Education

There are two schools located on Hanscom AFB for children residing in base housing; Hanscom Primary School and Hanscom Middle School. Hanscom Primary and Middle Schools are part of the Lincoln, MA public school system. Students in grades 9-12 are transported to Bedford High School, which is part of the Bedford Public School District. For information on surrounding school districts, private school options, special needs resources, home schooling information and more, visit the Hanscom School Liaison website.

You can find out information on all of the area schools on Massachusetts' Department of Education website.

There are two schools located on Hanscom AFB for children residing in base housing; Hanscom Primary School and Hanscom Middle School. Hanscom Primary and Middle Schools are part of the Lincoln, MA public school system. Students in grades 9-12 are transported to Bedford High School, which is part of the Bedford Public School District. For information on surrounding school districts, private school options, special needs resources, home schooling information and more, contact the Hanscom School Liaison.

MA students generally study between Labor Day and mid to late June, depending on how many snow days they have. Vacations occur at Christmas, in February and April and the base school students have early release each Wednesday afternoon. Check the individual school sites for more scheduling information.

Bedford High School has registration forms on their website. Click on About BHS>Parent Information>Registration>BHS Forms. Ease your child's registration process by looking at all the forms and what you need as stated in the checklist before contacting the school. If you have a complete registration packet before you move, send it along and then just hand carry the records upon arrival. Otherwise, you make an appointment with the registrar once the forms and the documentation are complete.

Families looking for information on home schooling, tutoring, special needs services or local private schools may contact the School Liaison Officer, 781-225-1482, or DSN 312-845-1482.

NOTE: All students must pass the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System statewide achievement tests to graduate. Please visit the MA Dept. of Education's web site for information regarding this exam for all other graduation requirements look under contacts for high school websites.

Registration Requirements

Children must be age 5 by 30 September of the school year to register for Kindergarten. Shots must be up to date. Children do not need a physical prior to starting school, but must be scheduled within a week or two. If the child is already in the MA school system and has had a physical within the last 3-4 years, then a copy of that physical may be used. The school nurse office number is: 781-274-7723.

Home Schooling

Parents may also choose to educate their children at home. For a child of compulsory school age, the home schooling program must be approved in advance by the superintendent or school committee of the home district. For further information on this option, contact the school superintendent's office. 

Please contact the School Liaison Officer, 781-225-1482, or DSN 312-845-1482 for more information on area homeschooling groups.

Private School

There are numerous private schools in the Boston area, depending on your educational need, where you want to live, and how much you would like to pay. You should begin an admissions packet to most of these schools a year in advance as they are highly competitive and, as a result, only about half of the applicants are accepted. In some schools the number accepted is as low as one in eight applicants. Check the Massachusetts Department of Education website for more information.

The Greater Boston area has many colleges and universities: Boston College, Harvard University, MIT, Emerson College, Berklee School of Music, and Boston University just to name a few.

The Education Center at Hanscom is a contracted one-stop location for all of your education and training needs. Currently, there is one university offering courses at the Education Center -Park University. Counselors are available to assist you with your education related needs, including help to choose a program, review of your prior credits, and much more. Information is also available on Tuition Assistance, Distance Learning, The Defense Systems Management College Eastern Region, CLEP Testing, VA benefits, and CCAF information through the Education Center website.