How to Start a Microschool: The 90-Day Checklist

You can open a home-based microschool in 90 focused days. Bigger builds (leased space, renovations, licensing) take longer, but the sequence is the same. Here is the checklist, week by week. Each item names the actual thing to do, not a vibe.

Days 1-14: Decide and define

Write the one-pager. Ages served, max enrollment, days per week, daily schedule, tuition, and your teaching approach. One page, no more.
Pick your legal pathway. Homeschool co-op, private school, or learning center. Read the legal differences and your state page, then decide. Everything downstream depends on this.
Test demand with five conversations. Talk to five real families who might enroll. If none would pay your tuition, fix the model before spending money.

Days 15-30: Form the business

Form an LLC with your state's Secretary of State (typically $50 to $500, online).
Get an EIN from the IRS. Free, online, takes minutes.
Open a business bank account. Keep school money separate from day one.
Request insurance quotes now. General liability plus abuse and molestation coverage is the baseline ask. Quotes can take weeks, which is why this happens in month one. Start with the Insurance & Legal directory.
If you are in an ESA state, start vendor or provider registration now. Platforms like ClassWallet and the Hope Scholarship portal have their own onboarding, and approval can take a month or more. Arizona, West Virginia, and Utah founders: this is your critical path.

Days 31-50: Space and safety

Choose home, church, or commercial. For home-based: call your city zoning office and ask what a small learning program at your address requires. For church space: ask about shared-use agreements and whether their insurance covers your program.
Do the safety basics regardless of what the law requires. Background checks for every adult, a written emergency plan, a sign-in and sign-out procedure, and CPR certification.
Check whether your model triggers child care licensing. Drop-off programs for young children do in some states. One phone call now beats a cease-and-desist later.

Days 51-70: Curriculum and operations

Choose curriculum one subject at a time. The constraint is that one guide runs everything, so favor programs with strong teacher materials and mixed-age flexibility. The vendor directory is organized for exactly this decision, subject by subject.
Buy consumables and set up the space. Tables, supplies, a printer that works.
Write the family handbook. Tuition and refund terms, attendance, illness policy, discipline approach, pickup authorization. Every dispute you will ever have is cheaper to settle in writing now.
Set up tuition billing. Even a simple system beats invoicing by text message.

Days 71-90: Enroll and open

Host two open houses. One weekday evening, one weekend morning.
Enroll through relationships. Homeschool co-ops, church bulletins, youth sports groups, and your five original families. Ten seats fill person by person.
Sign enrollment agreements and collect deposits. A signed agreement plus a deposit is an enrollment. Everything else is a conversation.
Run a soft-start week. Half days, half the students if needed. Fix the schedule while the stakes are low.

The two mistakes that blow up timelines

First, choosing a space before choosing a legal pathway. The pathway determines what the space must satisfy. Second, waiting on ESA registration. If your families plan to pay with ESA funds and you are not an approved provider by enrollment season, you will lose them to programs that are.

For the full context behind each step, the founder's guide goes deeper on all seven phases.

This is general information, not legal advice. Verify with your state before acting.