Mississippi compulsory school attendance age
Your child must start school in the year when he or she will be age 6 on or before September 1. Thereafter, your child must continue to attend school or comply with the homeschool law at least until the year when he or she will be age 17 on or before September 1.
The compulsory school attendance requirement also applies to children who are 5 years old on or before September 1, if they are enrolled in a full-day public school kindergarten program.
HSLDA believes that a parent-issued diploma and transcript should be sufficient to demonstrate that a child has completed a secondary education. However, even if your child is beyond compulsory school attendance age, there may be situations where you would want to continue to follow the requirements of a home education option recognized under Mississippi law until your child graduates from high school (filing a home education notice, keeping attendance and other records, etc.). These records may be requested in some situations, such as obtaining a driver’s license if your child is a minor, enlisting in the military, applying to colleges, or demonstrating eligibility for Social Security benefits. If you are a member of HSLDA and would like additional details, please contact us.
Withdrawing your child from his or her current school
If you want to start homeschooling during the school year and your child is currently enrolled in a public or private school, HSLDA recommends that you formally withdraw your child from that school. If you are going to start homeschooling after the school year is over, and your child is considered enrolled for the following year, we recommend that you withdraw your child before the next school year begins, so that the school does not mark your child as absent or truant.
We invite you to become a member of HSLDA to receive specific advice about withdrawing your child from school and starting to homeschool. Local schools may have specific forms or withdrawal procedures. HSLDA members are eligible to receive individualized advice about whether complying with those procedures is advisable or required. HSLDA members can also use the sample letter of withdrawal for Mississippi available in Member Resources to correspond with school officials.
We generally recommend that any correspondence with authorities be sent by “Certified Mail—Return Receipt Requested.” Keep copies of the withdrawal letter and any other paperwork or correspondence, and any green postal receipts, for your personal records.
Note: If your child has never attended a public or private school, this section does not apply.
Complying with Mississippi’s homeschool law
1. File an annual certificate of enrollment. 
Every year, on or before September 15, you must submit a certificate of enrollment including your and your child’s names, address, and telephone number; your child’s date of birth; and a “simple description” of the type of education your child is receiving. Contact the school attendance officer at the public school district where your child lives to request a certificate of enrollment form. Submit the completed certificate of enrollment to the attendance officer after first saving a copy for your records. You may begin homeschooling midyear, but be sure to file the certificate of enrollment at that time.
The certificate of enrollment must be submitted by the child’s parent, a court-appointed guardian, or a person other than a parent or legal guardian who has present care or custody of the child.
2. There are no teacher qualifications, standardized testing requirements, or required subjects or days of instruction for homeschools in Mississippi.
It is up to you to choose the subjects that you will teach in your home instruction program. Although public schools are required to be in session for 180 days every school year, this requirement does not apply to nonpublic schools, including home instruction programs.
The importance of recordkeeping
You can find Mississippi’s specific recordkeeping requirements, if any, above. Regardless of what state you live in, HSLDA recommends that you keep detailed records of your homeschool program. These records may be helpful if you face an investigation regarding your homeschooling or your student needs to furnish proof of education.