Homeschooling in Illinois: the law and how to start

Yes. Illinois's compulsory attendance law (105 ILCS 5/26-1) exempts children who attend a private or parochial school where they are taught the branches of education taught in public schools, in English. Illinois treats a homeschool as a private school under this exemption, so homeschooling is legal without any special permit.

Illinois is one of the least regulated states. There is no required registration, testing, teacher certification or approval of your curriculum.

Recent proposal: House Bill 2827 (the "Homeschool Act"), introduced in 2025, would have created a required homeschool declaration form filed each year. It passed a House committee in March 2025 but stalled before a floor vote, and we found no record of it being enacted as of October 2026. The rules on this page reflect current law.

• If your child has never been enrolled in a public school, you can start homeschooling once they reach compulsory age. Nothing has to be filed.
• If your child is enrolled now, send the school a written notice that you are withdrawing them to homeschool, and keep a dated copy. This keeps your child from being recorded as absent.
• Optional: you can register your homeschool with ISBE using its voluntary registration form, or notify your regional superintendent of education.
• Plan your instruction to cover the required subject areas, and keep basic records.

ISBE lists six subject areas that homeschools must cover, and says instruction should be at least equivalent to what public schools offer:

• language arts
• mathematics
• biological and physical science
• social science
• fine arts
• physical development and health

Instruction must be in English. ISBE's guidance says there are no specific required courses within these areas, and no rules on the number of school days or the length of a school day for homeschoolers.

Illinois does not require homeschooled students to take standardized tests or to have an annual evaluation, and you do not submit records to the state.

Keeping your own records is still a good idea: a list of the materials you used, samples of work, and a simple log of what you covered. They help if a school or regional office ever asks whether your child is being educated, if your child returns to school, and when you build a high school transcript.

If you claim the K-12 Education Expense Credit (see the funding section), keep itemized receipts. The Department of Revenue does not accept cancelled checks alone.

Because your homeschool is a private school, you set its graduation requirements and can issue your child's diploma and transcript. ISBE does not issue diplomas to homeschool students.

Colleges usually want a transcript listing courses, credits and grades, plus course descriptions or test scores. Keeping careful records through grades 9–12 makes this much easier.

Many homeschooled teens take dual credit or community college courses. Ask your local community college about admission rules for homeschool students.

Part-time classes: Illinois law (105 ILCS 5/10-20.24) lets a homeschooled child attend their local public school part-time if you request it by May 1 of the previous school year, space is available, and your child lives in the school's attendance area.

Extracurricular activities: ISBE says public schools have no obligation to open extracurricular activities to homeschooled students. Some districts allow it, often if the student enrolls in at least one class.

Sports: Illinois High School Association (IHSA) eligibility rules require a student to be enrolled at the member school and taking and passing a minimum course load there, so a homeschooled student generally cannot play IHSA sports without enrolling.

Special education: if you think your child has a disability, you can ask your local district for an evaluation. Contact the district about what services it offers to students who are not enrolled full-time.

Illinois does not have an education savings account or voucher program for homeschoolers. The one state benefit available is the K-12 Education Expense Credit on your Illinois income tax return, which homeschool families can claim if their homeschool meets the compulsory attendance law.

• The credit is 25% of qualifying expenses over the first $250, up to $750 per family per year (for the 2025 tax year).
• For homeschools, qualifying costs are narrow: things like workbooks and other materials that are used up during the year, book and curriculum rentals, and lab fees. Non-consumable textbooks, calculators and maps don't qualify.
• The credit is not available if your adjusted gross income is over $250,000 ($500,000 if married filing jointly). You claim it on Schedule ICR.