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Mississippi Homeschool Options — Home Instruction Law, the ESA and College Aid

Mississippi has no education savings account, voucher or tax-credit scholarship that a homeschooling family can use. The state's three private-choice programs, the Education Scholarship Account (ESA) for students with an IEP, the Dyslexia Therapy Scholarship and the Nate Rogers Speech-Language Therapy Scholarship, all require the child to attend an eligible private or special-purpose school, and the ESA law says in so many words that a home instruction program is not an eligible school. A 2026 House bill (HB 2) that would have created accounts including a small homeschool category died in the Senate. What Mississippi does have is a short, simple homeschool law. Under the Compulsory School Attendance Law (Miss. Code 37-13-91), a parent files a certificate of enrollment with the local school attendance officer each year. Since July 1, 2026 it is due by August 15, not September 15. There is no testing, no curriculum approval and no teacher qualification. Homeschool graduates can qualify for the state's MTAG, MESG and HELP college grants with a signed, notarized transcript and an ACT score. MDE counted 24,977 homeschooled students for 2025–26.

Homeschool lawHome instruction is one of the exceptions to Mississippi's Compulsory School Attendance Law (Miss. Code 37-13-91(3)(c)). A child is of compulsory school age if they turn 6 on or before September 1 and have not turned 17 on or before September 1 of that year, plus any 5-year-old enrolled in full-day public kindergarten. The only test in the law is that the program must not be operated to avoid or get around the compulsory attendance law. MDE's Office of Compulsory School Attendance Enforcement and its local School Attendance Officers administer it.
FilingOne form a year: the certificate of enrollment, due to the school attendance officer where the child lives on or before August 15. SB 2103 (2026) moved the deadline from September 15, effective July 1, 2026. MDE also accepts the form by email at homeschool@mdek12.org. It asks only for the child's and parent's names, address and phone, the child's date of birth, the school district, a simple description of the education program and a signature.
TestingNone. The law sets no testing, curriculum approval, required subjects or teacher qualification for home instruction. It requires no 180-day year for nonpublic schools either: their term is whatever number of days the school requires for promotion (37-13-91(2)(e)). MDE recommends keeping a portfolio of work, a log of books and materials, and results of any national tests.
State ESA for homeschoolersNo. The ESA (up to $8,421 for 2026–27, for students with an IEP within the past three years), the Dyslexia Therapy Scholarship and the Nate Rogers Scholarship all require enrollment in an eligible private or special-purpose school. ESA parents must agree in writing not to file a home instruction certificate of enrollment.
College aidHomeschool graduates can apply for the state's MTAG, MESG and HELP grants. They send the Office of Student Financial Aid a signed, notarized transcript with an unweighted seven-semester GPA, plus an official ACT or SAT score report. Minimum ACT: 15 for MTAG, 29 for MESG, 20 for HELP.
Federal tax creditMississippi is on the IRS list of states taking part in the federal scholarship tax credit for 2027 (as of October 22, 2026). The Governor's office said it would designate the scholarship-granting organizations. We found no Mississippi list yet. Whether these scholarships can pay homeschool costs is unsettled: the proposed federal rules tie eligible expenses to a "school" as defined by state law, and Treasury says more guidance is coming.

What Mississippi offers homeschool families, and what it doesn't

Mississippi has no state money for homeschooling. Its three private-choice programs, explained below, are for students with disabilities, and all three require the child to attend an eligible private or special-purpose school. None can be used by a child in a home instruction program.

Homeschooling itself is simple. Mississippi's Compulsory School Attendance Law lists home instruction as one of the ways a child of compulsory school age can meet the law, along with public and nonpublic schools. The law defines a "nonpublic school" to include private, church, parochial and home instruction programs (37-13-91(2)(i)), and it says it does not intend to impair the parent's "primary right and the obligation" to choose the proper education for their child (37-13-91(9)).

MDE's Homeschool Report counted 24,977 homeschooled students statewide for 2025–26, up from 18,798 in 2019–20. The counts come from the certificates of enrollment families file each year.

What families actually use: the annual certificate of enrollment, curriculum and classes they choose and pay for themselves, co-ops, college dual enrollment for older students, and state college grants after graduation. Public school sports and activities are not open to homeschoolers under MHSAA rules.

Homeschooling in Mississippi: the basics

The ESA, Dyslexia and Nate Rogers scholarships: why homeschoolers can't use them

Education Scholarship Account (Equal Opportunity for Students with Special Needs Act, Miss. Code 37-181-1 and following). Run by MDE's Office of Special Education, it reimburses families for private school tuition and certain other expenses for students with disabilities. For 2026–27 the maximum is $8,421. To qualify, a Mississippi student must have had an active IEP, developed by a public school district, within three years of the application, and must be accepted by an eligible school. The law defines an eligible school as a state-accredited special-purpose school, a state-accredited nonpublic school, or a nonpublic school in Mississippi that serves the student's disability or IEP, and adds: "An eligible school does not include a home instruction program under Section 37-13-91." Parents must sign an agreement not to file a home instruction certificate of enrollment, not to enroll the child in public school, and not to use the Dyslexia or Nate Rogers scholarship at the same time. MDE's FAQ adds that tutoring and therapy can't be reimbursed for a student who is homeschooled.

How the ESA works: applications are accepted all year. MDE recommends applying December through May so the award arrives before school starts. A complete application needs an acceptance letter on the private school's letterhead, the IEP and evaluation, proof of residency, the child's birth certificate, the parent's ID and the signed responsibilities page. MDE reviews it within 21 business days and awards ESAs first come, first served, with a waitlist when money runs out. Current participants don't reapply but must recertify in the parent portal from April 1 to April 30 each year. Students stay in the program until they return to public school, finish high school, finish the school year in which they turn 21, or miss the three-year disability recheck. The program is set to be repealed July 1, 2028 unless the Legislature extends it (HB 1229, 2024).

2026–27 reimbursement schedule (MDE): requests are due August 31, 2026 (paid September 29), November 27, 2026 (paid December 17), February 26, 2027 (paid March 30) and May 31, 2027 (paid June 29). Only purchases made after the award count, original receipts are required, and fees paid up front are reimbursed in four even quarterly payments, never as a lump sum.

Dyslexia Therapy Scholarship: for students with a dyslexia diagnosis from a licensed psychometrist, psychologist or speech-language pathologist. The scholarship can be used at one of five MDE-approved special-purpose nonpublic schools: Magnolia Speech School (Madison), 3D School (Petal), Lighthouse Academy (Ocean Springs), Innova Prep (Hattiesburg) and The Canopy School (Ridgeland). The program also lets a student transfer to another public school. The 2026–2027 application goes by certified mail to MDE's Office of Elementary Education and Reading.

Nate Rogers Speech-Language Therapy Scholarship: for students in kindergarten through grade 6 (or age 11) whose IDEA eligibility is a speech-language impairment. They must enroll in, and attend in person, an MDE-accredited nonpublic special-purpose school whose main purpose is speech-language therapy. MDE pays the school directly, and the amount is based on the student base cost as appropriated.

What a homeschool family would have to do instead: enroll the child in an eligible private or special-purpose school and stop filing a home instruction certificate of enrollment. Under the ESA, the child also gives up the individual right to a free appropriate public education from the home district while in the program.

What the ESA pays for

MDE's allowable expenses list follows the statute (37-181-5). Expenses must support "an organized appropriate educational program with measurable goals" in at least reading, grammar, mathematics, social studies and science:

The 2026 school choice bill and what's next

House Bill 2 of 2026, the "Mississippi Educational Freedom Program Act of 2026," would have created Magnolia Student Accounts run by the State Treasurer. Students at participating private schools or colleges would have received the student base amount under the state funding formula. Students at other private schools would have received up to

,000 each, capped at $4,000 per household. Students in a legitimate home instruction program had their own category: no more than
,000 a year for all the children in a family, with homeschoolers exempt from the testing requirement. The two private school categories were capped at 12,500 students for 2027–28, rising to 20,000 by 2030–31. HB 2 also included a "Tim Tebow Act" to let homeschoolers join public school sports and activities, and it would have moved the special-needs ESA to the Treasurer on July 1, 2027.

What happened: the House passed HB 2 as amended on January 15, 2026, by 61 to 59. It went to the Senate Education Committee, where it died on March 3, 2026. Other 2026 bills to change the ESA, including one making a dyslexia diagnosis a qualifier (HB 952), also died in committee. The 2026 First Extraordinary Session dealt with youth court reform and took up no school choice bill. As of October 2026, Mississippi law is unchanged: no account or scholarship for homeschoolers, and no Tim Tebow law.

Federal Scholarship Tax Credit: Governor Tate Reeves opted Mississippi into the federal program on January 19, 2026, and Mississippi is on the IRS list of participating states for 2027 (as of October 22, 2026). Starting January 1, 2027, taxpayers can claim a credit of up to

,700 ($3,400 on a joint return) for cash gifts to approved scholarship-granting organizations (SGOs) in participating states. The scholarships are for K–12 students whose household income is no more than 300% of area median income. The Governor's office said it would designate eligible SGOs. We found no Mississippi list as of October 27, 2026.

Can SGO scholarships pay homeschool costs? Not clearly. Under the proposed Treasury regulations (October 2, 2026), a qualified expense must be tied to a "school" that provides K–12 education "as determined under State law," and Treasury says it will issue more guidance on what counts as a school. Mississippi's attendance law treats home instruction programs as nonpublic schools, but no federal or state guidance has yet said that homeschool costs qualify. Each SGO will also set its own rules. Check with the SGO before counting on it.

For vendors: taking part

There is no state program money for homeschooling in Mississippi, so there is no state vendor approval, portal or list for homeschool families. Families who homeschool pay you directly, with no one's approval.

The ESA is the one state program where your services can be reimbursed, and its families are private school families, not homeschoolers. An ESA can reimburse a tutor who is certified or licensed by a state, regional or national certification, licensing or accreditation body. It can also reimburse educational services or therapies from a licensed or certified practitioner, curriculum, textbooks, tests, and qualifying devices. MDE publishes no list of approved tutors or therapists. Instead, the family submits a quarterly reimbursement request with original itemized receipts, and for a tutor, documentation that the tutor is certified or licensed.

Getting paid: ESA money is reimbursement, not a prepaid card. The parent usually pays you and is reimbursed. A parent can also direct part of the reimbursement to an educational service provider. In that case you complete the provider section of MDE's quarterly Reimbursement Request Form, which asks for your name, Employer Identification Number and address. Give families an itemized receipt with your business name and address. Quarterly deadlines for 2026–27 are November 27, 2026, February 26, 2027 and May 31, 2027.

Rules to know: purchases made before a student's award aren't reimbursed, and prepaid fees are paid back in four even quarterly payments. MDE runs random audits, and its application says providers that defraud parents are removed from the program right away. Tutoring and therapy can't be reimbursed for a child who is homeschooled or in public school, so confirm the child is an enrolled ESA student at an eligible private school.

Schools: a private school that enrolls ESA students signs MDE's annual Participating School Assurances Form. It agrees to background checks, pre- and post-assessments, itemized receipts and reporting. Schools serving Dyslexia or Nate Rogers scholarship students must be MDE-approved or MDE-accredited special-purpose schools.

Federal tax credit scholarships start in 2027, once Mississippi names its SGOs. Whether those scholarships will cover homeschool purchases is not settled.

Listing on My Learning Source is separate from any ESA reimbursement or school approval — you don't need one to have the other, and families find you here either way.

Other Mississippi programs: college aid, dual enrollment, sports and driver's licenses

College grants (Mississippi Office of Student Financial Aid, award amounts as posted October 2026). MTAG: up to $500 a year for freshmen and sophomores and up to

,000 a year for juniors and seniors at approved Mississippi colleges, for students who get less than the maximum Pell Grant. It requires a 2.5 high school GPA, or completion of a home school program with a signed 9th–12th grade transcript, and an ACT of at least 15. MESG: up to
,500 a year (not more than tuition and required fees). It requires a 3.5 GPA, with homeschoolers submitting a signed 9th–12th grade transcript, and an ACT of 29 (SAT 1330) or National Merit Finalist or Semifinalist status. HELP: full tuition and required fees at a public institution for students with financial need. It requires a 2.5 GPA, an ACT of 20, Pell eligibility and income limits. All three require one year of Mississippi residency and full-time enrollment, and students apply on the Mississippi Aid Application (MAAPP) each year. MTAG and MESG take applications October 1 to September 15. HELP takes them October 1 to March 31.

What homeschool graduates send: an official transcript, which the homeschool administrator may submit. It must be signed and notarized, list every course attempted, completed, in progress and still to be completed, and include an unweighted seven-semester GPA on a 4.0 scale. A later notarized transcript can report an improved GPA. Also send an official ACT or SAT score report. The office's ACT code is 2431, and residual ACT scores aren't accepted.

University admission: IHL Board Policy 602 gives full admission to any of the eight public universities with a 3.20 GPA and no test score, a 2.50 GPA with an ACT of 16, or a 2.00 GPA with an ACT of 18. Each route also requires the College Preparatory Curriculum (18 Carnegie units) or "equivalent requirements as determined by admitting IHL institution," and the GPA can be calculated by the university using an IHL-approved calculator. Universities may add their own requirements, so ask each admissions office how it evaluates a homeschool transcript.

Dual enrollment: Mississippi's dual enrollment law (37-15-38) lets students enroll in a community college or university course if they meet "that individual institution's stated dual enrollment admission requirements." It has no separate homeschool rule, and tuition can be paid by the college, the school district, parents or other sources. The statewide procedures manual (Fall 2025) sets academic eligibility as junior standing with a 3.0 GPA and a written recommendation from a counselor or principal, or a 3.0 GPA with an ACT of 30. Career-tech eligibility starts as a sophomore with a 2.0 GPA. Each college applies these rules to homeschool applicants in its own way, so ask the college's dual enrollment office. ESA students can use their account for dual enrollment costs.

Sports and activities: not allowed. The MHSAA's 2026–27 Handbook says a student in a home-schooled program "shall not be considered a bona fide student" at a member school (rule 2.5.4), and that a student who goes virtual is considered home schooled with no participation in athletics or activities (2.5.1). Member schools can't compete against homeschool teams or individuals unless the homeschool team is approved by the NFHS (7.1.3). A student from an accredited home school program entering grades 10–12 who has met MDE's required credits and Carnegie units is eligible upon enrolling in a member school (2.16.1).

Driver's licenses: an applicant under 18 must show a diploma or GED, or documentation that they are enrolled in school. Enrollment in a "nonpublic school" as defined in 37-13-91, which includes home instruction programs, counts (Miss. Code 63-1-9). DPS's Certification of School Attendance Status form has a box for this, must be signed and dated, and is valid for 30 days. Ask your DPS office what documentation it accepts for home instruction. Your records are your copy of the current certificate of enrollment and, if you requested one, the attendance officer's Verification of Compliance. Starting July 1, 2027, first-time license applicants must complete a driver education and training program certified by the State Board of Education or DPS. A learner's permit (from age 15) is still available without it. The same law directed DPS to set up a program starting July 1, 2026 that is open to homeschool students.

Official sources

My Learning Source is an independent marketplace. We are not affiliated with the Mississippi Department of Education, its Office of Compulsory School Attendance Enforcement or Office of Special Education, the Mississippi Office of Student Financial Aid, the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning, the MHSAA, the Department of Public Safety or any Mississippi school district, and a listing here does not mean a vendor is approved by, or reimbursed through, any state program. This guide is general information, not legal advice.

As of October 2026.

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