Minnesota requires an initial report to your district, a short annual letter after that, required subjects, and a yearly standardized test whose results stay with you.
Homeschooling is legal in Minnesota and the requirements, while real, follow a predictable annual rhythm. You file a full report with your local district superintendent the first year, then a much shorter letter each year after — the commonly cited deadline is October 1, but confirm your district's current date.
The two ongoing obligations are covering the required subjects and giving an annual nationally norm-referenced standardized test. Here's the part that surprises new parents: you choose the test, and the results stay private with you rather than being submitted to the state.
Submit an initial report to your district superintendent with student information and instructor details, then file a brief letter of intent to continue each subsequent year. Check your district's current deadline when you file.
Instruction covers reading, writing, literature, fine arts, math, science, history, geography, government, health, and physical education — the same broad areas public schools teach, at a level appropriate to your child.
Each year, your child takes a nationally norm-referenced standardized test chosen in consultation with the district. Results are for your information — they aren't routinely filed — and a low score triggers additional evaluation rather than any automatic consequence.
Withdraw your child from their current school with a short written notice.
File your initial report with the district superintendent — call the district office and ask for their homeschool contact.
Calendar the annual letter and testing so neither sneaks up on you.
Plan your subject coverage across the year; a simple weekly grid covering the required areas is enough.
Select a curriculum that keeps skills sharp for test day without teaching to the test — Cullinan Academy's adaptive placement finds and fills gaps in math and reading continuously, which is exactly what norm-referenced tests measure.
Whatever Minnesota 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.
No — results stay with you. Only if a score falls below a certain threshold does further evaluation come into play, and even then the goal is support, not shutdown.
Any nationally norm-referenced test agreed with your district works. Many families use widely available options they can administer at home or through a local co-op.
No license is required. Parents may homeschool their own children; the reporting requirements are the same either way.
The first-year report is fuller — student names, ages, address, instructor information. After that, a short letter of continued intent covers it unless your details change.
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.