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Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin'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 Wisconsin

File
The online PI-1206 Homeschool Enrollment Report, every school year. A report, not an application. §
To
Department of Public Instruction (online). §
By
On or before October 15 each year. §
Keep
No instruction records required; keep your PI-1206 copies, and DPI suggests a record of instruction. 875 hours a year. §
Test
None required. §

The law's number: 875 hours. In its words: “at least 875 hours of instruction”. Your Record Book offers it as a target; it is never filled in for you.

Starting this year
  • By October 15: File the online PI-1206 Homeschool Enrollment Report with the Department of Public Instruction.
Already homeschooling
  • By October 15: File the online PI-1206 Homeschool Enrollment Report with the Department of Public Instruction.
Leaving a school mid-year

If you stop homeschooling and enroll your child in a public or private school, DPI says to go back into the online PI-1206 report and reduce the number of children enrolled in the homeschool program (to zero if none). The receiving school decides grade placement and any credits for homeschool coursework.

Open your attendance recordStart the Tap Clock

What Wisconsin's law asks you to keep, as tools: Hours log. The same rows for every state: what to file, by state.

Checked . § = source: Wis. Stat. 115.30, reports to the department (Wisconsin Legislature); DPI: Home-Based Private Education Program (Homeschooling); DPI: Homeschool Frequently Asked Questions (Word document). Information, not legal advice.

Quick answers

Notice
Notice every yearFile the online PI-1206 Homeschool Enrollment Report with the Department of Public Instruction every school year. Wisconsin law has the report due on or before each October 15, and DPI's registration for 2026-27 is open. DPI says it is a report, not an application, and neither DPI nor the school district approves or denies it. DPI also says to keep your own copies of your PI-1206 reports. Checked October 27, 2026. Source: Wis. Stat. 115.30, reports to the department (Wisconsin Legislature), DPI: Home-Based Private Education Program (Homeschooling)
Days or hours
HoursThe program must provide at least 875 hours of instruction each school year (Wis. Stat. 118.165(1)(c)). Checked October 27, 2026. Source: Wis. Stat. 118.165, private school criteria (Wisconsin Legislature)
Subjects
A sequentially progressive curriculum of fundamental instruction in reading, language arts, mathematics, social studies, science and health. The law does not make a program include any concept in conflict with its religious doctrines. Checked October 27, 2026. Source: Wis. Stat. 118.165, private school criteria (Wisconsin Legislature)
Testing or evaluation
No testing requiredNo testing or assessment is required. DPI says Wisconsin's homeschooling laws do not require any form of testing or assessment, and a family that wants testing arranges it itself. Public school districts may not give state-required assessments to homeschooled students. Checked October 27, 2026. Source: DPI: Homeschool Frequently Asked Questions (Word document)
Records
The law asks for no instruction records. DPI says the statutes give no agency or school district authority to monitor home programs or verify the hours, but recommends keeping records of the instruction, which employers, the military and colleges may ask for later. DPI says it is the parent's responsibility to keep copies of the submitted PI-1206 forms; DPI keeps them for seven years. Checked October 27, 2026. Source: DPI: Home-Based Private Education Program (Homeschooling)
Who must attend school
Children between the ages of 6 and 18 must attend school regularly. Instruction in a home-based private educational program that meets the legal criteria may be substituted for attendance at a public or private school (Wis. Stat. 118.15). The Department of Public Instruction (DPI) says a child who will not be six by September 1 does not need a PI-1206 report for that school year. Source: Wis. Stat. 118.15, compulsory school attendance (Wisconsin Legislature)
Education savings accounts and vouchers
A program exists, but homeschool students are not eligibleWisconsin has private school choice programs (vouchers) in Milwaukee, Racine and statewide, but the state aid payment goes to the participating private school for each eligible student. DPI's homeschool FAQ says there is no publicly funded financial assistance for homeschooling families from the local school district or the state. We did not find an education savings account for homeschoolers (checked 2026-10-27). Parental Choice Programs (Milwaukee, Racine and statewide). Source: DPI: Private School Choice Programs, DPI: Homeschool Frequently Asked Questions (Word document)

What to do first

  1. Read Wisconsin's own pages, linked under each row below, so you know what applies to your situation.
  2. Notice: Every school year, on or before October 15 To: Department of Public Instruction (online PI-1206 report).
  3. If your child is in school now: If you stop homeschooling and enroll your child in a public or private school, DPI says to go back into the online PI-1206 report and reduce the number of children enrolled in the homeschool program (to zero if none). The receiving school decides grade placement and any credits for homeschool coursework.
  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.

The state's own form or page: dpi.wi.gov/sms/home-based

Other legal routes in Wisconsin

  • Private school. An institution is a private school if its program meets the criteria in 118.165(1): private or religious-based, privately controlled, at least 875 hours a year, the same six-subject curriculum, not set up to avoid compulsory attendance, and pupils return home for at least 2 months of summer. A program provided to more than one family unit is not a home-based private educational program (115.001(3g)).

Records to keep

The law asks for no instruction records. DPI says the statutes give no agency or school district authority to monitor home programs or verify the hours, but recommends keeping records of the instruction, which employers, the military and colleges may ask for later. DPI says it is the parent's responsibility to keep copies of the submitted PI-1206 forms; DPI keeps them for seven years. 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

  • Who may teach: DPI says there are no minimum educational requirements for parents providing a home-based private educational program, and no teaching certificate or license is needed. The parent or someone the parent designates may teach.
  • Sports: DPI says Wis. Stat. 118.133(1) requires a school board to let resident pupils in a home-based private educational program take part in interscholastic athletics on the same basis and to the same extent as pupils enrolled in the district.
  • Diplomas: DPI says homeschooled students do not receive a diploma from a public or private high school, and the parent running the program may create a diploma on completion.
  • Virtual charter schools are different: DPI says students in them are public school students attending a public school online from home, with a public school curriculum and certified teachers.

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.