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

MCL 380.1561(3) lists the exceptions to public school attendance, including a state-approved nonpublic school (subdivision (a)) and home education by a parent or legal guardian in an organized educational program (subdivision (f)); subsection (4) says a home-educated child may be exempt under either or both. Nonpublic schools are also governed by 1921 PA 302 (MCL 388.551 to 388.558).

MCL 380.1561; MCL 388.551

The law as of September 29, 2026.

Michigan at a glance

As of September 29, 2026

Notice to the state: Depends on the option
Option (f): no statute requires notice, and MDE says the family does not report to MDE; MDE's 2017 guide suggests, but does not require, telling the local school when withdrawing a child. Option (a): MDE's 2025-2026 manual says a home school operating as a nonpublic school reports to MDE on the annual Nonpublic School Membership Report (opens October 15, due October 31), a form MDE says is authorized by section 5 of the nonpublic school act.MDE, Exemption (f) Home School; MDE, Nonpublic and Home School Information 2025-2026; MCL 388.555
Records the law asks for: Depends on the option
MDE states that no law requires nonpublic schools or home schools to maintain student records, and encourages parents to keep progress records for later placement. A nonpublic school under option (a) must let the Superintendent of Public Instruction examine its records of pupil enrollment, courses of study and teacher qualifications.MDE, Nonpublic and Home School Information 2025-2026, Student Records; MCL 388.555
Testing or evaluation: None required by law
No testing or evaluation is required under either option. Home-schooled students may take the state assessments by arrangement with their resident district, with scores reported individually.MCL 380.1561(3); MDE, Nonpublic and Home School Information 2025-2026, State Education Assessments
Graduation requirements: None set by the state
The Michigan Merit Curriculum graduation requirements apply to public school districts and public school academies; MDE says nonpublic schools and home-schooled students are not required to meet its credit requirements.MDE, Nonpublic and Home School Information 2025-2026, Graduation Requirements
Diploma: Issued by: parent (or the nonpublic school under option (a))
MDE says report cards, transcripts and diplomas are the responsibility of the nonpublic school and home school family, and its 2017 guide says the parent issues the diploma if home schooling continues through grade 12. MDE does not collect or keep nonpublic school transcripts, records or diplomas.MDE, Nonpublic and Home School Information 2025-2026, Transfer of Grades and Credits; MDE, Home Schooling in Michigan (Aug. 2017)
Compulsory school ages: 6 to 18: from age 6 to the child's 18th birthday (for children who turned 11 on or after December 1, 2009); a child turning 6 before December 1 must be enrolled that school year, and a child aged 16 or older may stop attending if the parent gives school officials written permission.MCL 380.1561(1), (2), (5)

The legal options for homeschooling in Michigan

Home education under MCL 380.1561(3)(f)A parent or legal guardian may educate the child at home in an organized educational program in reading, spelling, mathematics, science, history, civics, literature, writing and English grammar; the statute sets no notice, testing or teacher qualification beyond being the child's parent or legal guardian. Basis: statuteMCL 380.1561(3)(f), (4); MDE, Exemption (f) Home School
Home school operating as a nonpublic school under MCL 380.1561(3)(a)A home school may instead operate as a state-approved nonpublic school teaching subjects comparable to the local public schools, subject to the Private, Denominational and Parochial Schools Act (MCL 388.551 to 388.558), including its teacher certification rule in MCL 388.553, which the Michigan Supreme Court held unconstitutional as applied to families whose religious convictions prohibit certified instructors (People v. DeJonge, 1993). A family may rely on option (a), option (f), or both. Basis: statuteMCL 380.1561(3)(a), (4); MCL 388.553 (with annotation citing People v DeJonge, 442 Mich 266 (1993))

What Michigan law means for your transcript

Michigan Merit Curriculum credit rules do not bind home schools (MDE 2025-2026 manual), so the transcript may follow the parent's own standards.
If the student returns to a public school, the receiving school alone decides grade placement and transfer credit (MDE 2025-2026 manual); including course descriptions is practice that can help that review.
For the Michigan Achievement Scholarship, the college decides whether it accepts the homeschool transcript or diploma as proof of high school completion (MI Student Aid FAQ).
No Michigan law defines a homeschool credit; the 120-hour Carnegie unit is a common convention, not a requirement.

College admission and state aid for Michigan homeschoolers

The Michigan Achievement Scholarship requires graduation from high school in Michigan with a diploma or certificate of completion, or a high school equivalency certificate, in 2023 or after; the state student aid office says home-schooled students may be eligible if the institution accepts the home-school documents as proof of high school completion.MCL 388.1848(3)(b); MI Student Aid, Michigan Achievement Scholarship Eligibility FAQ

Recent changes to Michigan homeschool law

No change to MCL 380.1561 since the amendment effective April 9, 2017 (the Legislature's compiled laws are current through PA 103 of 2026). Pending and not law: HB 4330 of 2025 (would amend MCL 388.1766b to allow enrollment in a core subject at a public school without taking the remaining core subjects; in committee since April 2025) and HB 5977 of 2026 (homeschool driver training; placed on House third reading June 24, 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:

MDE's 2017 guide says annual reporting to MDE is voluntary unless special education services are sought, while the 2025-2026 manual says option (a) families report to MDE; the documents are not fully consistent, and I found no statute that expressly requires a home school to file the membership report.
MDE's 2017 guide says a parent reporting to MDE must hold at least a bachelor's degree unless claiming a sincerely held religious belief against certification; I did not find the rule or statute that sets a bachelor's degree standard.
People v. DeJonge, 442 Mich 266 (1993), is cited from the Legislature's annotation to MCL 388.553; I did not open the opinion itself.
MDE posts a '2026-2027 Homeschool Registration Form'; I could not open its terms, and I found no statute requiring registration under option (f).
HSLDA's detailed guidance on option (a) is members-only and was not read.

Sources

General information about Michigan 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].