Homeschooling in Minnesota— annual report by October 1, then a norm-referenced test every year.
Minnesota homeschooling runs on an annual cycle: a report to your school district superintendent by October 1 (or within 15 days of withdrawing a child from public school), then a nationally norm-referenced standardized test every year for children ages 7 to 16. The report names the children, the tests you intend to use, your instructors, and evidence of teacher qualifications. A parent teaching their own child is automatically qualified; non-parent instructors need a Minnesota license, a bachelor's degree, or supervision by a licensed teacher. Scores at or below the 30th percentile trigger an additional evaluation for learning difficulties. Lightstead's Minnesota profile tracks the October 1 deadline, logs the annual test, and stages the report and records.
What Minnesota requires, at a glance.
- Notice
Oct 1 · annually
Annual report to the school district superintendent by October 1, or within 15 days of withdrawing a child from public school.
- Report contents
4 required items
Child information, the standardized tests you intend to use, instructor names, and evidence of teacher qualifications.
- Assessment
Annual · norm-referenced
A nationally norm-referenced standardized test every year for children ages 7–16, mutually agreed upon with the superintendent.
- 30th percentile
Triggers evaluation
Scores at or below the 30th percentile trigger an additional evaluation for learning difficulties.
- Teacher qualification
Parent auto-qualifies
A parent teaching their own child is automatically qualified. Non-parent instructors need a MN license, a bachelor's degree, or supervision by a licensed teacher.
- Subjects
13 required
Minn. Stat. § 120A.22 requires instruction in reading, writing, literature, fine arts, mathematics, science, history, geography, economics, government, citizenship, health, and physical education; the parent picks materials, scope, and sequence.
- Records retention
2 years · HS permanent
Keep records a minimum of 2 years; high school records are kept permanently.
§1
File the report by October 1 — four things it must include.
Minnesota requires an annual report to the school district superintendent by October 1, or within 15 days of withdrawing a child from public school. The report must include the children's information, the standardized tests you intend to use, the names of the instructors, and evidence of teacher qualifications. The report is filed every year, not just once. A family that begins home instruction by pulling a child out of public school mid-year files within 15 days of the withdrawal rather than waiting for the next October 1.
Minn. Stat. § 120A.24
The Minnesota filing wizard assembles the report — children, intended tests, instructors, and qualification evidence — into a PDF ready for the superintendent. The October 1 deadline shows on your dashboard as a deadline card so the annual filing doesn't slip.
Minnesota filing wizard
§2
A norm-referenced test every year for ages 7 to 16.
Minnesota requires an annual assessment for all children ages 7 to 16 using a nationally norm-referenced standardized test mutually agreed upon with the superintendent. The test is administered every year while the child is within that age range. The specific test is not dictated by the state — it is agreed upon between the family and the superintendent. Scores at or below the 30th percentile trigger an additional evaluation for learning difficulties; the assessment is a screen for support, not a pass/fail gate on continuing to homeschool.
Minn. Stat. § 120A.22 subd. 11
Lightstead records each year's standardized test result and flags scores at or below the 30th percentile with the additional-evaluation note. The annual test sits alongside the report in your records so both halves of the Minnesota cycle stay together.
Records & test log
§3
Parents auto-qualify — non-parent instructors do not.
A parent teaching their own child is automatically qualified to provide home instruction in Minnesota; no degree, license, or test is required of the parent. The report's evidence-of-qualifications item is satisfied for a parent by the parent relationship itself. Non-parent instructors are held to a higher bar: a Minnesota teaching license, a bachelor's degree, or supervision by a licensed teacher. Families that bring in an outside instructor for a subject need to track which of those three routes applies and document it in the annual report.
Minn. Stat. § 120A.22 subd. 10
The subjects and instructors list captures who teaches what and the qualification route for any non-parent instructor, so the evidence-of-qualifications item on the annual report is already assembled when October comes around.
Subjects & instructors
§4
Keep two years — and high school forever.
Minnesota families retain their homeschool records for a minimum of two years. High school records are kept permanently — there is no expiration on the four years of high school. The records are kept by the family rather than filed with the state, but they have to exist. A transcript, the annual test results, and the subject list are the artifacts a future audience — a college, a move to another state, or a return to public school — will ask to see.
Minn. Stat. § 120A.22
Lightstead keeps the records that outlast the two-year minimum: the transcript builder compiles high school into a permanent record, and the records packet holds the annual reports and test results so nothing depends on a folder you have to find years later.
Transcript builder
What people search for when they look up Minnesota homeschooling.
Do I have to register my homeschool in Minnesota?
You file an annual report with your school district superintendent by October 1, or within 15 days of withdrawing a child from public school. The report names the children, the standardized tests you intend to use, your instructors, and evidence of teacher qualifications. It is filed every year, not just once.
When is the Minnesota homeschool report due?
By October 1 each year. A family that begins home instruction by pulling a child out of public school files within 15 days of the withdrawal instead of waiting for the next October 1.
Does Minnesota require homeschool testing?
Yes. Minnesota requires an annual assessment for all children ages 7 to 16 using a nationally norm-referenced standardized test mutually agreed upon with the superintendent. The test is administered every year the child is within that age range.
What standardized test does Minnesota require for homeschoolers?
The statute does not name a single test. It must be a nationally norm-referenced standardized test, and the specific test is mutually agreed upon between the family and the superintendent.
What happens if my child scores below the 30th percentile in Minnesota?
Scores at or below the 30th percentile on the annual test trigger an additional evaluation for learning difficulties. It is a screen meant to identify whether a child needs extra support — not a pass/fail gate on continuing to homeschool.
What qualifications do I need to homeschool in Minnesota?
A parent teaching their own child is automatically qualified — no degree, license, or test required. A non-parent instructor needs a Minnesota teaching license, a bachelor's degree, or supervision by a licensed teacher.
What has to be in the Minnesota annual report?
Four items: the children's information, the standardized tests you intend to use, the names of the instructors, and evidence of teacher qualifications. The report goes to the school district superintendent.
What subjects does Minnesota require homeschoolers to teach?
Minn. Stat. § 120A.22 requires instruction in reading, writing, literature, fine arts, mathematics, science, history, geography, economics, government, citizenship, health, and physical education. The parent still selects the materials, scope, and sequence, and the annual norm-referenced test is the state's measure of progress.
How long do I have to keep Minnesota homeschool records?
Keep records for a minimum of two years. High school records are kept permanently — there is no expiration on the four years of high school.
Do I have to file the Minnesota report every year?
Yes. The report to the superintendent is annual, due by October 1, for as long as you are homeschooling. The annual norm-referenced test for children ages 7 to 16 runs on the same yearly cadence.
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