Withdrawing from public school
How to Withdraw From Public School in Maryland
Pulling your child out of public school in Maryland starts with a letter to the school. The steps are below, with a free Maryland withdrawal letter you can print today and the timing that keeps the district from marking your child absent in between.
How withdrawal works in Maryland
If your child is enrolled in a Maryland public school, file the home-instruction notification with the county superintendent at least 15 days before you begin. You file it even under a supervising nonpublic school, since COMAR 13A.10.01.05A keeps that requirement in force. Then notify the current school so attendance reflects the change. Keep a copy. Portfolio reviews follow on the county's schedule, or your supervising school's conferences and progress reports instead. Before each school year after the first, verify with your superintendent or supervising school that you're continuing.
Step by step
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1
Confirm your child is currently enrolled
This guide is for moving a currently enrolled student to homeschooling. If your child has never attended public school in Maryland (a kindergartner you're starting at home, for example), there's usually nothing to withdraw from. A quick call to the school confirms their status.
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2
Send a written withdrawal letter to the school
Moving a child from public school to homeschool in Maryland starts with a written withdrawal to the current school and a notice of intent to the local district. Together they put the new arrangement on record. Homeschool Fox can draft the withdrawal letter for you. It fills in the student, district, and date fields automatically.
Get the free Maryland withdrawal letter -
3
File your notice of intent
Yes, Maryland requires you to file notice of your intent to homeschool. You must notify your local school district. The notice is filed again each school year.
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4
Keep dated copies for your records
Save a copy of the withdrawal letter and anything you file, noting the date you sent it. If the district ever asks about attendance, dated proof that you withdrew on time is what closes the question.
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5
Set up your homeschool
With the withdrawal handled, the rest is starting your homeschool: planning subjects, setting an hours or days target, and keeping records. The Maryland homeschool guide covers what the law asks for from here.
Read the Maryland homeschool guide
Withdrawing for the first time? The guide to withdrawing from public school covers the records request and mid-year timing in any state.
Free Maryland printables
Three ready-to-use PDFs for Maryland homeschoolers. No account needed.
Templates, not legal advice. Confirm the current rule with your state or district.
What Homeschool Fox tracks for Maryland
The records Maryland asks you to keep, plus the rest of your year, in one place. No spreadsheets, no lost notebooks.
- Required subjects
- Portfolio records
- Portfolio review
- Daily activity logs
- Printable PDF reports
- Progress tracking
- High school transcripts
Last verified September 2026 by Andy Leverenz against Maryland's own published requirements. See the sources.
Source pages last confirmed live on Oct 26, 2026.
Homeschool Fox is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice. Confirm details with your state or a qualified advisor.
More Maryland guides
- Maryland Homeschool Requirements Hours, notice, assessment, and subjects at a glance.
- Homeschooling High School in Maryland Credits, GPA, transcripts, and graduation.
- Record Keeping in Maryland What to document, how to organize it, and staying compliant.
- Moving to Maryland What to file when you arrive and whether your records transfer.
- Required Subjects in Maryland The list, how much time each needs, and proving you taught them.
- Maryland Letter of Intent Who to file with, when it's due, and a free generator.
- Maryland Homeschool Portfolio What belongs in it, who can ask to see it, and a printable checklist.
- Homeschool Testing in Maryland What the state asks for, when, and low-score rules.
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