New Mexico State Laws

1. Be qualified to teach, meaning you must have a high school diploma or its equivalent (i.e., a GED).
2. Notify the state superintendent of your intent to homeschool within 30 days of starting your homeschool and annually by August 1 thereafter. In the August 1 notice, you must identify the school district in which you are homeschooling. Mail the form to this address:

New Mexico Department of Education

Attn: Home School Notification

300 Don Gaspar

Santa Fe, NM 87501-2786

Or visit them here https://webnew.ped.state.nm.us/bureaus/options-parents-families/home-schools/ 

3. Teach for the required number of days, which is the same number of days your local public school is in session (usually 180 days).

4. Teach the required subjects, which include reading, language arts, math, social studies, and science.

5. Maintain immunization records. You can obtain a waiver of this requirement if you have a religious objection or medical exemption.

Here you’ll find websites for any questions you may have about education in the state of New Mexico.

• New Mexico Public Education Department: https://webnew.ped.state.nm.us/
• New Mexico Public Education Department homeschooling: https://webnew.ped.state.nm.us/bureaus/options-parents-families/home-schools
• New Mexico Education: https://nmeducation.org/
• New Mexico State Government – Education: https://www.newmexico.gov/education/
• New Mexico School Boards Association: https://www.nmsba.org/
• U.S. Department of Education – New Mexico: https://www.ed.gov/category/location/new-mexico
• List of New Mexico school districts: https://ballotpedia.org/List_of_school_districts_in_New_Mexico

Whether you already homeschool in New Mexico or are looking to do so, these resources are quite useful if you’re searching for support, co-ops, or answers to questions about homeschooling in your state.

• Christian Association of Parent Educators (CAPE) New Mexico: https://www.cape-nm.org/
• Homeschool Las Cruces: https://www.facebook.com/homeschoolLasCruces/
• Otero County Homeschool Educators: https://www.facebook.com/groups/530393760308664/
• Carlsbad New Mexico Homeschool Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1587938778109983/
• Santa Fe Homeschool Kids Club: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1620741151506442/
• Santa Fe Christian Homeschool Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/SantaFeChristianHomeschoolGroup/
• Los Alamos Homeschoolers: https://www.facebook.com/groups/708684245841950/
• Los Alamos Unschoolers and Relaxed Homeschoolers: https://www.facebook.com/groups/461345244037047/

One of the many benefits of homeschooling is the flexibility to explore! Here are some ideas for amazing–and educational–field trips around the great state of New Mexico!

• Alameda Park Zoo: Alamogordo, NM

• Albuquerque Biological Park: Albuquerque, NM

• Albuquerque Museum of Art and History: Albuquerque, NM

• Aztec Ruins National Monument: Aztec, NM

• Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge: San Antonio, NM

• Bradbury Science Museum/Los Alamos National Laboratory: Los Alamos, NM

• Branigan Cultural Center: Las Cruces, NM

• Carlsbad Caverns National Park: Carlsbad, NM

• Clayton Dinosaur Tracks: Clayton, NM

• El Malpais National Monument: Grants, NM

• Explora: Albuquerque, NM

• Fort Union National Monument: Watrous, NM

• Georgia O’Keeffe Museum: Santa Fe, NM

• Indian Pueblo Cultural Center: Albuquerque, NM

• Las Cruces Museum of Nature & Science: Las Cruces, NM

• Living Desert Zoo & Gardens: Carlsbad, NM

• Maxwell Museum of Anthropology: Albuquerque, NM

• Millicent Rogers Museum of Northern New Mexico: Taos, NM

• MoNaS, Museum of Nature and Science: Las Cruces, NM

• Museum of Indian Arts & Culture: Santa Fe, NM

• Museum of International Folk Art: Santa Fe, NM

• National Museum of Nuclear Science and History: Albuquerque, NM

• National Radio Astronomy Observatory: Socorro, NM

• National Solar Observatory/Sacramento Peak: Sunspot, NM

• New Mexico Museum of Art: Santa Fe, NM

• New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science: Albuquerque, NM

• New Mexico Museum of Space History: Alamogordo, NM

• Pecos National Historical Park: Pecos, NM

• Petroglyph National Monument: Albuquerque, NM

• Roswell Museum and Art Center: Roswell, NM

• Santa Fe Children’s Museum: Santa Fe, NM

• Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge: Socorro, NM

• Valles Caldera National Preserve: Jemez Springs, NM

• Wildlife West Nature Park: Edgewood, NM

• Zuhl Geological Collection: Las Cruces, NM