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

The Mississippi Compulsory School Attendance Law, Miss. Code Ann. § 37-13-91, excuses a child being educated in a legitimate home instruction program and includes home instruction programs in its definition of nonpublic school. Subsection (9) states that the section grants no state agency authority to control, manage, supervise or affect the curriculum or operation of a home instruction program. The section was amended by 2026 S.B. 2103, § 6, effective July 1, 2026.

Miss. Code Ann. § 37-13-91(2)(i), (3)(c), (9) (as amended by 2026 S.B. 2103, § 6)

The law as of September 29, 2026.

Mississippi at a glance

As of September 29, 2026

Notice to the state: Notice every year
The parent, guardian or custodian must complete a certificate of enrollment and return it to the school attendance officer where the child resides on or before August 15 of each year (September 15 before July 1, 2026). The form, prepared by MDE's Office of Compulsory School Attendance Enforcement, may ask only for the child's name, address, telephone number and date of birth, the parent's name, address and telephone number, the school district of residence, a simple description of the type of education, and the parent's signature and date. After written notice of noncompliance the parent has 10 days to comply, and a child enrolled in public school on time may later move to home instruction and file the certificate then.Miss. Code Ann. § 37-13-91(3) (as amended by 2026 S.B. 2103, § 6); Mississippi Department of Education, Home School
Records the law asks for: None required by law
No records are required by statute. MDE recommends, but does not require, a portfolio for each child with samples of activities, assignments, projects and assessments, a log of books and materials, and any national assessment results, and suggests keeping a copy of the enrollment form.Mississippi Department of Education, Home School
Testing or evaluation: None required by law
Mississippi law sets no testing or evaluation requirement for home instruction programs.Miss. Code Ann. § 37-13-91 (as amended by 2026 S.B. 2103, § 6)
Graduation requirements: None set by the state
Mississippi sets no graduation or credit requirements for home instruction programs.Miss. Code Ann. § 37-13-91 (as amended by 2026 S.B. 2103, § 6)
Diploma: Issued by: parent
No Mississippi statute provides for a homeschool diploma or for state recognition of one; a parent-issued diploma and transcript are practice. For state aid, the Office of Student Financial Aid accepts a signed and notarized homeschool transcript as the academic record.Mississippi Office of Student Financial Aid, Information for Homeschool Students
Compulsory school ages: 6 to 17: a child who has attained or will attain age 6 on or before September 1 and has not attained age 17 on or before September 1 of the calendar year, plus a child who is 5 on or before September 1 and enrolled in a full-day public school kindergarten.Miss. Code Ann. § 37-13-91(2)(f)

How homeschooling is authorized in Mississippi

Legitimate home instruction programA compulsory-school-age child may be educated in a legitimate home instruction program (one not operated or instituted to avoid or circumvent the compulsory attendance law), with an annual certificate of enrollment filed by the parent; the statute sets no subjects, teacher qualifications or day count, and a nonpublic school's term is the number of days it requires for promotion. Basis: statuteMiss. Code Ann. § 37-13-91(2)(e), (i), (3)(c) (as amended by 2026 S.B. 2103, § 6)

What Mississippi law means for your transcript

For state aid, the Office of Student Financial Aid asks for a signed and notarized homeschool transcript listing all courses attempted, completed, in progress and to be completed, with an unweighted seven-semester GPA on a 4.0 scale.
No Mississippi law defines a homeschool credit or sets graduation courses; the 120-hour Carnegie unit is a common convention, not a requirement.
MDE recommends, but does not require, aligning instruction with the Mississippi College- and Career-Readiness Standards to ease a return to public school.
Keeping each year's certificate of enrollment with the transcript records, as proof the program was filed, is practice.

College admission and state aid for Mississippi homeschoolers

The Mississippi Office of Student Financial Aid (an office of the Institutions of Higher Learning) accepts completion of a home school program for state aid: MTAG lists completing a home school program with a signed 9th to 12th grade transcript and a minimum ACT of 15, and MESG lists a 3.5 GPA with a signed 9th to 12th grade transcript for home school applicants and an ACT of 29 (or SAT 1330, or National Merit Finalist or Semi-Finalist). These are agency program rules.Mississippi Office of Student Financial Aid, MTAG; Mississippi Office of Student Financial Aid, MESG; Mississippi Office of Student Financial Aid, Information for Homeschool Students

Recent changes to Mississippi homeschool law

2026 S.B. 2103, § 6 (approved by the Governor April 8, 2026; effective July 1, 2026) moved the certificate of enrollment deadline from September 15 to August 15, added the child's school district of residence to the form, and changed public school absence rules. S.B. 2286 (2026), a broader rewrite of the attendance law, died. The State Board's Home School Guidelines (7 Miss. Admin. Code pt. 3, R. 30.7) still state September 15.

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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:

Justia and FindLaw copies of § 37-13-91 were blocked; the statute text relied on is the enrolled 2026 S.B. 2103 (as sent to the Governor), which reprints the whole amended section with deletions and insertions marked.
The Home School Guidelines regulation (7 Miss. Admin. Code pt. 3, R. 30.7) still states a September 15 deadline and says certificates are not accepted for a child who first begins home instruction after exceeding compulsory school age; the statute now says August 15, and the over-age rule appears only in the regulation.
MDE's statement that a family must wait until the current school year ends before enrolling a child in home school for the upcoming year is agency guidance; I did not find it in the statute.
I did not verify any Institutions of Higher Learning admission policy for home-schooled applicants.
The session law chapter number for 2026 S.B. 2103 was not shown in the bill history.

Sources

General information about Mississippi 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].