Advocates for Home Education in Massachusetts, Inc.

Ask AHEM

We want your questions!

Whatever your homeschooling questions, AHEM is here to help. Our new series Ask AHEM is designed to answer common questions—or unusual ones. Whatever you want to know about homeschooling in Massachusetts, our team of experienced volunteers is ready to answer, or to point you to where you can find answers.

If you have questions or topics you'd like to suggest for this series, you can email us at info@ahem.info.

As always, those with more complex questions or problems, or those including personal details, can access our One-on-One Support  to get your questions answered.

The Questions


  1. My child is in ... grade. What subjects do I need to teach?
  2. I sent in my education plan and my town is asking for my ‘scope, goals and objectives’ for each subject. Is this something I need to give them?
  3. My town is asking for a detailed schedule. Is this something I need to give them?”
  4. I am changing my curriculum. Do I need to inform my district?
  5. Do I need approval to homeschool in Massachusetts?
  6. Can my town reject my education plan?
  7. I haven't gotten an approval letter from my town; what should I do?
  8. So can I just start homeschooling?
  9. I was approved but my town is asking me to send back a signed form. What should I do?
  10. I said in my education plan that I would submit a progress report at the end of the year but in the approval letter they mention work samples as well. Should I respond?
  11. Is there funding available for homeschoolers in Massachusetts? If not, is this something we can make happen?

  1. My child is in ... grade. What subjects do I need to teach?

    Whether you are just beginning with a first grader or are entering the dreaded high school years, you may be wondering what subjects you need to include in your education plan in order to get it approved.

    Homeschoolers in Massachusetts actually have a lot of freedom. The law makes clear that your district cannot tell you how to educate (see Brunelle at 518). Nor are there any specific requirements for what is taught on a year-by-year basis. The Massachusetts General Laws  Chapters 69 and 71 list a number of subjects that need to be covered at some point in your child’s education. However, you do not have to do every subject mentioned every year.

    On a practical level, if you do not mention English-language arts or mathematics in your education plan, your town may ask about them, but there are no specific subject requirements for a given year.

    Back to top.

  2. I sent in my education plan and my town is asking for my ‘scope, goals and objectives’ for each subject. Is this something I need to give them?

    3. As with many questions about homeschool reporting in Massachusetts, there is not a simple yes or no answer to this one. Your district can ask about your curriculum and materials. Since you already sent in your education plan, you have probably given them at least a list of materials and subjects to be covered. The real question here is how much detail they can ask for.

    Care and Protection of Charles says: The superintendent or school committee must also have access to the textbooks, workbooks, and other instructional aids to be used by the children and to the lesson plans and teaching manuals to be used by the parents. It makes clear, however, that this access is only to determine subject and grade level. (Charles at 339)

    Charles and the other decisions that regulate homeschooling in the state are always seeking to balance the parents’ rights with the government’s responsibilities. Districts may ask for some degree of detail when it comes to curriculum and materials, enough to be able to determine subject and grade level. As always, their requests must be essential. A full scope and sequence with goals and objectives would seem to exceed this standard.

    How then can you respond to such requests? It is helpful to think of ramping up slowly. Often towns will be satisfied with a little more detail, perhaps a few specific topics that will be covered for major subject areas. If you are uncomfortable providing more information or believe that you have provided all that is required, don't afraid to advocate for yourself. Those approving homeschooling plans may genuinely not be familiar with the specifics of the law. Polite dialogue, quoting the relevant cases where applicable, can go a long way. As always, if you have further questions or need help working through particulars, AHEM is here to help.

  3. My town is asking for a detailed schedule. Is this something I need to give them?

    4. The Charles decision states that: The superintendent or school committee may properly consider the length of the proposed home school year and the hours of instruction in each subject (Charles at 339). Brunelle acknowledges that While following a schedule may be an important consideration in a public school where preexisting schedules need to be maintained and coordinated, the perception and use of time in a home school are different. The plaintiffs can observe and accommodate variations (from child to child, subject to subject, day to day) in the learning process and teach through a process that paces each student. (Brunelle at 518). While specifically discussing the need for home visits (which it rules as non-essential), Brunelle goes on to imply that there is no need to ensure that a formal schedule is being followed.

    Practically speaking, what this means is that while districts may ask about schedule, parents do not need to replicate what is happening in the public schools but only to equal it in thoroughness and efficiency. The personalized nature of homeschooling tends to make it more efficient, and instructional time in a homeschool may include such activities as independent study, field trips, and hands-on learning.

    If asked about their homeschool year, many parents write that they will provide the equivalent in thoroughness and efficiency of the 180 days, 900/990 hours of instruction required yearly in the public schools. If school officials insist on more detail than this, some submit an estimate of hours per subject per year, prefaced by a statement such as: Because of the flexible nature of homeschooling, the following is necessarily an estimate of hours of instruction spent per subject. If officials persist in requesting a detailed schedule, it might be useful to cite the above quote from Brunelleregarding the flexibility of homeschooling. Districts are not authorized to go so far as to ask for an hourly or daily schedule.

    As always, if you have further questions or need help working through particulars, AHEM is here to help.

  4. I am changing my curriculum. Do I need to inform my district?

    5. One of the great benefits of homeschooling is flexibility. If you are finding that the curriculum you initially chose isn't working out as you'd hoped, you can pivot and find something else that works better for your individual learner. Knowing that they may want to make changes, many homeschoolers submit plans that incorporate flexibility, perhaps adding a statement noting the dynamic nature of homeschooling and the need to respond to students’ needs, or even just using language like we intend/plan to use ... If you have used language like this, the district, in approving your education plan, has pre-approved the option to be flexible with content, and there would be no need to notify them of a change in plans. If you did not use language that incorporates flexibility in your initial education plan, you may want to update your town on your curriculum changes, though depending on the nature of the changes and when in the school year they happen, some parents may choose to hold off on notification and address changes in the end-of-year evaluation.

    As always, if you have further questions or need help working through particulars, AHEM is here to help..

  5. Do I need approval to homeschool in Massachusetts?

    6. You may have heard it said that, when you send your education plan, you are not asking for approval but only informing your town of your plan. On one hand, the law recognizes the parents’ right to homeschool, a right which has been established at the federal level. On the other, the Charles decision does use the word approval. Most accurately, we might say that you are not being approved but that your education plan is. For a fuller explanation see this post from our Homeschool Fact Check series.

  6. Can my town reject my education plan?

    7. No. A district cannot simply deny or reject an education plan. The law outlines a process to be followed if immediate approval is not given. The district must let you know why they are not approving your plan and give you an opportunity to respond and to work with them on resolving any issues. See General Considerations on our Tips page.

  7. I haven't gotten an approval letter from my town; what should I do?

    8. While some towns do send approval letters, others do not. There is nothing in the law that requires districts to send such letters. You do not need a letter in order to homeschool. However, many homeschoolers feel more confident with a letter in hand. If your town does not send one, you can request one. See this article on approval letters for more.

  8. So can I just start homeschooling?

    9. The answer to this one is a bit complicated. The General Laws of the state speak of the need for prior approval. However, Charles makes clear that once an education plan has been submitted, the burden shifts to the district. While no child has ever been ordered back to school during the approval process, the decision on whether to begin before approval is secured may depend on individual circumstances and comfort levels. For more on this issue, see Fact Check: Prior Approval and Unsnarling Charles.

  9. I was approved but my town is asking me to send back a signed form. What should I do?

    10. Approval is approval. If you have a statement that your education plan was approved for the year, you shouldn't need to worry about additional requests.

  10. I said in my education plan that I would submit a progress report at the end of the year but in the approval letter they mention work samples as well. Should I respond?

    11. The law is clear that the method of evaluation should be agreed upon by the district and the parents. Your specific response may depend on your history with your district. Some parents will choose to respond and reiterate their stated method. Others will just ignore the request. Again, approval is approval. There is no category for conditional approval. See AHEM's article on progress reports.

  11. Is there funding available for homeschoolers in Massachusetts? If not, is this something we can make happen?

    12. To the first question: no, Massachusetts does not have any kind of funding available for homeschooled students. While many homeschooling families make financial sacrifices to homeschool, many of these same families would oppose policies that make such funding available. It’s important to remember that when the government provides programs, services, or financial benefits, it reasonably expects accountability. With accountability comes definitions, in this case the need to define what homeschooling is and what it is not. Currently, homeschooled students fall under the category otherwise educated and homeschool is not a term defined in the General Laws of the Commonwealth. What activities and materials are educational would also have to be determined. As with proposed legislation, the likelihood is that the definitions would mirror the practices of conventional schools, setting us off on the slippery slope to restricting homeschooling freedom..