Homeschool funding & ESAs in Massachusetts

Can I get paid to homeschool in Massachusetts?

No. Massachusetts has no ESA or voucher that independent homeschooling families can use. Nationwide grants are listed below, each with its own eligibility rules. Romeschool tracks and organizes what you spend, so a receipt is ready the moment a program asks for one — it never files or submits anything on your behalf. It runs the other way too: Massachusetts's homeschool rules require a test or an evaluation each year. The accepted options, and who administers each, are in the testing line below. If the option you choose charges a fee, plan for it.

What does Massachusetts require of homeschoolers — and what should I plan for?

Massachusetts requires a test or an evaluation each year. That is the part of the year a family arranges ahead of time. Which options Massachusetts accepts — and who administers each one — is in the testing line below, in the reviewed rules' own words. If the option you choose charges a fee, plan for it. What Massachusetts asks for — notice, instruction time, testing and records — is set out below, straight from the reviewed rules.

Notice

Yes. Massachusetts requires homeschooling families to file a notice. Where it goes: Local school committee or superintendent. How: Written education plan submitted for approval before instruction begins. When: Before starting; annual renewal. Massachusetts requires approval (not mere notice). Under the Charles decision (1987) committees may require comparable subjects, competent teaching, and an assessment method, but cannot impose unreasonable conditions.

Testing or evaluation

Yes. Massachusetts requires a test or another accepted form of evaluation. How often: Annual (or as agreed). Accepted options: standardized test, portfolio review by a certified teacher/evaluator, progress report or interview, and other method negotiated with the committee. No statewide grade-pegged test; the method and grade-specific expectations are locally negotiated under the Charles framework.

Days and hours

Massachusetts's rule: Typically 180 days / 900 (elementary) or 990 (secondary) hours, mirroring public-school minimums and included as a benchmark in the approved plan — these are not a statutory floor.

Records

Massachusetts requires these records: your approved education plan and the district's approval letter; textbooks, workbooks and lesson plans the district may ask to see; and whatever your approved plan uses to show progress — test results, progress reports or dated work samples. No Massachusetts statute tells a homeschooling family what to keep — M.G.L. c. 76, § 1 says only that the instruction must be approved in advance, and the state's student-record regulations cover public schools, not home schools. What you keep comes from the approval itself: under Care and Protection of Charles the superintendent or school committee must have access to the textbooks, workbooks and other instructional aids the children use and to the parent's lesson plans, and may require periodic standardized testing, with progress reports or dated work samples substituted only if you agree. There is no statewide format, so keep your approved plan and whatever that plan's assessment calls for.

Full Massachusetts homeschool requirements →

Nationwide grants

• ACT Today! Grant · Autism Care Today
  For U.S. families of a child with an autism diagnosis (priority to household income under $100k).
  Open to any family of a child with autism — not homeschool-specific, but useful for therapy costs.
• Dyslexia Services Foundation Grant · Dyslexia Services Foundation
  For low-income U.S. children with dyslexia who cannot otherwise afford treatment (need shown via free/reduced lunch, Medicaid, or SNAP).
  Typically identified through a teacher or provider; not homeschool-specific.
• HSLDA Compassion Curriculum Grant · Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA)
  For HSLDA members with significant financial need (legal custody of a child 6-19, homeschooling 3+ months).
  You must privately fund your homeschool (not receiving ESA or other public funds).
• HSLDA Disaster Relief Grant · Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA)
  For homeschooling families (child 6-19) with physical disaster damage in the past 18 months.
• MyGOAL Autism Grant · MyGOAL Inc.
  For the primary caregiver of a child under 18 with autism, with demonstrated financial need.
  Open to any family of a child with autism — not homeschool-specific.
• Our Military Kids Grant · Our Military Kids
  For children (1-18) of deployed National Guard/Reserve members (60+ days) or of post-9/11 combat-injured service members and veterans.
  Funds organized, provider-led activities (not parent-taught core instruction).
• UnitedHealthcare Children's Foundation Grant · UnitedHealthcare Children's Foundation
  For U.S. children aged 16 or under with commercial (non-public) health insurance, subject to income guidelines.
  Medical (not education) funding — useful for special-needs homeschoolers' therapy costs.

Full details, amounts and deadlines for every program →