Microschool laws in Massachusetts

A private school approved by the LOCAL school committee under MGL c. 76, § 1. The school assumes full legal responsibility for satisfying compulsory attendance for enrolled students. Approval is municipal — secured from the city/town where the school physically operates, NOT from DESE. The school committee's sole question is whether instruction "equals in thoroughness and efficiency" the local public schools and whether students are making comparable progress; religious content cannot be a basis for denial. Approval practice varies meaningfully by town: some are routine, some require an extensive written submission, and some have not approved a new private school in years.

A shared-resource model where families operate under MGL c. 76, § 1 home instruction, each having secured their own LOCAL superintendent approval before the school year begins. Each family is the legally responsible educator under Care and Protection of Charles. Your cooperative provides space, curriculum support, and enrichment but does NOT itself satisfy compulsory attendance and does not need local school-committee approval as a private school — provided participating children remain home-instructed in the legal sense (parent retains primary educational responsibility, files annual plan, completes evaluation).

Massachusetts does not provide a stand-alone certified-tutor exemption from compulsory attendance. MGL c. 76, § 1 recognizes only attendance at a public school, attendance at an approved private school, or "otherwise instructed in a manner approved in advance by the superintendent" (the home-instruction pathway). A solo tutor cannot independently satisfy compulsory attendance for a child unless the arrangement is structured as the family's home instruction (parent files the plan; tutor is part of the curriculum/method) or as an approved private school. Structure as Independent Private School (if assuming compliance responsibility) or as a contracted resource within the family's Homeschool Cooperative arrangement.

A faith-integrated private school approved under MGL c. 76, § 1. Religious schools are subject to the same approval process as secular private schools, but the school committee MAY NOT withhold approval on the basis of religious teaching. Religious curriculum is permitted alongside the studies required by MGL c. 71, § 1, and there is no state curriculum review beyond ensuring those required subjects are covered with thoroughness and efficiency comparable to local public schools.

A pre-compulsory-age program (children under 6) licensed by the Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care (EEC) under 606 CMR 7.00. Three license types: Family Child Care (FCC) — up to 6 children, or up to 10 with an EEC-approved assistant, in a residence; Small Group and School Age — 10 or fewer unrelated children under 14 (or under 16 with special needs); Large Group and School Age — more than 10 unrelated children, in a non-residential setting (school, community center, commercial facility).

A part-time model where families file individual MGL c. 76, § 1 home-instruction plans with their towns of residence and send their children to your facility 2-3 days per week. Families remain the legally responsible educators under Care and Protection of Charles; their education plans should clearly disclose the hybrid arrangement (subjects/hours covered on-site vs. at home, materials used, assessment method). The cooperative does NOT need separate MGL c. 76, § 1 private-school approval as long as families retain primary educational responsibility.

Massachusetts has no statutory umbrella-school framework. Because home instruction must be approved by EACH FAMILY'S OWN superintendent of residence (MGL c. 76, § 1 + Care and Protection of Charles), and because private-school approval is itself local and per-school, an umbrella structure offers no regulatory shortcut. Families enrolled in an out-of-state umbrella (e.g., a Florida or Tennessee umbrella) still owe their Massachusetts superintendent a c. 76, § 1 home-instruction plan — out-of-state umbrella enrollment alone does NOT satisfy Massachusetts compulsory attendance.