How to Start Homeschooling in Illinois: Withdrawal, Subjects, Records

To start homeschooling in Illinois, send a written withdrawal letter to your child’s current school, begin teaching the six subject areas required by state law in English, and keep your own records of attendance and work. Illinois treats every homeschool as a private school, so there is no state registration, no approval process, no required testing, and no minimum number of school days or hours. You can begin the day you decide to.

Step One: Withdraw Your Child in Writing

If your child is enrolled in a public school, there is no legally mandated withdrawal procedure, but skipping the paperwork is where new homeschool families most often get into trouble. If the school has no record of your withdrawal, it will mark your child absent, and those unexcused absences can trigger a truancy referral.

The Illinois State Board of Education recommends sending a dated letter to the school stating that you are withdrawing your child and intend to homeschool, with a copy to your Regional Office of Education.¹ No specific template is required. Include your child’s full name, date of birth, grade level, the date homeschooling will begin, and a statement that the child will be attending a private school (your homeschool). Send it by certified mail with a return receipt so you have proof the school received it. Most districts process the withdrawal within a few business days.

If your child has never been enrolled in school, you have nothing to withdraw from. You can simply begin.

The Optional Registration Form

ISBE publishes a voluntary Home Schooling Registration Form. Filing it is entirely optional and does not change your legal obligations or give the state any additional oversight.¹ Some families submit it alongside their withdrawal letter as documentation; others never file anything with the state and operate lawfully for years.

Know When the Rules Apply: Compulsory Attendance Ages

Illinois compulsory attendance applies to children between the ages of 6 (on or before September 1 of the school year) and 17, unless the child has already graduated from high school.² You are not legally obligated to provide formal instruction before your child reaches compulsory school age. Once your child turns 17, the attendance law no longer applies.

Step Two: Teach the Six Required Subjects in English

Illinois law requires instruction in six branches of education, and all instruction must be in English. The six subject areas are:

Language arts, including reading, writing, and grammar
Mathematics
Biological and physical sciences
Social sciences, including history, government, and geography
Fine arts
Physical development and health

The subject list comes from 105 ILCS 5/27-1.³ The compulsory attendance exemption in 105 ILCS 5/26-1 requires that children attending private schools be taught “the branches of education taught to children of corresponding age and grade in the public schools” in English.²

The law does not prescribe specific textbooks, lesson plans, or how deeply you cover each branch. A family that spends six months on biology and two months on earth science is meeting the same requirement as one that splits the time evenly. You choose the curriculum, the teaching methods, and the schedule.

What Illinois Does Not Require

Illinois is one of the least restrictive states in the country for homeschooling. Families moving from other states or reading general homeschool advice often assume obligations that simply don’t exist here.

No registration with the state. The voluntary form is optional.¹
No standardized testing. If you give tests to track progress, you are not required to submit the results anywhere.¹
No minimum number of school days or instructional hours. Classes can happen any day, at any time.⁴
No teaching certificate, college degree, or other credential for the parent.
No curriculum approval. The state does not review your materials or lesson plans.

The flexibility is real, and so is the responsibility that comes with it. If a truancy concern ever arises, the burden is on you to show that your child is receiving an education comparable to what public schools provide. Your records are what carry that burden.

Step Three: Start Keeping Records From Day One

Illinois does not require you to submit records to the state, but good records protect you in two situations: if your homeschool is ever questioned by a truancy officer, and when your child needs a transcript later for college or re-enrollment in public school. The time to start is the first week, not the first time someone asks.

At minimum, keep:

An attendance log showing which days instruction occurred. There is no required number of days, but a consistent pattern is the easiest way to show your homeschool is a real educational program.
Work samples. Save graded assignments, essays, tests, lab reports, and completed workbook pages. A portfolio of actual work is far more persuasive than a curriculum list alone.
Curriculum records. Keep a list of textbooks, online courses, and other materials you used each year, matched to the subjects they cover.
Grades and credit tracking for high school. Record grades for each course and track credits toward graduation. This becomes the foundation of your child’s transcript and your own diploma, which you issue as the private school administrator.

If Your Homeschool Is Questioned

Truancy enforcement in Illinois runs through the Regional Office of Education. If a public school reports that a student has transferred to a homeschool and has concerns about whether a genuine educational program exists, the student can be included on the district’s quarterly truancy report. From there, the process can escalate to a truancy hearing, and in extreme cases, criminal penalties for the parent or guardian under 105 ILCS 5/26-10 and 5/26-11.

This is where record-keeping pays off. A well-organized portfolio of attendance records, graded work, and curriculum documentation resolves most inquiries before they go anywhere. The state is not looking over your shoulder day to day. If someone raises a concern, your records are your answer.

Two Things New Homeschool Families Often Ask About

Special Education Evaluations

If you suspect your child has a learning disability or other condition that affects their education, your local public school district is required to evaluate them at no cost, even though they are homeschooled. This obligation comes from the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, which requires every state to identify, locate, and evaluate all children with disabilities, including those attending private schools.⁵ Your consent is required at every stage of the process, and the evaluation team cannot order your child into public school.

Social Security Student Benefits After Age 18

Children receiving Social Security benefits as dependents of a retired, disabled, or deceased worker normally lose those benefits at 18, but a full-time secondary student can continue receiving them until 19. Homeschooled students qualify if they meet the full-time criteria: enrollment in a course lasting at least 13 weeks, with a schedule of at least 20 hours per week.⁶ Illinois sets no minimum hours for homeschooling, so you will need to document the 20-hour weekly schedule yourself if you want to preserve these benefits past 18.

Once your letter is sent, your subjects are chosen, and your logbook is started, you are homeschooling in Illinois. Everything else is adjustment and refinement, and all of it is up to you.

1
Illinois State Board of Education. Illinois Homeschooling
2
Illinois General Assembly. 105 ILCS 5/26-1 – Compulsory School Age; Exemptions
3
Illinois General Assembly. 105 ILCS 5/27-1 – Areas of Education Taught
4
Illinois State Board of Education. Illinois Homeschooling
5
U.S. Department of Education. IDEA Section 1412(a)(3) – Child Find
6
Social Security Administration. Frequently Asked Questions – Students