Mississippi Homeschool Laws and Requirements

Homeschooling is legal in Mississippi, and the requirements are unusually light. One filing carries the whole program: a certificate of enrollment, completed by the parent and returned to the school attendance officer for the county where the child lives, on or before September 15 each year. Mississippi names no required subjects, no minimum days or hours, no testing, and no reports after that filing. What the law asks is that the home instruction program be a legitimate one.

Last Reviewed: August 14, 2026. Reviewed by the Modern Homeschools Editorial Team. Next scheduled review: August 14, 2027.

Mississippi Homeschool Requirements at a Glance

The Certificate of Enrollment

This one document is the heart of homeschooling in Mississippi, so it is worth knowing exactly what it involves.

The parent, guardian, or custodian of the child completes it, not a school or an outside organization. It asks for the child's name, address, telephone number, and date of birth, the name, address, and telephone number of the parent or guardian, a description of the type of education the child is receiving, and the signature of the parent, guardian, or custodian. It goes to the school attendance officer in the county where the child lives, on or before September 15.

The attendance officer's role is to help rather than to approve. That office provides parents with the information and documents needed to comply with the Compulsory School Attendance Law. If you receive a written notice about compliance, the guidelines give you ten days after that notice to respond with the certificate.

How to Start Homeschooling in Mississippi

1. Contact your county school attendance officer. That office supplies the certificate of enrollment form and answers procedural questions.
2. Complete the certificate yourself. The parent, guardian, or custodian signs it. Describe the type of education your child will receive in plain terms.
3. File by September 15. Mark the date each year, since the certificate is filed annually rather than once.
4. If you are starting later in the year, file promptly. Contact the attendance officer as soon as you decide, and respond within ten days if you receive a written notice about compliance.
5. Choose your curriculum. Mississippi prescribes no subjects or schedule, so the plan is your family's to build.

Testing, Attendance, and Record Keeping

Mississippi asks for no testing, no evaluation, no attendance register, and no portfolio. Nothing is submitted after the certificate of enrollment.

That freedom puts the recordkeeping in your hands. Most families keep a simple record of the subjects covered, the materials used, and the work completed each year, along with a copy of each filed certificate. This is a practical habit rather than a state requirement, and it is what proves useful if your child later enrolls in a school, since receiving schools set their own placement and credit procedures.

The state guidelines do not describe a separate process for ending a home instruction program. If your child is returning to a public school or leaving the state, contact your school attendance officer and the receiving school so the enrollment records line up.

Official Mississippi Homeschool Resources

• Mississippi Department of Education, Home School
• Mississippi Certificate of Enrollment form
• Mississippi Compulsory School Attendance Summary

Modern Homeschools provides educational information to help families understand and navigate homeschooling requirements. Because requirements may change, families should confirm current details with the official state sources linked within this guide.