Homeschool benefits: Minneapolis Public School District
Minneapolis Public Schools reimburses registered homeschool families up to $138.43 per child for 2026-27 textbooks, workbooks, individualized learning materials, and standardized tests. You must have sent the Nonpublic Aid Request Form so it arrived by October 1, then submit one reimbursement request with proof of payment by April 30, 2027. Other options include public school classes and services.
Minneapolis homeschool nonpublic-aid reimbursement
Who qualifies
Registered homeschool in Minneapolis
Your homeschool reports to the Minneapolis superintendent: an Initial Report for new students and a Letter of Intent to Continue by October 1 in later years.
Sent the aid request on time
The Nonpublic Aid Request Form must be received by October 1, not just postmarked. Only families who sent it can request reimbursement.
Buys individualized, secular materials
Items must be secular, designed for one student's use, and used during the normal school day. A subscription or account must be in your child's own name, not under the instructor's account.
Uses vendors with public prices
The Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) now requires items from vendors that publicly post one price for every Minnesota student. Prices you can see only by logging in or calling a sales representative do not qualify.
What it is worth
Minneapolis Public Schools pays up to $138.43 per child per year for 2026-27, and you claim the family's allowable total on one request.
- One child
- $138.43
- Two children
- $276.86
- Three children
- $415.29
- Four children
- $553.72
- Receipt dates that count
- July 1-April 30
Send a single reimbursement request for your full allowable total: splitting it can delay payment and require you to register as a district vendor.
From requesting aid to payment
- By October 1, 2026
Send the aid request
Email the Nonpublic Aid Request Form to Chrisie Jennings or mail it to Extended Learning, 1250 W. Broadway Ave., Minneapolis, MN 55411.
- July 1, 2026 to April 30, 2027
Buy eligible items
Keep each invoice or receipt and proof of payment, such as a copy of the check, a card receipt, or an order email showing payment.
- By April 30, 2027
Request reimbursement
Email the Payment Request Form with invoices and proof of payment to MPS.Homeschool@mpls.k12.mn.us. List each invoice date, company, description, invoice number, and amount.
- Within 30 days
Receive payment
The district asks you to allow up to 30 days for payment and may ask questions about items under the new state guidance.
- Each year
Request aid again
Send a new Nonpublic Aid Request Form so it arrives by October 1 every school year.
What it pays for
Covered
- Textbooks and workbooks
- Individualized curriculum subscriptions in your child's name
- Standardized achievement tests from vendors with posted prices
- Student sheet music and similar individual materials
Not covered
- Items from vendors without public pricing
- Subscriptions held in the instructor's name
- Planners and classroom supplies such as folders, pencils, and paper
- Administrative software features
Health screenings, immunization monitoring, and guidance counseling for grades 7-12 are provided as Minneapolis Public Schools services, not paid to you as cash.
Who to contact
Chrisie Jennings, project coordinator for Extended Learning, handles homeschool registration, aid requests, and reimbursement questions.
chrisie.jennings@mpls.k12.mn.us 612-668-1242 Homeschool Services
Minneapolis homeschool shared-time classes
Who qualifies
Lives in Minneapolis
District board policy limits shared time to pupils who are residents of the city of Minneapolis.
Signed request from you both
Minneapolis Public Schools needs a signed request from your student and from you as parent or guardian.
Class has space
Space must be available in the specific class, it must meet during regular school hours, and your child's enrollment cannot take away from the program for public school students.
Principal approves
The principal weighs class size, the class schedule, and disruption to other students before deciding.
What shared time gives you
These terms come from Minneapolis Public Schools' shared-time board policy and its special education process for nonpublic students.
- Classes you can request
- Core or elective
- Where the class meets
- Designated local school
- When the class meets
- Regular school hours
- Special education evaluation
- 30 school days
- Public school GPA
- Shared-time classes only
The page gives no request form, class limit, or transportation terms, so ask your local school's office how it takes requests and whether busing is offered.
How to request a class
- Before you ask
Find your designated school
Shared time happens at the local public school assigned to your address. The MPS Student Placement Center can tell you which one that is.
- Before the term
Contact the school
As the homeschool instructor, talk with the school about whether the class can meet your child's needs.
- With your request
Sign the request
Send a request signed by your student and by you, naming the specific classes you want.
- After review
Principal decides
The principal checks space, schedule, and impact on the class and makes the final decision.
What it includes
Included
- One or more core or elective classes
- Special education evaluation and services for eligible students
- A public school GPA for classes taken there
Not included
- Classes outside regular school hours
- Classes without open space
- Students who live outside Minneapolis
Special education services follow a separate process: a referral, an evaluation plan you sign, and an Individual Service Plan (ISP) you approve before services begin.
Who to contact about shared time
Extended Learning runs homeschool services and answers questions about shared time and other options for homeschool families.
MPS.Homeschool@mpls.k12.mn.us 612-668-1242 Homeschool Resources
Homeschool rules and statewide help in Minnesota
You must file the initial report by October 1 of the first instructional year after the child turns seven, or after establishing a new resident district. You must file within 15 days of withdrawing a child seven or older from public school, or of moving out of a district. You must file annual continuation letters by October 1 for the required ages.
Minnesota sets these rules:
- Subjects: Teach reading, writing, literature, fine arts, math, science, history, geography, economics, government, citizenship, health, and PE. Instruction and materials are in English unless the statutory language-program exception applies.
- Testing: Annual nationally normed achievement test for ages 7–16, plus certain 16–17-year-olds first reported after age 16. Agree on the test, administration, and location with the superintendent. State-recognized accredited instruction is exempt.
- Records: Unless the accreditation exemption applies, keep schedules, materials, assessment methods, and proof of testing. Keep immunization or exemption records for five years after adulthood. File immunization statements by October 1 of the first homeschool year and grade 7.
- Teachers: A parent may teach without a degree if the assessment requirements are met. Other instructors need a qualifying license, licensed supervision, bachelor’s degree, or recognized accredited-school route.
Read the Minnesota homeschooling guide See statewide programs in Minnesota
Questions parents ask
- Which standardized tests will Minneapolis reimburse?
- Tests sold at public prices, such as NWEA Map Growth through Homeschool Boss, Woodcock-Johnson IV through GoldFiinch, Iowa and Stanford tests from the University of Minnesota, and the Classic Learning Test. Tests sold only through a sales contact do not qualify.
- My child logs in to a family curriculum subscription. Will Minneapolis reimburse it?
- Not unless the subscription, license, or account is in your child's own name. A subscription held under the instructor's name does not qualify, even if your child has a separate login.
- Who decides whether my child gets a Minneapolis shared-time class?
- The principal of the public school makes the final call, based on class size, schedule, and disruption to public school students.
- Can we use shared time at a school outside Minneapolis Public Schools?
- Possibly. The Minnesota Department of Education says shared time can happen at another district's public school, but that district must request approval to get shared-time funding, so ask that district directly.
Turn support into your child’s next lesson
TheHomeschoolingCompany offers one subject or a full curriculum. Check the program’s purchasing rules before using funds to pay for a plan.
$149/month per child after the trial.
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