Homeschooling in Massachusetts.

Regulation level

High (prior approval required · varies by district) · High-UNCERTAIN (family visibility of specific requirements is UNVERIFIABLE without district-layer data)

Statute citation

M.G.L. c. 76, § 1 (compulsory attendance · at-home instruction clause) + Care and Protection of Charles, 399 Mass. 324 (1987) (approval framework + factors) + Brunelle v. Lynn Public Schools, 428 Mass. 512 (1998) (home visits may not be required)

Who you notify (if any)

LOCAL school committee OR superintendent (per M.G.L. c. 76, § 1: 'a child who is being otherwise instructed in a manner approved in advance by the superintendent or the school committee'). No state-level approval · DESE has no role.

How and when

Advance approval REQUIRED BEFORE INSTRUCTION BEGINS · cannot be cured retroactively (verbatim Care and Protection of Charles: 'Home education of their child by the defendants without the prior approval of the superintendent or the [school] committee [does] not show a compliance with the statute and bar the prosecution of the complaints.'). No specific calendar deadline stated in statute.

Notification method

Written plan submitted to superintendent or school committee for advance approval

Assessment options

Standardized testing OR periodic progress reports OR dated work samples · negotiated locally at plan-approval time

Required subjects

Locally determined within Charles benchmark (see required_subjects_charles_benchmark)

Instruction hours

Locally determined · not state-mandated. The 180-day figure is the PUBLIC-school minimum · the Charles court held the home school year should be 'comparable to' the public school year but did not impose 180 days on home schoolers by regulation. DESE: 'The requirements that apply to public schools, such as educator licensing or structured learning time, do not apply to home schooling.'

Records required

No state-level portfolio format or retention requirement. Locally determined.

Parent qualification

NOT-STATED-BY-STATUTE at state level · Charles: teacher certification and college degrees MAY NOT be required as approval conditions