Below is a summary of New Mexico Homeschool Laws to help you ensure your homeschool is compliant.
Looking For Another State? (Click to Drop Down)
Alabama – Alaska – Arizona – Arkansas – California – Colorado – Connecticut – Delaware – Florida – Georgia – Hawaii – Idaho – Illinois – Indiana – Iowa – Kansas – Kentucky – Louisiana – Maine – Maryland – Massachusetts – Michigan – Minnesota – Mississippi – Missouri – Montana – Nebraska – Nevada – New Hampshire – New Jersey – New Mexico – New York – North Carolina – North Dakota – Ohio – Oklahoma – Oregon – Pennsylvania – Rhode Island – South Carolina – South Dakota – Tennessee – Texas – Utah – Vermont – Virginia – Washington – West Virginia – Wisconsin – Wyoming
Note: The information below is not to be considered legal advice. I’m a homeschool mom with an interest in helping you, not a lawyer. I strongly recommend that you contact your state education department if you have questions specific to your circumstances.
Homeschool
New Mexico has requirements including parent education, notifications, required subjects, and immunization records.
Can I Teach?
You must possess a high school diploma or GED in order to teach your child.
Do I Have to Notify the State?
Yes. New Mexico requires you to notify the New Mexico Public Education Department (NMPED) within 30 days of beginning your homeschool program. You must re-enroll for homeschooling by August 1st of each following year.
NMPED has an online Home School System where you can submit your notifications.
If you’d prefer to submit a written notification, NMPED has a Notification of a Home School form that you can mail to them.
Required Subjects
New Mexico requires you to teach the following core subjects:
- Reading
- Language Arts
- Math
- Social Studies
- Science
Immunization Records Requirement
You must maintain a copy of your child’s immunizations or an exemption form in your records.
The New Mexico Department of Health has information about immunization requirements on their website.
How Many Days a Year do I Have to Teach?
New Mexico decided to make things a little bit tricky starting in 2023. A homeschooler is required to attend school at least as long as the public school year in their district.
Starting in 2023, school districts are required to have a minimum of 1,140 instruction hours per year. This works out to 190 days, assuming a 6 hour day.
However, New Mexico also requires a minimum of 180 days of instruction per year. This means that you can’t load your kids up with 7+ hour days to meet the instruction hour requirement because you’re still supposed to go at least 180 days.
It’s confusing, I know. Feel free to reach out to me if you need any help.
Make sure you’re keeping attendance records just in case NMPED or your school district requests them.
Compulsory Attendance Age
The compulsory attendance age is the age range in which your child must be attending school of some type.
In New Mexico, if your child is 5 years old on or before September 1st of the current school year they must be enrolled. They must be enrolled until they are 18 years old or have graduated.
Public School Sports
The New Mexico Activities Association (NMAA) is required to allow homeschool students to participate in extracurricular activities, as long as they meet academic eligibility requirements.
Contact your local school for more information.
Wrapping Up
Hopefully this summary of New Mexico Homeschool Laws gets you started on your homeschool journey with your family!
If you’re just getting started, you’re probably feeling a bit overwhelmed.
The Home Learning Kit can help!
It’s a package of handy learning tools to make your homeschool more fun and engaging, curated by yours truly. Check it out!
