Homeschool laws by state / Massachusetts

Homeschool Laws & Requirements in Massachusetts

Every requirement below is verified against Massachusetts's actual statutes and links to the official text. Last verified: 2026-07-29 — re-checked weekly against primary sources.

What Massachusetts requires

Notice / filing	Required — see the filings below Notice of Intent / Declaration — Send your education plan to your superintendent or school committee for approval before you begin — cover the subjects, hours, materials, and how progress will be measured. Every district has its own process and forms, so check yours. Whatever progress check you agreed to in the plan is between you and your district.
Days / hours	No day or hour minimum is set by law.
Subjects	Reading, Writing, English, Geography, Arithmetic, Drawing, Music, US History, Constitution, Health, PE
Testing / evaluation	Depends on which legal route you use — the assessment method is agreed per plan with the district (test, portfolio review or progress report)
Records	Yes — records/portfolio must be kept (see the statute for what to retain).
Worth knowing	PRIOR APPROVAL by the superintendent or school committee is mandatory; hours/days are negotiated against the public-school standard, and there is NO statewide number

Citations: MGL c. 76 S 1; c. 71 SS 1-3 (subjects); Care and Protection of Charles, 399 Mass. 324 (1987)

What Massachusetts law does NOT require

Most websites won't say this plainly, so we will — because knowing what the law doesn't ask of you matters as much as knowing what it does:

No minimum number of school days or instructional hours is set by law.

Moving to or from Massachusetts

Moving INTO Massachusetts	APPROVAL REQUIRED BEFORE CONTINUING: submit your home-education plan to the NEW district for approval — approval is by the district where the child resides, so a move means a new approval. MA is approval-based per Care & Protection of Charles; each district has its own process. MGL c. 76 § 1; Charles (1987)
Moving OUT of Massachusetts	No exit filing is required. MGL c. 76 § 1 (no move clause)

Read the law yourself

MGL c. 76 § 1 (compulsory attendance / approval)
Mass.gov — law about home schooling (Charles case)
HSLDA - Massachusetts
Summary provided by HSLDA, an independent homeschool advocacy organization not affiliated with SpeedyRecord. Summaries can lag or paraphrase — the official text above is always the authority.

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Other states: Maryland · Michigan · Minnesota · All states

SpeedyRecord is a recordkeeping tool, not a law firm, and this page is not legal advice. We verify these requirements against Massachusetts's statutes and link the official text so you can read the law yourself; laws change, and the "last verified" date above tells you when we last checked. For legal questions about your family's specific situation, talk to a licensed attorney. © MyAiGuidanceCounselor LLC · Privacy · Terms · Compliance disclaimer