arts and, in at least one grade from grade 6 to 12, Maine studies. At one grade level from grade 7 to 12, the student will demonstrate proficiency in the use of computers.
  5. A statement of assurance that the home instruction program will include an annual assessment of the student's academic progress that includes at least one of the forms of assessment described in section (b).
(b) Annual Continuation — Subsequent Year Requirements

On or before September 1st of each subsequent year of home instruction, the student's parent or guardian shall file a letter with the school officials of the administrative unit in which the student resides and the commissioner stating the intention to continue providing home instruction and enclose a copy of one of the following forms of annual assessment of the student's academic progress:

  1. A standardized achievement test administered through the administrative unit in which the student resides or through other arrangements approved by the commissioner.
  2. A test developed by the school officials of the administrative unit in which the student resides appropriate to the student's home instruction program, which must be agreed to by the school officials of the administrative unit prior to submission of the written notice of intent.
  3. A review and acceptance of the student's progress by an identified individual who holds a current Maine teacher's certificate.
  4. A review and acceptance of the student's progress based on, but not limited to, a presentation of an educational portfolio of the student to a local area homeschooling support group whose membership for this purpose includes a currently certified Maine teacher or administrator.
  5. A review and acceptance of the student's progress by a local advisory board selected by the superintendent of the administrative unit in which the student resides that includes one administrative unit employee and two home instruction tutors.

Requirements & Forms

The Notice of Intent to Provide Home Instruction may be submitted online or by paper. One submission serves as notification to both the Maine Department of Education and the resident superintendent, as required by law.

Online Submission

Submit via the Home Instruction Portal — one process for both first and subsequent years, received directly by the resident superintendent's office. Upload any required prior year assessment when continuing home instruction.

Home Instruction Portal
Paper Submission

Complete the paper form and mail or deliver it — with any required prior year assessments attached — to the resident superintendent's office only. Do not submit duplicate paperwork to the Maine Department of Education.

Notice of Intent Form (PDF)

How to Begin Home Instruction

First time in Maine: File a Notice of Intent to Provide Home Instruction within 10 days of withdrawal from school, or by September 1 if beginning in the fall.

Each subsequent year: File a new Notice of Intent with prior year assessment results attached by September 1. A school year begins July 1 and ends June 30.

Parents who supply a valid email address will receive an acknowledgment. Parents who have already submitted an annual Notice but have mid-year changes — such as a student graduating, exiting home instruction, or a change of address — should notify the superintendent's office of those changes.

Prior to submission, ensure you have copies of any required prior year assessments ready to mail, deliver, or upload via the portal. Assessment is not required when filing for home instruction for the first time in Maine.

Related Laws

  • Special Education & Home Instruction. Home instruction students are eligible to receive special education and related services at their resident school unit's public school. The public school has an obligation to provide such services only in the event that the student elects to participate in classes at the school, and only to the extent that those services are necessary due to the student's disability. On the Special Education Laws & Regulations page, click "State Regulation: Chapter 101" to download the document. See Section IV.4.H.
  • Standards for participation in public schools by students enrolled in equivalent instruction programs. A student receiving home instruction may participate in public school activities as outlined in Title 20-A, Section 5021. A school administrative unit is entitled to receive state subsidy for any student who receives instruction through one or more on-site academic courses from a public school but is not a full-time student.
  • Truancy Law.