Maryland's entry paperwork is refreshingly short. There is no affidavit to notarize, no yearly plan to submit, no testing to schedule. There is one notification — often called the Notice of Consent — filed at least 15 days before you begin home instruction.
What the regulation actually says
Home instruction in Maryland is governed by COMAR 13A.10.01. Before you begin, you notify your local school system that you intend to provide home instruction, and you identify which of the two supervision pathways you are using:
- Local school system supervision. The most common route. You keep a portfolio, and the school system may review it up to three times a year.
- A supervising entity (umbrella). A church-exempt nonpublic school, an MSDE-approved nonpublic school, or a bona fide church educational ministry. You still file the notification — it just names the entity, and reviews happen there instead.
The 15-day rule
The notification must be on file at least 15 days before instruction begins. Count backwards from your intended first day and give yourself a buffer — a week of margin costs you nothing and removes the only real deadline pressure in the Maryland year.
If you are pulling a child out of public school mid-year, the same 15-day window applies. Many families file the notification first, keep the child enrolled through the window, and start home instruction the day the window closes.
What goes on the form
- Your child's name, birth date, and grade level.
- Your name as the parent or guardian, and your address.
- The local school system your address falls under.
- Which supervision pathway you are choosing, and the umbrella's name if you are using one.
- Your signature and the date.
That is genuinely all. You are not asked for curriculum titles, a schedule, an educational philosophy, or credentials — Maryland requires no teaching degree or certification.
Where it goes
Under local school system supervision, the notification goes to your county's home instruction office, usually attached to the superintendent's office or the office of student services. Baltimore City has its own office. Under an umbrella, send it where the umbrella directs; most handle the filing or give you an address and a deadline of their own.
What happens after you file
Usually very little, and that is normal. Most families get a written acknowledgement within a few weeks and then hear nothing until review scheduling. Keep a copy of what you sent and the date you sent it — that dated copy is your proof of compliance, and it is the single most useful piece of paper in a Maryland homeschool file.
The next thing on your calendar is your first portfolio review, typically near the end of the first semester. Nothing needs to be perfect by then; the portfolio just needs to show regular, thorough instruction in the required subjects.
Make Maryland paperwork the easy part
Pennsole keeps your portfolio, review dates, subject coverage, and notices in one calm place — and the Home Instruction Notification generator is free.
More Maryland guides: requirements · free notification generator · umbrella school directory · where to submit · free portfolio checklist
General guidance, not legal advice. Always confirm details with your local school system or umbrella.
Each year after the first
Home instruction continues year to year, but most local school systems ask for an annual continuation or verification before the school year starts. Ask your county what their late-summer window looks like and put it on your calendar once — after that it is a five-minute task each August.
Common mistakes worth avoiding
- Starting before the 15 days are up. It is the one timing rule Maryland enforces.
- Not keeping a dated copy. Email delivers proof automatically; if you mail it, note the date.
- Assuming the umbrella filed for you. Confirm it in writing.
- Forgetting the annual continuation. It is easy, and easy to forget.
File the notification, save the copy, and start teaching. Maryland asks very little at the front door.