Maryland requires a notification form and periodic portfolio reviews by your county — or you can enroll under an umbrella program and be reviewed by them instead.
Homeschooling is legal in Maryland and the process is well established. You file a notification form with your local school system before you begin, then show a portfolio of your child's work at periodic reviews — the part that worries new parents most, and the part that turns out to be far gentler than it sounds.
There's also a second route many families prefer: enrolling under an umbrella program (a church-exempt school or approved correspondence program). The umbrella supervises your homeschool instead of the county, and reviews tend to be friendlier and more flexible.
Complete the state's notification form and file it with your local school system before starting — check your county's current lead-time requirement. You stay on file until you notify them otherwise.
Maryland expects regular, thorough instruction in English, math, science, social studies, art, music, health, and physical education, covering the same general areas as public schools.
Keep a portfolio of materials and samples of work. Under county supervision, reviews can happen up to a few times per year; reviewers want to see evidence of regular instruction, not perfection. No standardized testing is required.
County supervision is free and straightforward. Umbrella programs charge a fee but handle your reviews, often with more flexibility about how you teach. Many Maryland families start with the county and switch if reviews feel like friction.
File the notification form with your county school system (or enroll in an umbrella program instead).
Withdraw your child from their current school if enrolled.
Start a portfolio from day one — a simple binder or folder per subject with dated work samples is plenty.
Learn what your county's reviews look like; local homeschool groups will tell you exactly what your reviewer expects.
Choose a curriculum that generates portfolio-ready evidence naturally — Cullinan Academy logs every lesson and produces progress reports you can print straight into your review binder.
Whatever Maryland asks for — attendance, subject coverage, progress evidence, transcripts — Cullinan Academy tracks it automatically as your kids learn: verified mastery records, time-on-task, printable transcripts with GPA, and state report templates. No spreadsheet required.
You meet with a reviewer and show samples of your child's work across the required subjects. They're checking for regular, thorough instruction — a normal semester of work easily clears the bar.
If county reviews feel stressful or rigid, yes — umbrellas review you instead and are often more flexible. If your county reviewer is easygoing, you may not need one.
No. Portfolio review is the accountability mechanism; there is no mandated test.
No. Maryland sets no education requirement for homeschooling parents.
This page is general information, not legal advice. Homeschool law changes, and districts sometimes apply it differently. Verify current requirements with your state's department of education or a local homeschool association before filing anything. Content last reviewed 2026-07.