Mississippi Homeschool Laws
Homeschooling in Mississippi is an incredibly straightforward process with very little regulation. All children in Mississippi ages 6 to 17 are required to be enrolled in an education program (public, private, or homeschool). For those families choosing to teach their child at home, they must simply complete a certificate of enrollment each year with the attendance officer in the county of residence. Outside of that requirement, there are no parental educational minimums, no standardized testing, and no required curriculum to use or even required subjects to teach.
On this page, you will learn more about how to submit a certificate of enrollment, what records you may want to keep while homeschooling, what you’ll need to do to graduate a homeschooler in MS, and even how to transfer from homeschool to public school.
- Mississippi Certificate of Enrollment
- Homeschool Recordkeeping in Mississippi
- Mississippi Homeschool Graduation Requirements
- Enrolling in Public School after Homeschooling
- Additional Resources Related to Homeschooling in Mississippi
*This should by no means be interpreted as legal advice. It is your responsibility to interpret and understand the laws that you will be homeschooling under.
Mississippi Certificate of Enrollment
The first requirement to homeschool in Mississippi is to complete a certificate of enrollment for each child you plan to teach at home and submit it to the school attendance officer of the county where you reside. To get a copy of the certificate, contact your local school attendance officer. In general, the Mississippi homeschool form will require the following information from parents:
- Parent’s name, address, and phone number
- Homeschooled student’s name, address, phone number, and date of birth
- A simple description of the type of education the child is receiving (or the name of the non-public school where the child is receiving instruction)
- Signature of parent (and of an appropriate school official if the child is enrolled in a non-public school)
The Mississippi certificate of enrollment should be submitted to the school attendance officer where the child resides no later than September 15 of each year (or as soon as possible if they decide to homeschool during the school year). If you’re switching from public school to homeschool, the certificate should be submitted no later than 15 days following the beginning of the official school year.
More information relating to the home education rules for Mississippi can be found at A2ZHomeschooling.com.
Full Details of Mississippi’s Homeschool Laws
Homeschool Recordkeeping in Mississippi
As mentioned previously, Mississippi law does not require any specific records to be kept or submitted by homeschool families. However, that does not mean that you shouldn’t keep a homeschool portfolio of your child’s accomplishments. By tracking your child’s progress year-to-year, you will not only be able to quickly catch any gaps of instruction, but will have a record that you can refer to if you need to place your homeschooler back into school at any point. In the high school years, homeschool recordkeeping is particularly important. The subjects, grades, and credits that you assign your homeschooler will be included on the transcript you create for him/her, which may be used when applying for colleges or for specific career fields.
Mississippi Homeschool Graduation Requirements
Mississippi has no laws relating to graduating your homeschooler. Compulsory attendance is required for students until the age of 17, but there are no Mississippi guidelines on what your high schooler must achieve prior to graduation. Mississippi homeschooling families must set their own requirements for completion of schooling. However, if your student plans to attend college, it is a good idea to align their coursework to the requirements of the colleges they may apply to.
However, you may be wondering how your homeschooler’s high school completion differs from traditional school graduation. The below chart outlines some of the comparisons between the two.
| Public/Private School | Homeschool | |
|---|---|---|
| Mississippi diploma requirements | Mississippi districts decide their own paths to a diploma, but all students have a choice between a traditional path (24 credits) or a career path (21 credits). | Parents determine when their student has fulfilled graduation requirements and can issue their own homeschool diploma; students of private/online schools may receive diplomas from those institutions. |
| Mississippi high school testing requirements | The Subject-Area Testing Program (SATP) requires passing scores in four subject-area tests. | Homeschool students are not subject to testing requirements for graduation. |
| Mississippi high school transcripts | Created by and kept on file at individual schools. | Homeschool parents may create their own student transcripts, and may include any information they deem pertinent to colleges, military, and/or future workplace organizations. |
| Mississippi high school course credits | In Mississippi, pathways to graduation usually require either 21 or 24 credit hours. | Parents determine when their student has fulfilled graduation requirements; for the purpose of creating transcripts, some homeschool parents do assign credits to individual courses. |
| High School Equivalency (formerly GED) | The High School equivalency exam is an alternate to an Mississippi high school diploma. Students of at least 18 years of age are eligible for the test. | The High School equivalency exam is available to homeschoolers, as well. Any IN student of at least 18 years of age is eligible to take the exam. |
Homeschool High School Transcript Template
Track your homeschooler’s credits, courses, and accomplishments with this free homeschool high school transcript template.
Enrolling in Public School after Homeschooling
Even if you plan to homeschool all the way through graduation, there are sometimes circumstances that make it necessary for a student to return to public school after a time of homeschooling. If that becomes the case for your family, you should be aware that each school will have unique guidelines for enrollment and grade placement. Some may simply let you register your child for the grade you wish him/her to attend. Others may request information on your student’s homeschool curriculum and progress or even require your child to take assessment tests to establish their appropriate grade level.
Additional Resources Related to Homeschooling in Mississippi
Have other questions about homeschooling in Mississippi? You may find the following pages helpful.
- Homeschooling in Mississippi
- Mississippi Homeschool Associations
- Mississippi Homeschooling Groups & Co-ops
- Homeschool Field Trips in Mississippi
- Mississippi Test Prep
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