Homeschooling in Maine

Hi, my name is Jenn, and I am the Time4Learning state representative for Maine! I live in Arundel, Maine and our family has two girls, ages 3 and 8, which we homeschool.

If you have questions or comments about homeschooling in Maine, contact the Maine Parent Forum.

Options For Homeschooling in Maine

Legal disclaimer: This section is one family’s story and how they meet the homeschooling laws in Maine. It is not intended and should not be used as definitive legal advice. In most states, parents find a variety of legal methods to pursue the educational approach that they prefer for their child.

Options For Homeschoolers in Maine

I love homeschooling! I really don’t have much to compare it to, but Maine is a great place to homeschool. The laws are easy to understand and follow. There is a very active homeschool community in the Portland area, and many hard working parents do a great job in organizing activities for children.

There are two different options for homeschoolers in Maine. The first one, which I am more familiar with, is to register with the State as a homeschooler. The other option is to join a non-approved private school, which then registers with the state. With both options, if do not have to do anything until your child is 7, which is the compulsory age in Maine. For more information on legal issues relating to homeschooling in Maine, you may consult the legal statute for the state.

What you need to do

Personally, we choose to register our child as a homeschooler. When she started, at age six, she was already in public school so we filed our notice of intent that year, the day we took her out of school. Maine requires that families file every year with both the state and the local superintendent. You can find a form to fill out here:

http://www.state.me.us/education/hs/index.html.

Along with this form, you need to send in one of two things: the results of a standardized test or a portfolio review done by a certified teacher. We choose to use the standardized test, the California Achievement Test, which can be done at home, and you mail the test in to have it scored. I know many families who choose to do a portfolio review as well. A homeschool friendly certified teacher is fairly easy to find, they provide them at Homeschoolers of Maine, and many certified teachers will post their contact information on homeschool groups in the spring.