Maine homeschool law for high school: graduation, diploma and records

Home instruction is one of the equivalent instruction alternatives to public school attendance listed in 20-A M.R.S. § 5001-A(3)(A), with its notice, subject, day and assessment rules in § 5001-A(3)(A)(4). Sections 5021 and 5022 govern a home-instructed student's use of public school classes, activities, credit and diplomas.

20-A M.R.S. § 5001-A; 20-A M.R.S. § 5021; 20-A M.R.S. § 5022

The law as of September 29, 2026.

Maine at a glance

As of September 29, 2026

Notice to the state: Notice every year
Within 10 calendar days of beginning home instruction, the parent must send a written notice of intent at the same time to the local school officials and the Commissioner, giving the parent's name, signature and address, the child's name and age, the start date, and assurances of at least 175 days a year of instruction in the required subjects and of an annual assessment. On or before September 1 of each later year, the parent must file a letter stating the intention to continue, enclosing a copy of the prior year's assessment. The Department says one Home Instruction Portal submission reaches both the superintendent and the Department, and that paper forms go to the superintendent's office only.20-A M.R.S. § 5001-A(3)(A)(4)(a), (b); Maine DOE, Home Instruction Requirements, Forms & Laws
Records the law asks for: Required
The parent must keep copies of the information filed (notices, annual letters and assessments) until the home instruction program concludes and make them available to the Commissioner on request. The statute requires no other records.20-A M.R.S. § 5001-A(3)(A)(4)(c)
Testing or evaluation: Required
From the second year, the September 1 letter must enclose one annual assessment: a standardized achievement test (through the school unit or another arrangement approved by the Commissioner), a test developed by local school officials, review and acceptance by a holder of a current Maine teacher's certificate, a portfolio review by a local homeschool support group that includes a certified Maine teacher or administrator, or review by a superintendent-selected advisory board. The local-test and advisory-board routes must be agreed with the school unit before the notice of intent is filed, and the statute lists no grade exemptions. The Department says no assessment is due with a first-year notice.20-A M.R.S. § 5001-A(3)(A)(4)(b); Maine DOE, Home Instruction FAQ
Graduation requirements: None set by the state
Maine law sets no graduation or credit requirements for home instruction. A local public high school diploma requires meeting the local school board's credit and other requirements, and the board may set resident-credit requirements.20-A M.R.S. § 5022(2)(D)
Diploma: Issued by: parent
The Department of Education says the state does not issue grades, credits, diplomas, transcripts or letters of completion for home instruction students. No Maine statute addresses a parent-issued diploma, which is common practice; a public school diploma is available only if the student enrolls and meets local board requirements.Maine DOE, Home Instruction FAQ; 20-A M.R.S. § 5022(2)(D)
Compulsory school ages: 6 to 17: persons 6 years of age or older and under 17 must attend; a 5-year-old enrolled in and not withdrawn from a public school must attend, and a child aged 5 is not subject to the home instruction rules.20-A M.R.S. § 5001-A(1), (1-A), (3)

The legal options for homeschooling in Maine

Home instruction programA parent or guardian may provide home instruction that meets the notice, 175-day instruction, required-subject and annual assessment rules of 20-A M.R.S. § 5001-A(3)(A)(4). Basis: statute20-A M.R.S. § 5001-A(3)(A)(1)(c-1), (4)
Private school recognized by the Department as providing equivalent instructionA child is excused from public school while obtaining equivalent instruction in a private school recognized by the Department of Education; the school files the attendance certificate with the superintendent, and the Department's guidelines (revised April 2, 2026) describe an annual letter to the Commissioner by October 1. The Department treats this as separate from home instruction: a student is either enrolled in such a school or receiving home instruction. Basis: statute and department guidelines20-A M.R.S. § 5001-A(3)(A)(1)(b), (2); Maine DOE, Guidelines for Private Schools Recognized by the Department as Providing Equivalent Instruction (Apr. 2, 2026); Maine DOE, Equivalent Instruction Private Schools

What Maine law means for your transcript

No Maine law defines a homeschool credit or sets graduation courses; the 120-hour Carnegie unit is a common convention, not a requirement.
If the student later enrolls in a public high school, the principal decides, both in advance and on completion, whether home instruction coursework earns credit and may require tests (20-A M.R.S. § 5022(2)(B)).
The notice of intent assures Maine studies in at least one grade from 6 to 12 and computer proficiency at one grade level from 7 to 12 (§ 5001-A(3)(A)(4)(a)(iv)); showing where these were covered on the transcript is practice, not a requirement.
The annual assessments filed each September must be kept until home instruction ends (§ 5001-A(3)(A)(4)(c)) and can document the progress behind the transcript.

College admission and state aid for Maine homeschoolers

A student in a home instruction program that meets § 5001-A(3)(A)(4) is eligible for the state subsidy for postsecondary courses if the institution has space, confirms the course prerequisites, and approves the student's academic fitness. No Maine statute on admitting homeschool graduates to public colleges was found.20-A M.R.S. § 4772-B

Recent changes to Maine homeschool law

No 2023 to 2026 change to the home instruction provisions (20-A M.R.S. § 5001-A(3)(A)(4)) was found. PL 2025, c. 390 amended the exceptions in § 5001-A(2), not the home instruction rules. LD 220 (Hope and Inclusion Scholarship, including home instruction students) and LD 482 (services for students in equivalent instruction programs) were rejected in May 2025 and are not law. The Department revised its guidelines for recognized equivalent instruction private schools on April 2, 2026.

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What we could not confirm

These points could not be checked against the statute or regulation text, so treat them with care:

The Revisor's statute pages state the data was extracted October 20, 2025. I found no 2026 session law amending § 5001-A(3)(A)(4), but could not check it against a chaptered-law table for the 2026 session.
The Department's FAQ says an annual assessment is still required for a student who will not continue home instruction the next year; that is the Department's reading, since the statute ties the assessment to the letter stating the intention to continue.
The Department describes the first-year deadline as within 10 days of withdrawal from school or by September 1 if starting in the fall; the statute says within 10 calendar days of the beginning of home instruction.
HSLDA describes the first notice as going to the superintendent only; the statute requires it to go to the school officials and the Commissioner at the same time.

Sources

General information about Maine law as of September 29, 2026, not legal advice. Laws change, so check the statute before you rely on it. Found an error? Email [email protected].