How do I start homeschooling my child in New Mexico?
If you are interested in homeschooling your child in New Mexico but don’t know how to start, the following list may be useful.
- Know and understand the New Mexico homeschool laws.
- Find a homeschool group or association. These organizations provide information about state requirements and will put you in touch with other homeschool families in places like Albuquerque, Las Cruces, Rio Rancho, or anywhere else in NM.
- Choose a curriculum.
- Withdraw your child from public school.
- Set a daily schedule and follow it.
- Be vigilant about record keeping by carefully tracking attendance and grades.
- At the end of the curriculum, use a formal evaluation of learning or standardized assessment such as the New Mexico Measures of Student Success and Achievement (NM-MSSA).
Is homeschooling free in New Mexico?
Homeschool is not free in New Mexico in the sense that an effective curriculum requires the purchase of certain materials for your child’s education. The good news is that parents throughout the state - from Santa Fe to Roswell to Farmington - can make their money go a long way by choosing options like an online math curriculum that builds all of the instruction into the lessons.
Do parents get paid to homeschool in New Mexico?
Parents do not get paid to homeschool. However, in some cases, tax deductions, tax credits, or stipends may be available. Learn the homeschooling laws in New Mexico to find out if any of these apply to your situation.
What are the laws for homeschooling in New Mexico?
For the most recent information about the laws for homeschooling in New Mexico, visit the NM department of education website. Some procedures, like keeping attendance records, test scores, and samples of completed work are a good idea whether they’re legal requirements or not.
Is New Mexico a good place to homeschool?
The Land of Enchantment is as good a place as any to homeschool. While certain states are considered particularly “friendly” for K12 homeschooling, such as Texas, Illinois, Michigan, Alaska, and Missouri, the number of homeschoolers is growing everywhere due in large part to the availability of great online resources.