How to Start Homeschooling in Massachusetts

Massachusetts requires more paperwork to begin homeschooling than most states. But once you understand the structure, the process is manageable — and the legal framework gives you genuine flexibility in how you design your program.

Here is the complete sequence for starting homeschooling in Massachusetts, whether you're withdrawing mid-year or planning ahead for fall.

The Legal Framework: What Massachusetts Actually Requires

Massachusetts homeschooling is governed by a 1987 Supreme Judicial Court decision, Care and Protection of Charles. This decision established that parents have the right to homeschool, but districts retain the authority to review and approve your program.

Approval is based on four factors:

1. Subjects to be taught — Massachusetts law requires certain subjects at each grade level (reading, writing, arithmetic, drawing, music, geography, US history, Massachusetts history, health, science, and physical education for grades 1-6; additional subjects at the secondary level)
2. Textbooks and other instructional materials — what you'll use to teach those subjects
3. Number of instructional hours — Massachusetts public schools run approximately 900-990 hours per year; your program should reflect comparable time
4. Assessment method — how you'll demonstrate adequate progress (standardized testing, portfolio review, or evaluation by a credentialed educator)

Your school committee reviews these four factors and approves or requests modifications. Districts may not impose additional requirements beyond these four — though some try.

Step 1: Notify Your School District

Before you can begin homeschooling, you must submit an education plan to your local school committee (or their designee — often the superintendent or a curriculum director). You cannot simply stop sending your child to school without prior approval.

Contact your district's central office to find out who handles homeschool requests. In larger districts like Boston, Worcester, or Springfield, there's typically a designated homeschool coordinator. In smaller districts, it may go directly to the superintendent.

Step 2: Write Your Education Plan

Your education plan is the document that addresses the four Charles factors. It should be specific enough to demonstrate a genuine program without volunteering information the district isn't entitled to.

For each subject, you need:

• The subject name
• The materials or resources you'll use (textbook title and edition, or a description of resources if you're using a more flexible approach)
• Roughly how many hours per week you plan to spend on it

At the end, you state your chosen assessment method.

First-year families often make the plan too detailed or too vague. Too detailed invites scrutiny on things that aren't legally required. Too vague gives the district grounds to request revisions. The right level of specificity addresses each factor clearly without becoming an itemized lesson plan.

The Massachusetts Portfolio and Assessment Templates include an education plan template calibrated to the Charles criteria — structured to address what the district needs without over-disclosing.

Step 3: Wait for Approval

The school committee must act on your education plan within a reasonable time. In practice, most districts respond within two to four weeks. Some will approve as-is; others will request revisions or schedule a meeting.

If the district requests modifications, you can comply, negotiate, or — if their demands exceed what the Charles decision permits — push back using AHEM's guidance or legal support. Most requests are reasonable.

You cannot begin homeschooling until you have written approval.

Starting Mid-Year

Mid-year starts follow the same process, but timing matters more. You must receive written approval before withdrawing your child from their current school. If you withdraw first and submit your plan afterward, you're in truancy status during the gap.

The practical sequence for a mid-year start:

1. Prepare your education plan
2. Submit to the district
3. Wait for written approval
4. Submit formal written withdrawal to your child's school
5. Begin homeschooling on the approved start date

Some families find it useful to have both the withdrawal letter and the education plan ready simultaneously so there's no delay once approval comes through.

What Your First Year Actually Looks Like

The first year is typically the hardest — not because Massachusetts has burdensome requirements, but because you're learning to run a program, keep records, and prepare for annual renewal at the same time.

A few realities to set expectations:

Annual renewal. You'll repeat this process every year. At year-end, you complete your chosen assessment (test, portfolio review, or educator evaluation). Then you submit a new education plan for the following year. The second year is significantly easier because you've been through the cycle once.

Record-keeping starts on day one. You don't need elaborate records, but you do need logs. If you're doing portfolio review as your assessment method, the portfolio needs to represent the whole year — you can't reconstruct it from memory in May. Start a simple log of subjects covered, materials used, and hours from your first week.

The district relationship varies. Some Massachusetts school committees are cooperative and process education plans quickly. Others are more demanding. First-year families in districts known for pushback benefit from submitting airtight documentation from the start.

Curriculum is your choice. Massachusetts does not mandate specific curriculum. You can use a boxed curriculum, individual textbooks, online courses, community college classes, or a self-designed eclectic approach — as long as your education plan lists materials and addresses the required subjects.

Required Subjects by Grade Level

Massachusetts law specifies required subjects. For grades 1-6:

• Reading, writing, English language and grammar
• Arithmetic
• Drawing
• Music (vocal or instrumental)
• Geography
• United States history, Massachusetts history
• Health
• Physical education
• Science and technology

For grades 7-12, required subjects include English, social studies (including US and world history), mathematics, science and technology, health, and physical education. Foreign language is not legally required but expected by most colleges.

After Approval: Building Your Portfolio

Once your education plan is approved and you're underway, your documentation job is ongoing. The Massachusetts Portfolio and Assessment Templates are designed to take you from education plan submission through your first annual review — including the record-keeping logs and portfolio organization that make renewal straightforward.

First-year families who set up their documentation system before they start will have a significantly easier time at year-end than those who try to reconstruct everything in the final weeks before their annual review.

See more United States homeschool guides →