Skip to the content
Peabody HomeschoolEvery homeschool law, plan, record and tool, free

Illinois homeschool law

Notice, days or hours, subjects, testing and records, in plain words, with the source for each.

This is general information, not legal advice; check your state's own page. Laws change, and Illinois's own statute and education department are the final word. The links below go straight to them.

Checked on against the sources linked on this page.

What to file in Illinois

File
Nothing required. A voluntary ISBE registration form exists. §
To
No one required. Leaving a public school? Tell it in a dated letter, copy kept. §
By
No date. §
Keep
No set records. Parents decide, and carry the burden to show, if asked, that instruction meets the law. §
Test
None required. §
Leaving a school mid-year
  • When you take your child out: No withdrawal procedure is set in state law, but the State Board strongly recommends giving the school a dated letter saying you are withdrawing your child to home school, and keeping a copy.

State law sets no formal withdrawal procedure. The Board says parents should tell the public school they intend to home school, because otherwise the school may mark the student absent and eventually refer the student to a truancy officer. It recommends a dated letter, with a copy kept, and suggests sending the same letter and the voluntary registration form to your Regional Office of Education.

Open your attendance recordStart the Tap Clock, if you want to

Checked . § = source: Illinois State Board of Education: Illinois Homeschooling. Information, not legal advice.

Quick answers

Notice
Notice is optionalNo. The State Board of Education says Illinois does not require parents to register before they begin home schooling and requires no other forms or procedures. The state offers a voluntary ISBE Home Schooling Registration Form. Checked October 27, 2026. Source: Illinois State Board of Education: Illinois Homeschooling
Days or hours
None setThe Board's guidance says parents are free to decide the manner, time and materials that suit their children. An ISBE FAQ (revised October 2017) says Illinois law does not set a minimum number of hours per day or days of instruction per year for students in private schools, and that home schooling must provide an education at least equivalent to public schools. Checked October 27, 2026. Source: Illinois State Board of Education: Illinois Homeschooling
Subjects
Instruction must cover language arts, mathematics, biological and physical sciences, social sciences, fine arts, and physical development and health, taught in the English language. Checked October 27, 2026. Source: Illinois State Board of Education: Illinois Homeschooling
Testing or evaluation
No testing requiredNo. Testing is not required. If you choose to give tests to measure progress, you do not have to send the results to any school official or state agency. Checked October 27, 2026. Source: Illinois State Board of Education: Illinois Homeschooling
Records
The state requires no particular records. The Board says parents decide what records of the student's accomplishments should be kept. It also says the burden is on parents to show, if asked, that the home instruction meets state requirements. Checked October 27, 2026. Source: Illinois State Board of Education: Illinois Homeschooling
Who must attend school
Whoever has custody of a child between the ages of 6 (on or before September 1) and 17, unless the child has already graduated from high school, must have the child attend public school, unless an exception applies. Attending a private school is an exception, and the State Board of Education says home schooling is treated as private schooling (105 ILCS 5/26-1). Source: 105 ILCS 5/26-1, compulsory school age (Illinois General Assembly)
Education savings accounts and vouchers
No program foundWe did not find an Illinois education savings account or voucher open to homeschool families (checked 2026-10-27) on the State Board of Education's homeschool pages. An ISBE FAQ revised in October 2017 said the Board was not aware of financial resources designed to help parents meet home-schooling expenses. Check ISBE's school-choice pages for any change. Source: Illinois State Board of Education: Questions on Illinois Home Schooling (FAQ, revised Oct. 2017, PDF)

What to do first

  1. Read Illinois's own pages, linked under each row below, so you know what applies to your situation.
  2. Notice: it is optional. Read the notice row below before you decide.
  3. If your child is in school now: State law sets no formal withdrawal procedure. The Board says parents should tell the public school they intend to home school, because otherwise the school may mark the student absent and eventually refer the student to a truancy officer. It recommends a dated letter, with a copy kept, and suggests sending the same letter and the voluntary registration form to your Regional Office of Education.
  4. Plan the year around the days or hours and the subjects below.
  5. Start your records on day one: a simple attendance log, a list of books read and a work sample or two for each subject.

Records to keep

The state requires no particular records. The Board says parents decide what records of the student's accomplishments should be kept. It also says the burden is on parents to show, if asked, that the home instruction meets state requirements. Whatever the law asks, many families also keep a simple attendance log, a list of books read and a few work samples for each subject; they cost nothing and help if you move or return to school.

Good to know

  • Legal basis: the School Code excepts children attending a private or parochial school where the branches of education taught in public schools are taught in English. In 1950 the Illinois Supreme Court (People v. Levisen) held that home schooling counts as private schooling if the teacher is competent, the required subjects are taught, and the education is at least equivalent to public schooling.
  • The regional superintendent of schools for the county has first-line responsibility for investigating reports of noncompliance. If the home instruction is found not to meet the law, the regional superintendent may ask a truant officer to investigate. Allowing a child to attend a home school that does not comply is truancy and can be a Class C misdemeanor.
  • Re-entering public school: the public school decides grade placement and may give the student a test or ask for proof of what was covered. A district cannot require a home school to be registered or recognized by the State Board, because the School Code excludes home schools from that voluntary process.

Where this comes from

Checked on October 27, 2026. This is general information, not legal advice; check your state's own page, and confirm with your school district or the department before you rely on a date. Something out of date? Tell us and we will fix it.