Mississippi · autism, ADHD and learning differences
Homeschooling a child with autism, ADHD or a learning difference in Mississippi
One certificate a year, and the law limits what that certificate is allowed to ask you. Starting in Mississippi means the notice step listed above. What changes for a neurodivergent child is how the lessons look and feel, and that is something a parent can set.
What Mississippi asks of a homeschool family
These are the homeschool rules we have on file for Mississippi, last verified 2026-08. Our Mississippi page has the full list, with sources.
Getting started (notice)
a certificate of enrolment filed with the school attendance officer for your county by September 15 each year.
Records you must keep
none required.
Testing / evaluation
none. Mississippi requires no standardized testing and no curriculum approval.
Special education and your homeschooled child in Mississippi
We researched this from Mississippi's statutes and administrative code, the state education department and the US Department of Education, last checked October 2026. Where a source was missing, old or in conflict, the line says so instead of guessing. Federal law (IDEA) gives a child placed in private school by a parent no individual right to services, only a share of the district's equitable-services funds, and each state decides how a home school is counted.
How the state counts a home school
Its own category, not a private school
Mississippi Code 37-13-91 treats a legitimate home instruction program as its own category, separate from a nonpublic school, and requires a certificate of enrollment filed with the school attendance officer by September 15 each year. The ESA statute (37-181-3) also lists nonpublic schools and home instruction programs separately and says an eligible school does not include a home instruction program.
Asking for an evaluation
MDE's child find procedures list homeschooled children among the special groups a district must consider, and section 37-181-3(l) says federal law still requires districts to identify and provide services to students with disabilities who live in the district, including those in home instruction programs. The district where the child lives therefore appears to be the contact. The MDE procedures document opened dates from 2015-2016.
Services and IEPs
Not found in primary sources. The MDE special education pages and procedures opened did not state what services, if any, a homeschooled child is entitled to or whether an IEP continues after withdrawal for home instruction.
Less certain: the sources on this were thin or in conflict. Confirm with the state office before relying on it.
Part-time classes, therapies and activities at the public school
Not found in primary sources. No Mississippi statute or MDE page opened addressed part-time classes, therapies or extracurriculars for home instruction students.
Less certain: the sources on this were thin or in conflict. Confirm with the state office before relying on it.
Scholarships and funding for a child with a disability
The Education Scholarship Account (ESA, sections 37-181-1 and following, repealed effective July 1, 2028) requires an IEP within the last three years and enrollment in an eligible school, and parents agree not to file a home instruction certificate. The Dyslexia Therapy Scholarship (37-173) and Speech-Language Therapy Scholarship (37-175) are for attending eligible nonpublic schools, so homeschooled children do not appear to qualify. The statute copies read were current as of January 2025 and the MDE ESA FAQ is dated July 2023, so recent changes may not be reflected.
Also worth knowing
MDE's child find procedures say that for homeschooled or parentally placed private school children, a district may not use mediation or due process to override a parent's refusal to have the child evaluated.
State office to ask: Mississippi Department of Education, Office of Special Education.
Sources we read
- https://mdek12.org/sites/default/files/documents/OAE/OCSA/Docs/home-school---ms-code-37-13-91%20(1).pdf
- https://mdek12.org/sites/default/files/documents/vol-i-cf-eval-elig-final-volume-09-22-2015_20160708142156_277140.pdf
- https://www.mdek12.org/sites/default/files/esa_faq_7.12.23.pdf
- https://mdek12.org/specialeducation/
- https://mdek12.org/specialeducation/special-education-educable-child/
- https://codes.findlaw.com/ms/title-37-education/ms-code-sect-37-181-3/
- https://codes.findlaw.com/ms/title-37-education/ms-code-sect-37-181-5/
- https://codes.findlaw.com/ms/title-37-education/ms-code-sect-37-173-5/
- https://codes.findlaw.com/ms/title-37-education/ms-code-sect-37-175-5/
A plain-language summary of public sources, not legal advice. Scholarship and school-choice programs change often, and we have left dollar amounts out on purpose. Confirm current rules with the state office before you act.
Pace, testing and the plan
Check the testing and evaluation line above for Mississippi, since it can depend on how you homeschool. Where a test or an evaluation applies, remember that Learning Supports change how lessons look and feel while your child learns. They are not part of a test or an evaluation. Whether a child can be given accommodations on the test, or with the evaluator, is something to ask the test provider or evaluator before the day, and we cannot tell you what Mississippi allows.
Records in Mississippi
Check the records line above for Mississippi. Letters & Devotion logs instructional hours automatically while your child works, tracks mastery per skill as a ready-made portfolio record, and prints a transcript in one click. Turning supports on or off does not change that record, and nothing in it names a condition, because Letters & Devotion never stores a diagnosis.
Six Learning Supports you can switch on
A parent ticks what helps, never a condition. Each support is a bundle of single switches, and any switch can be changed on its own. After about three weeks the parent side asks whether a support is helping.
Reading support
Often chosen for dyslexia
Read-aloud with each word highlighted, a clearer font, extra spacing and answer buttons.
Focus support
Often chosen for ADHD
Short pieces, one question on screen and movement breaks.
Predictable routine
Often chosen for autism
The same layout, a heads-up before changes, a calm look and plain wording.
Math support
Often chosen for dyscalculia
Pictures and a calculator, with nothing timed.
Writing support
Often chosen for dysgraphia
Answer out loud, with ideas counted over spelling.
Low-pressure mode
Often chosen for anxiety or perfectionism
No scores, calm feedback and a free second try.
What this is not
- It does not diagnose anything or store a diagnosis. Your child never sees a condition name.
- It is not special education, therapy or an evaluation, and it is not a substitute for an IEP.
- Read-aloud is a computer voice, not a person, and answering out loud needs the microphone switch.
- Some lesson rewrites, such as plainer literal wording, are pre-written, so not every lesson has one.
Try it with your child in Mississippi
All 84 courses are readable in full with no account and no card, and the first 30 days are free.
$29 a month or $290 a year for every child. Cancel anytime, in one click.
Questions
Can I homeschool a child with autism or ADHD in Mississippi?
Mississippi's homeschool rules are summarized on this page. On special education: Mississippi Code 37-13-91 treats a legitimate home instruction program as its own category, separate from a nonpublic school, and requires a certificate of enrollment filed with the school attendance officer by September 15 each year. The ESA statute (37-181-3) also lists nonpublic schools and home instruction programs separately and says an eligible school does not include a home instruction program. MDE's child find procedures list homeschooled children among the special groups a district must consider, and section 37-181-3(l) says federal law still requires districts to identify and provide services to students with disabilities who live in the district, including those in home instruction programs. The district where the child lives therefore appears to be the contact. The MDE procedures document opened dates from 2015-2016.
Does Letters & Devotion store my child’s diagnosis?
No. You pick supports, never a condition, nothing stores a diagnosis, and your child never sees a condition name. Support settings are never sent to analytics.
Does this replace an evaluation or an IEP?
No. The setup screen says it plainly: these change how lessons look and feel, and they are not a substitute for an evaluation or an IEP.
Do the supports work with Mississippi's testing rules?
Check the testing and evaluation line above for Mississippi, since it can depend on how you homeschool. Where a test or an evaluation applies, remember that Learning Supports change how lessons look and feel while your child learns. They are not part of a test or an evaluation. Whether a child can be given accommodations on the test, or with the evaluator, is something to ask the test provider or evaluator before the day, and we cannot tell you what Mississippi allows.
What does it cost?
$29 a month or $290 a year for every child. The first 30 days are free with no card.
Keep reading
- Homeschooling in Mississippi: the full requirements
- Homeschooling for autism and ADHD
- A homeschool curriculum for a neurodivergent child
- ADHD homeschool curriculum
- Dyslexia homeschool curriculum
- IEP accommodations a homeschool curriculum can carry
A plain-language summary, not legal advice, and laws change. Confirm current requirements with Mississippi before relying on them. Sources are listed on the Mississippi page.