Microschool laws in Maryland

A full-stack private school operating under a Certificate of Approval from MSDE per COMAR 13A.09.09. You assume full legal responsibility for enrolled students, maintain records, issue transcripts and diplomas, and families satisfy compulsory attendance by enrolling with you. Certificate of Approval is required for BOOST Scholarship participation and formal credit-transfer recognition. Approval takes 6–18 months and requires demonstrated facility, curriculum, teacher-qualification, admissions, and records compliance.

A faith-integrated model operating as a church-exempt school under Md. Educ. Code § 2-206(e). Registration with MSDE's Nonpublic School Approval Branch is required (documenting bona fide church organization legal existence), but the school is exempt from the COMAR 13A.09.09 educational standards that apply to certified nonpublic schools. This is Maryland's fastest private-school launch pathway for faith-based microschools. Registration is typically completed within weeks, not months. Church-exempt schools may still participate in BOOST if they meet program requirements, though participation is not automatic.

A shared-resource model where each family files its own Home Instruction Notification with the local superintendent under COMAR 13A.10.01.01 and your co-op provides programming, space, and curriculum support. Each family conducts its own instruction, maintains its own portfolio, and submits to the local superintendent's twice-per-year portfolio review. The co-op does NOT file notifications, does NOT issue transcripts, and does NOT replace the local superintendent's review.

Maryland is one of the few states where the umbrella model is statutorily established and widely used. Under COMAR 13A.10.01.05, a church-exempt nonpublic school, a certified nonpublic school, or an education ministry of a bona fide church organization may supervise home-instruction families. The supervising entity handles annual verification with the local superintendent, eliminating the parent's direct twice-per-year portfolio review. This is a legitimate operator pathway for microschools wanting to aggregate families under one umbrella while each family still maintains its home-instruction status.

Maryland does NOT recognize a distinct "certified tutor" exemption to compulsory attendance. Home instruction under COMAR 13A.10.01 must be conducted by the parent/guardian or a designated adult relative (for parent-directed) or under the supervision of a qualifying nonpublic entity (for umbrella). A paid tutor may assist within a family's home instruction, but the compulsory-attendance pathway remains the family's home instruction program — not a standalone tutor exemption. Tutor-based microschools should structure as either a Homeschool Cooperative, an Umbrella Entity (if qualifying as church-exempt or certified), or an Independent Private School.

A pre-compulsory-age program for children under 5 regulated by MSDE's Office of Child Care under COMAR Title 13A, Subtitle 15 (Family Child Care Homes) and Subtitle 16 (Child Care Centers). Maryland compulsory attendance begins at age 5 under Md. Educ. Code § 7-301 (longstanding age-5 floor under Maryland's mandatory kindergarten law), so programs exclusively serving children under 5 are outside the compulsory-attendance system. Family child care homes and child care centers each have their own licensing rules, staff ratios, training requirements, and facility standards.

A part-time model where families enroll under your umbrella entity (COMAR 13A.10.01.05) and receive core instruction 2–3 days per week at your facility. You handle the annual verification with each family's local superintendent, provide materials, and deliver on-site instruction; families handle at-home instruction days. If your operator entity qualifies as a church-exempt school or certified nonpublic school, this is Maryland's most operator-flexible microschool model. Alternatively, families may file parent-directed home-instruction notifications (COMAR 13A.10.01.01) and your program is a shared resource without supervision authority.