Advocates for Home Education in Massachusetts, Inc. (AHEM)

Reminder: Join is virtually this Wednesday to get your end-of-year evaluation questions answered:

Virtual Q&A: End-of-Year Evaluations – AHEM Join AHEM Live 6/17/26 Join AHEM representatives virtually for a live Q&A on End-of-Year Reporting. This hour-long event will begin with a brief presentation on evaluations followed by plenty of time for your questions. What: End-of-Year Evaluations Q&A When: Wednesday, June 17, 2026, 7-8pm Cost: $5...

Our poll results are in! Read all about homeschooling while working: How many people do it, What the biggest challenges are, and Advice from those who are juggling it all:

Homeschooling while Working – AHEM Poll Numbers & Advice from Our Survey Homeschool families often sacrifice to make it work. Some struggle to balance working while homeschooling; others try to make it work on one income. In a recent poll, we asked how your family does it, and in particular if those of you who work while also educati...

As we begin getting questions about reporting for the coming year, remember:
- There is no letter of intent in MA; you only need to send in your education plan.
- Many towns have forms and policies that sound onerous. Don't panic. Just send in your ed plan.

We recommend all MA homeschoolers read through the Learning Guides on AHEM's Getting Started page https://ahem.info/get-started/ Don't count on getting accurate information from your dustrict. Educate yourself.

Getting Started – AHEM AHEM has all the resources you need to get started homeschooling in Massachusetts. Step-by-Step Guide 📚 Learn the basicsAHEM’s FAQs, Learning Guides and Homeschool Glossary are designed to give you all the basics you need to get started. 📝 Prepare your education planWrite an education plan f...

Virtual Q&A: End-of-Year Evaluations
Join AHEM Live 6/17/26

Join AHEM representatives virtually for a live Q&A on End-of-Year Reporting. This hour-long event will begin with a brief presentation on evaluations followed by plenty of time for your questions.

What: End-of-Year Evaluations Q&A

When: Wednesday, June 17, 2026, 7-8pm

Cost: $5/participtant

To register: Submit the $5 registration fee via Paypal and provide the email address you will use to log in to the meeting. Meeting link will be sent to the email address provided.

Register Now: https://www.paypal.com/ncp/payment/LVLJFMBR7L2YW

To submit questions ahead of time, email [email protected]. There will be time to ask questions during the event. However, submitting them ahead of time makes it more likely we will get to your questions.

End of Year Reporting Presentation (ONLINE) Join us for an online presentation about Homeschool Reporting in MA. Do you have something specific you'd like covered? Please email [email protected] with any questions.

Worried about end-of-year evaluations? AHEM's evaluations fact sheet https://ahem.info/2025/09/03/evaluations-fact-sheet/ answers many common questions.

Evaluation Questions – AHEM 1. What forms of evaluation are acceptable? CARE AND PROTECTION OF CHARLES & others, 399 Mass. 324 (1987) says that school officials and parents should agree on a method of evaluation that may include one of the following approaches: standardized testing, periodic progress report, or dated work samp...

Question of the week: How can my homeschooled teen get a work permit?

Answer: In MA teens below age 18 need a work permit to be legally employed. A representative of the local school district must sign the permit application (this may be the superintendent or another individual appointed by the district). This is true no matter how they are educated -- Public, private, or homeschool, they all go through the local public school district. The teen must have a job offer before filling out the permit application. Younger teens (14 & 15 yos) will also need their doctor to sign the application.

For more questions and answers, see our High school Fact Sheet https://ahem.info/2025/09/02/high-school-fact-sheet/

If you have a question for AHEM, you can submit it here: https://ahem.info/request-one-on-one-support/ OR email it to [email protected]

Request One-on-One Support – AHEM AHEM's One-on-One Contacts provide information and support and are happy to help new and active homeschoolers with general homeschooling questions, as well as to field questions about reporting to and act as sounding boards for concerns in dealing with school officials. Many questions are answered i...

Did you know?

Our surveys show that 2/3 of MA homeschoolers are asked to fill out some sort of form but only 1/3 do (see https://ahem.info/2026/05/04/survey-results-forms-documentation-2025-6/).

Be sure you know your rights and what your town can and can't require. The best way to get a quick refresher is to read through the Learning Guides on AHEM's Getting Started page (https://ahem.info/get-started/).

Send a message to learn more

Thank you to all who helped support our effort to communicate directly with MA school districts. Thanks to your donations, we sent information to 100 MA superintendents representing about 40% or MA school systems. Each was sent a letter introducing AHEM, our Homeschool Guidelines at a Glance, and a Homeschool Reporting FAQ for superintendents.

POLL: Homeschool & Work

Do you work while also homeschooling children? Have you given up a second income to make homeschooling work? We’d love to know. Our newest poll asks about how families manage employment and homeschooling. Let us know how your family manages it all and what your best tips are for juggling work and schooling.

Take the poll here:

Homeschool & Work Take this survey powered by surveymonkey.com. Create your own surveys for free.