Homeschool 10 Subjects Minnesota: What You're Required to Teach

Minnesota homeschool law is specific: you must provide instruction in exactly 10 subjects. Not five. Not all subjects. Ten. This is the compliance foundation that everything else — your annual report, your portfolio, your tax credit claims — is built on.

Most families learn the subject list when they first register. What fewer families think about systematically is documenting coverage throughout the year and what to do if a subject gets squeezed out. This post covers both — plus the instructor qualification routes that determine who can legally teach in a Minnesota homeschool.

The 10 Required Subjects Under Minnesota Law

Minnesota Statute §120A.22 Subd. 9 specifies the following areas of instruction:

1. Reading — foundational literacy
2. Writing — composition and grammar
3. Literature — note that this is listed separately from reading and writing; it must also be addressed
4. Fine Arts — music, visual art, drama, or other creative arts
5. Mathematics — all grade-level math instruction
6. Science — including life science, physical science, earth science as appropriate
7. History — both US and world history content
8. Geography — both US and world geography
9. Government, Citizenship, and Economics — civics, economics, political science
10. Health and Physical Education — health and PE content must both be addressed

This list means that even a family using a comprehensive classical curriculum needs to verify that all 10 subjects are explicitly covered. A classical trivium approach covers history and literature deeply — but does it include explicit geography instruction? Does it include economics and civics? These are the questions that matter for compliance.

Why This Matters More Than Most Families Realize

Generic homeschool planners from Etsy or curriculum companies let you fill in whatever subjects you're teaching. That's fine for planning purposes, but it doesn't tell you whether you're meeting Minnesota's legal requirements.

A Minnesota family who focuses on math, reading, science, and history because those are the subjects their child loves — while de-emphasizing Fine Arts and Geography because they're harder to schedule — is technically out of compliance, regardless of how rigorous their core academics are.

The annual report you file with your superintendent states that you are providing instruction in the required subjects. If that's not actually true, the statement creates legal exposure. The practical safeguard is simple: build a tracking system around the 10 subjects, not around what you happen to teach most often.

How to Document Coverage

You don't need to prove you hit a specific number of hours in each subject. Minnesota does not require hourly tracking the way some states do. What you need is documentation showing that instruction occurred in each of the 10 areas.

Practical evidence for each subject area:

Reading / Writing / Literature

• Book list with dates completed
• Writing samples (essays, reports, creative pieces) with dates
• Grammar workbook pages or curriculum completion records

Fine Arts

• Dated art projects or photographs of artwork
• Music lesson records or practice logs
• Performance programs or participation records

Mathematics

• Curriculum chapter or unit completion records
• Graded assignments, tests, or quizzes
• Math workbook or textbook used

Science

• Lab reports or experiment documentation
• Nature study journals, observation logs
• Curriculum unit completion records

History and Geography

• Reading assignments from history texts with dates
• Map work, completed geography worksheets
• Timeline projects

Economics, Government, Citizenship

• Current events discussions or logs
• Civics unit from curriculum
• Economics concepts tied to real-world contexts (unit studies, projects)

Health

• Health curriculum completion records
• Nutrition or safety units from a curriculum

Physical Education

• Activity log (type of activity, duration)
• Sports participation, outdoor education records
• Organized PE activities

The point is not that you need elaborate documentation for every activity. A simple subject coverage log with dates is sufficient for most purposes. What you're building is a record that proves, if ever questioned, that all 10 subjects were addressed.

The Mid-Year Subject Audit

A useful practice is a mid-year subject audit — typically in January or February. Review your records against the 10-subject list. Any subject that hasn't appeared in your documentation in the last 3-4 months needs attention before the end of the school year.

Fine Arts and Physical Education are the two subjects most commonly underdocumented, even when instruction is genuinely happening. A child who takes piano lessons and plays outside daily is receiving both Fine Arts and PE instruction — but if neither is logged anywhere, the documentation gap exists.

Instructor Qualification Routes

Minnesota law automatically qualifies a parent to instruct their own child. If the primary instructor is not the parent, the instructor must meet one of four criteria: a valid Minnesota teaching license, direct supervision by a licensed teacher, a baccalaureate degree, or instruction in a school accredited by a state-recognized agency.

Parent as instructor. A parent instructing their own child is automatically qualified and does not need a degree or teaching license.

Valid Minnesota teaching license or baccalaureate degree. A non-parent instructor may qualify by holding a valid Minnesota teaching license or a baccalaureate degree. The degree does not need to be in education. Retain the relevant license information or degree evidence.

Direct supervision by a licensed teacher. A non-parent instructor who does not qualify through a license or degree may teach under the direct supervision of a person holding a valid Minnesota teaching license. Keep documentation of the supervising teacher and arrangement.

Instruction through an accredited school. Instruction provided through a school accredited by a state-recognized agency is another qualifying route. Retain the school and accreditation information relevant to the arrangement.

Which Route to Use

Most parents who provide instruction directly are automatically qualified. A non-parent instructor who holds a bachelor's degree or valid Minnesota teaching license can document that qualification. If neither applies, use the direct-supervision or accredited-school route and retain the relevant supporting information.

What Happens If a Subject Is Missing

If a superintendent inquiry ever raises questions about your instruction, the 10-subject requirement is the most likely focus. A well-documented record showing coverage across all 10 subjects is your primary protection.

If you discover mid-year that a subject has been genuinely neglected, the corrective action is straightforward: address it. Start a Fine Arts unit, implement a geography component, document the activity. A gap in the middle of the year followed by clear instruction and documentation is far better than a gap that extends through the end of the year.

The Minnesota Portfolio & Assessment Templates includes a 10-Subject Compliance Matrix designed specifically for Minnesota law — a structured template that ensures each required subject is documented throughout the year and organized for your annual report.

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