Homeschool reimbursement and benefits in Mississippi

No general curriculum payment for all homeschool families is listed. Local programs can still help with specific costs and services.

By Andrew Garber, founder of TheHomeschoolingCompany. Reviewed August 25, 2026.

What public funding exists, and what it asks of you

Mississippi's education scholarship account (ESA), created by the Equal Opportunity for Students with Special Needs Act, serves children with disabilities and excludes home instruction. Your child must live in Mississippi and have had an active individualized education program (IEP), a public school's written special education plan, within three years of applying. Your child must also be accepted into an eligible private school. For 2026-2027 the maximum is $8,421, paid as quarterly reimbursements. Awards go first come, first served, with a waiting list.

Taking the ESA means giving up homeschool status. You agree not to file a certificate of enrollment for home instruction and not to enroll your child in public school. While in the program, your child has no individual right to a free appropriate public education from the district.

On taxes, the state treasurer says contributions to the state's 529 plan (MACS) are deductible from Mississippi adjusted gross income, and the plan can pay elementary and secondary school tuition up to a yearly cap.

Local help in Mississippi

The local programs we have checked across the state cover college and dual credit, library resources, and school services. Each local program sets its own rules for who qualifies. Search your ZIP code to see the ones that serve your address.

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The state's homeschool rules

You must file the annual Certificate of Enrollment with the local school attendance officer by August 15. A child enrolled in public school within the first 15 calendar days of the school year may transfer to a legitimate homeschool later and file then.

• Subjects: No state-prescribed curriculum, but the child must receive a legitimate home instruction program rather than one established to evade compulsory attendance.
• Testing: Mississippi does not require standardized testing for homeschoolers.
• Records: No mandated homeschool portfolio. MDE recommends keeping the enrollment certificate, work samples, assessment results, and a materials log.
• Teachers: No state degree or teaching-license requirement for homeschool parents.

Read the Mississippi homeschooling guide