- Illinois asks for no portfolio, no work samples and no testing, and it sets no records rule. A homeschool counts as a private school under 105 ILCS 5/26-1.
- Teach the six subject areas in English: language arts, math, biological and physical science, social science, fine arts, and physical development and health.
- There is nothing to file with the state. If you leave a public school, the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) recommends telling the school in writing. Keep a copy.
Picture one child’s homeschool records folder. It holds your copy of the letter (or the school’s withdrawal form) you used to leave the public school, an attendance or hours log, a list of books and curriculum by subject, and a few work samples. If you test, the score report goes in too.
This page covers homeschooling as a private school under 105 ILCS 5/26-1. An online private school or part-time public school classes add rules of their own. See which route you’re on.
What Illinois requires instead of a portfolio
Illinois has no portfolio rule. School is required between the ages of 6 and 17, but a child “attending a private or a parochial school” is exempt if the school teaches the public schools’ “branches of education” in English (105 ILCS 5/26-1). ISBE puts it simply: in Illinois, “a homeschool student is considered to be attending a private school.”
| Requirement | What it means | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Subjects | Language arts, math, biological and physical science, social science, fine arts, and physical development and health | 105 ILCS 5/26-1; 5/27-1; ISBE |
| Language | Teach these subjects in English | 105 ILCS 5/26-1 |
| Ages | Between 6 (on or before September 1) and 17, unless your child has graduated from high school | 105 ILCS 5/26-1 |
Here’s the easy part. ISBE says “the only specific requirement is that certain subject areas be taught.” Illinois sets no number of school days and no length for a school day, and no specific classes are required (ISBE). You decide the curriculum, homework, testing, grade levels and what records to keep.
Do you have to register or file anything?
No. Illinois does not require you to register, get approval or file any form before you start (ISBE).
ISBE says it no longer collects homeschool forms. Your Regional Office of Education (ROE) may have a voluntary form, and Chicago Public Schools has one for Chicago residents. Both are optional.
A 2025 bill, the Homeschool Act, would have added a yearly form. It did not become law. See what changes in 2026 and 2027.
Leaving a public school
Tell your child’s current school that you are withdrawing your child to homeschool. ISBE says this is so your child is “not marked absent and truant.”
ISBE recommends telling the school in writing: a letter, an email or the school’s own withdrawal form. Keep a copy for yourself. A letter is recommended, not required.
Who checks your homeschool
No one, on a schedule. Illinois has no evaluator and no yearly review, and you don’t send tests, grades or work samples to any school or agency (ISBE).
Checks start only with a report. ISBE says truancy investigations happen if someone reports you to your ROE or Intermediate Service Center. The details in the report are considered, and a truancy officer may contact you for more information.
If you have been notified of truancy and knowingly let it go on, that is a Class C misdemeanor (105 ILCS 5/26-10). Good records make a truancy officer’s questions easy to answer.
The Illinois homeschool year, date by date
Illinois has no homeschool filing deadlines. These are the dates that matter.
| When | What | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Your child turns 6 on or before September 1 | School is required that school year | 105 ILCS 5/26-1 |
| When you leave a public school | A letter, an email or the school’s withdrawal form, and a copy for you (advice) | ISBE |
| All year | Teach the six subject areas, in English | 105 ILCS 5/26-1; ISBE |
| Before May 1 | Ask your local public school for part-time classes next school year | 105 ILCS 5/10-20.24 |
How long to keep homeschool records in Illinois
The law sets no time, because it asks for no records. But ISBE says that if you are ever asked to prove your child’s education, such as when your child goes back to school, it is your job to show it. It names report cards, syllabi, attendance logs and test results as examples.
HSLDA advises keeping records at least two years. It says to keep high school records forever. Both are advice, not law.
Our advice: keep a few originals on paper. Those are your copy of the withdrawal letter, any letter from a school, an ROE or a truancy officer, test score reports if you test, and high school work you may need for credit. Everything else can be a scan.
Work samples: not required, still worth keeping
Illinois asks for no homeschool work samples. ISBE still strongly encourages good records, and samples are the easiest proof of what you taught.
They help if your child goes back to public school. ISBE says the school will place your child in the grade it believes is correct, and there is “no guarantee” your child’s home-school work will be accepted. A high school “may not grant credit for classes that did not come from an accredited program” (ISBE). So ask the school ahead of time how it evaluates homeschool students.
What counts is up to you. Examples, not rules: a dated math page, a book report, a science lab sheet, a map for social science, a drawing for fine arts, a fitness log for physical development and health.
Homeschool, online school or public school classes
The rules on this page are for a homeschool you run as a private school. Other options change what applies.
| Route | What it is | Whose rules |
|---|---|---|
| Homeschool | You teach, as a private school | 105 ILCS 5/26-1, as on this page |
| Online private school | A private school your child attends from home | The school’s own classes and records (ISBE) |
| Part-time public school classes | Your homeschooled child takes some classes at the local public school | 105 ILCS 5/10-20.24 |
ISBE says Illinois has no free online public school.
Public school classes and sports
A school board must accept a private school student for part-time classes if there is room. The request for the next school year goes in before May 1, and only to a public school in the district where your child lives (105 ILCS 5/10-20.24).
Sports and activities are another story. ISBE says public schools need not open their activities to homeschoolers, except one a part-time class requires, like band practice. School sports follow the bylaws of the Illinois High School Association and the Illinois Elementary School Association.
Can your records be digital?
Yes, as far as the law goes. Illinois sets no format for any homeschool record, and there is no evaluator to review a digital homeschool portfolio.
Whoever asks decides what they accept: a school placing your child, a college, or your Regional Office of Education. Keep copies you could print. That is advice, not law.
What changes in 2026 and 2027
2026
No change to Illinois’s homeschool law. Section 26-1 was last amended by Public Act 103-721, effective January 1, 2025, and no law since has changed the sections this page cites.
The Homeschool Act (HB 2827) would have required a yearly notification form, filed before September 1, starting with the 2026-27 school year. It was sent back to the House Rules Committee on April 11, 2025, and it is not law. No form is required this year.
2027
No change is scheduled. The 105th General Assembly convenes January 13, 2027, and any new bill would come after that.
Keeping your records in KidsFoldr
No law tells you what to keep, so the easy answer is to keep it all, on your phone instead of a shelf of binders. Snap each paper for peace of mind, and the paper can go. Every page is filed by child, grade and type, with schoolwork, tests and report cards sorted by subject, and nobody sorts or types a thing.
The few originals named above stay on paper. Snap them too, so a copy is always at hand. Snap a letter from the school or your ROE, or a test appointment, and the date lands on your family calendar, linked back to the paper, with nothing to type.
If a school or a truancy officer asks, the year is ready. Start a New portfolio for a grade or your own dates, and print or share the PDF. You pick the sections. For Illinois, you might switch on:
- Work samples, sorted by subject, for the six subject areas
- A reading log, for your book list
- The attendance or hours log, which Fill from papers can start for you from the days your child has work on file
- Test results, if you test
- Letters and notices, for your withdrawal letter
The year’s schoolwork, tests and report cards are kept for good as scans, high school years included. Turn on automatic backup, and every paper goes to KidsFoldr Cloud as it is filed. One tap on Back up copies every paper to your own Google Drive or iCloud, and every paper is searchable by any word on it.
Common questions
Do I need a homeschool portfolio in Illinois?
No. Illinois law asks for no portfolio, no work samples and no tests. You teach the six subject areas in English (105 ILCS 5/26-1; ISBE).
Do I have to register my homeschool in Illinois?
No. Registration is not required, and ISBE says it no longer collects homeschool forms. Your Regional Office of Education may offer a voluntary form.
Does my homeschooled child have to take tests?
No. You don’t have to give or report any tests (ISBE). Homeschooled students can’t take the state tests public schools use.
How long should I keep homeschool records in Illinois?
The law sets no time. HSLDA advises keeping records at least two years, and high school records forever.
Did the Homeschool Act pass?
No. HB 2827 was sent back to the House Rules Committee on April 11, 2025. It is not law, and no homeschool form is required.