Moving to Maine: Homeschool Checklist

Required days

175 days/year

Required subjects

10 subjects

Notice

Required each year

Testing / evaluation

Parent's choice (testing, portfolio, or evaluation)

Recordkeeping

Required

Jump to the full Maine requirements for plain-English detail on each of these.

Where are you moving from?

Pick your current state to see how to close it out before you go, and how its homeschool rules compare to Maine's.

Coming from a nearby state?

Rule-by-rule comparisons for the moves into Maine families make most often, with what changes on the way in and on the way out.

• New Hampshire vs Maine (7 rules differ)

What to do when you arrive in Maine

Once you're a Maine resident, you follow Maine's rules, not your old state's. Maine requires notice, so file with both your local school district and the state to put your homeschool on record. File before you begin instruction at your new address. If your child was enrolled in a school on the way in, send that school a short withdrawal note too.

Do your homeschool records transfer?

No state, including Maine, requires you to hand over homeschool records from your previous state, and there's no central transfer process. What matters is that you keep your own records: an hours or attendance log, work samples, and any grades or transcripts. Those travel with you and are what colleges and your new state may ask to see. This is exactly what Homeschool Fox is built for. Your log, hours, and reports live in one account and move with your family, so a cross-country move doesn't reset your records.

Timing your move: mid-year vs summer

Try to line your move up with Maine's school-year calendar where you can. If you arrive mid-year, file Maine's notice as soon as you're settled rather than waiting for fall, so there's no gap where your child looks unenrolled. A summer move is simpler: get your filing in before the new school year starts. Either way, keep dated proof of when you filed.

Moving as a military family

Military families move often, and the rule of thumb is simple: follow the homeschool law of the state you're physically living in. Once you're stationed in Maine, you homeschool under Maine's rules, even if your legal residency for taxes or voting is another state. The Military Interstate Children's Compact smooths public-school transfers, but it doesn't override homeschool law, so plan around Maine's requirements. Keeping portable digital records makes each PCS move far less disruptive.

What Homeschool Fox tracks for Maine

The records Maine asks you to keep, plus the rest of your year, in one place. No spreadsheets, no lost notebooks.

• Days toward your 175-day goal
• Required subjects
• Days attended
• The records Maine asks you to keep
• Parent's choice (testing, portfolio, or evaluation)
• Daily activity logs
• Printable PDF reports
• Progress tracking

More Maine guides

• Maine Homeschool Requirements Hours, notice, assessment, and subjects at a glance.
• Homeschooling High School in Maine Credits, GPA, transcripts, and graduation.
• Record Keeping in Maine What to document, how to organize it, and staying compliant.
• How to Withdraw From School in Maine The steps, the letter, and timing to avoid truancy issues.
• Public School Sports in Maine Whether homeschoolers can play, what it takes, and who to ask.
• Homeschool Days Required in Maine The number, what counts toward it, and the pace to hit it.
• Required Subjects in Maine The list, how much time each needs, and proving you taught them.
• Maine Letter of Intent Who to file with, when it's due, and a free generator.
• Maine Year End Report What goes in it, when it's due, and who reviews it.
• Homeschool Testing in Maine What the state asks for, when, and low-score rules.