Minnesota Department of Education's Aids for Nonpublic Students
Homeschools may elect to receive Aids to Nonpublic Students from MDE's program. Homeschools must request this aid from their local school district by completing the necessary forms and submitting them the Registration Office by October 1st.
To participate in the MDE’s Nonpublic Pupil Aid Program, homeschools must complete and submit by October 1, 2026, the MDE's Student Report for Aids to Nonpublic Students (ED-01650-38) form. To be eligible, students must be enrolled in the homeschool on or before September 15, 2026. Each Program Element you select to participate in, you must enter on the form the actual number of students by grade level that are eligible to receive services. If you do not wish to participate in any of the three available Program Elements, you must check the corresponding “Non-participation” box on the form.
Eligible and allowable educational items purchased on July 1, 2026 through October 1, 2026 associated with the Textbooks, Individualized Instructional Materials, Standardized Tests, Software and Other Educational Technology Program Element, are reimbursed in the receipt amount up to, but not exceeding, the below MDE authorized rate of aid entitlement per eligible pupil allowed by the state for the current school year.
MDE-determined authorized rates of entitlement per eligible pupil for nonpublic pupil aids for school year 2026-2027 effective July 1st are as follows:
$138.43 - Textbooks, Individualized Instructional Materials, Standardized Tests, Software and Other Education Technology
$89.75 - Public School Health Services
$376.69 - Secondary Pupil Guidance and Counseling Services (grades 7-12 only)
To receive reimbursement for such purchased items, in addition to the submission of a completed Student Report form, a Homeschool Instructional Materials Reimbursement Request form, with attached corresponding purchase documentation and/or receipts, must be completed and submitted to the district by October 1, 2026. Any purchases made outside the July 1, 2026 through October 1, 2026 date range or forms / documentation submitted after the October 1st deadline will not be eligible for this aid or reimbursement.
Per the MDE, the general conditions of eligibility for education materials are:
1. Secular, neutral, nonideological, and not capable of diversion for religious use.
2. Designed primarily for individual pupil use to attain education objectives in a particular class or program.
3. Available and a benefit of Minnesota public school pupils.
4. Individualized instructional materials are those educational materials, in addition to textbooks, which are used as a complementary source of study in a given class or program and available for the individual use of each pupil in the class or program.
Examples of materials NOT eligible for reimbursement are general classroom use items such as but not limited to, writing or construction paper, notebooks, pens/pencils, scissors, crayons, wall charts/maps, library books, or other reference materials. See MDE’s Education Aids for Nonpublic School Students-Appendix A form for additional examples of materials not eligible for reimbursement per MDE.
See the Helpful Resources section for all homeschool forms, MDE website links, and contact information for Bemidji Area Schools Registration Office to submit forms.
