As a result of COVID-19, homeschooling is on the rise. For some, this is a short-term arrangement, and others have discovered that homeschooling is perfect for their family. In case you don’t know, homeschooling is simply the practice of educating your kids from home. Some families choose to collaborate through homeschooling cooperatives and extracurricular leagues to enrich the home school experience.

Homeschooling is legal in all 50 states, including the District of Columbia. When exploring the homeschooling route, please be aware that the laws and policies that govern homeschooling differ by state. If you wonder if homeschooling is a good fit for your family, you probably have questions about how to begin the process and what resources are available. Because of this, we created a series entitled, How to Start Homeschooling. In each installment, we will discuss homeschooling rules and resources for each state. In today’s installment, we will discuss homeschooling in Minnesota.

What you need to know:

• Minnesota Homeschool Law requires you to meet with the local superintendent once a year for each year that you homeschool. After your first year, you must submit a Letter of Intent by October 1st each year to continue to homeschool.
• You must officially remove your kid from school.
• Homeschool teachers have to meet one of the following requirements: be a parent of the kid; have a Minnesota teaching license for the grade level to be taught; be supervised by a licensed teacher; finish a teacher competency exam; teach in an accredited school, or have a baccalaureate degree.
• There are no minimum hours per day required for homeschooling.
• There are 13 academic subjects required for homeschool learners: reading, writing, literature, fine arts, mathematics, science, history, geography, economics, government, citizenship, health, and PE.
• You must keep records of your kid’s class schedules, copies of instruction content, and descriptions of assessment methods.
• Minnesota requires that each kid be tested/assessed each year. You must report which test your kid will take to the superintendent.
• If you re-enroll your kid in a public school, the school will place your kid based on an evaluation of their records.

Resources

Minnesota offers some funding assistance via a tax deduction program.

You should check out the Minnesota Homeschoolers’ Alliance, Home School Legal Defense Association – Minnesota, the Minnesota Department of Education’s Homeschooling page, and the Minnesota Association of Christian Home Educators.