Homeschool testing in Massachusetts
Verified against primary sources on July 19, 2026
At a glance
- Testing required
- Yes
- When
- per district-approved home education plan (case law)
- What qualifies
- Standardized test required
- Who administers
- “Where practical, a neutral party should administer the test.”
- Results
- Filed with the state
- Score floor
- None fixed; “educational progress and the attainment of minimum standards.”
What the law says
“The superintendent or school committee may properly require periodic standardized testing… Other means of evaluating the progress of the children may be substituted… subject to the approval of the parents.”
— M.G.L. c. 76 § 1; Care & Protection of Charles, 399 Mass. 324 (1987)
Alternatives to testing
Periodic progress reports or dated work samples, subject to parent approval.
Worth knowing
No homeschool statute; per-district plan approval. Testing negotiable, cannot be unilaterally imposed to the exclusion of alternatives (Charles; Brunelle bars home-visit conditions).