Homeschool Notice of Intent Massachusetts: What to Include and When to File

In most states, your notice of intent to homeschool is a one-page form you mail in and forget about. Massachusetts is different. Your "notice of intent" is actually an education plan that must be reviewed and approved by your local school committee or superintendent before you can legally begin homeschooling. This prior-approval requirement under MGL c.76 §1 is what makes Massachusetts one of the highest-regulation homeschool states in the country.

Getting your education plan right the first time saves weeks of back-and-forth with your district. Getting it wrong — or withdrawing your child before approval arrives — can trigger a truancy violation. Here's exactly what to include, when to file, and how to avoid the most common mistakes.

What Your Education Plan Must Include

The Care and Protection of Charles (1987) decision defines five areas your school committee can evaluate. Your education plan should address each one clearly:

Subject coverage. List all 13 subjects required by Massachusetts law: reading, writing, English language and grammar, orthography (spelling), geography, arithmetic, drawing, music, United States history and Constitution, duties of citizenship, health education (including CPR), physical education, and good behavior. For each subject, briefly note the materials or activities you'll use.

Instructional hours. State that you plan to provide approximately 900 hours of instruction for elementary students or 990 hours for high school students across roughly 180 days. You don't need to provide a daily schedule — a simple statement of planned compliance is sufficient.

Instructor qualifications. Include a brief statement such as: "The instructor is of competent ability and good morals." You may add a sentence about your educational background, but no teaching certification or college degree is required. The Charles decision explicitly rejected such requirements.

Instructional materials. List the primary resources you plan to use — curriculum programs, textbooks, online resources, library materials, community programs. Breadth demonstrates thoroughness without requiring you to commit to a single rigid program.

Assessment method. Specify how you'll demonstrate educational progress at the end of the year. Options include standardized testing (Iowa Test of Basic Skills, Stanford Achievement Test, California Achievement Test), portfolio review by a Massachusetts-certified teacher, or a narrative progress report. Choose the method that best fits your educational approach, and make sure you can actually follow through — this commitment becomes part of your approved plan.

When to File

Before the school year starts. For families already homeschooling, submit your education plan for the upcoming year before instruction begins. Many families submit it in late summer alongside their previous year's end-of-year assessment, which streamlines district processing.

Before withdrawing from school. If you're pulling your child from public school, submit your education plan and wait for written approval before withdrawing. This sequence is critical — removing a child from school before receiving approval can be treated as a truancy violation under MGL c.76 §1. Some families have had truancy officers appear at their door within days of an unauthorized withdrawal.

Mid-year withdrawals. If you need to start homeschooling mid-year, the same process applies: submit your education plan, wait for approval, then formally withdraw. Some districts process mid-year plans quickly; others take weeks. Plan accordingly.

Common Filing Mistakes

Using district forms that ask too much. Many school committees provide their own application forms. These routinely request daily schedules, curriculum framework alignment, or detailed teaching philosophy statements — all of which exceed the Charles decision's five review criteria. Using your own well-formatted plan instead of district forms keeps you in control of what information you share.

Providing too much detail. First-year families often over-explain their approach, share daily schedules, or describe their educational philosophy at length. This information goes beyond what the school committee can legally evaluate and creates expectations for future years. Address the five Charles criteria thoroughly but don't volunteer extras.

Forgetting uncommon subjects. Orthography, duties of citizenship, and drawing are the subjects most commonly omitted from education plans. Including all 13 from the start prevents your plan from being returned for revision.

Not specifying an assessment method. Some families submit subject lists and materials but forget to declare how they'll demonstrate progress. Under Charles, the assessment method is one of the five reviewable elements — your plan is incomplete without it.

Withdrawing before approval. This cannot be emphasized enough. Massachusetts is a prior-approval state. The education plan must be approved before you stop attending school. Violating this sequence has legal consequences.

What Happens After You Submit

Your school committee reviews your plan and either approves it or requests additional information. Response times vary dramatically by district — some approve within a week, others take several weeks.

If the committee requests additional information, respond promptly and specifically to their question. If they request something outside the five Charles criteria (home visit, daily schedules, MCAS participation), you can politely decline by citing the Charles decision and Brunelle v. Lynn (1998).

Once approved, you have the freedom to implement your plan as described, adjusting materials and scheduling as needed throughout the year. You're not locked into the exact daily routine described in your plan — the approval covers your general approach to the required subjects, hours, and assessment.

At year-end, submit the assessment you committed to. Many families submit their end-of-year assessment alongside next year's education plan, creating an efficient annual cycle.

The Massachusetts Portfolio & Assessment Templates include education plan drafts for each grade band, pre-written assessment method language, and a filing checklist that walks you through the submission sequence — so your notice of intent addresses every Charles requirement without over-sharing.

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