How to Start Homeschooling in Illinois

Required hours

No state minimum

Required subjects

7 subjects

Notice

Not required

Testing / evaluation

Not required

Recordkeeping

Recommended

Jump to the full Illinois requirements for plain-English detail on each of these.

Step by step

1. 1

   Understand Illinois's homeschool law

   Illinois is one of the most flexible states for homeschool families with no mandated hour or day minimums.

2. 2

   Withdraw from public school (if enrolled)

   Illinois doesn't require a formal withdrawal letter or notice of intent to move a child from public school to homeschooling. Even so, a short written notification to the current school is a good idea so the district can close out attendance records and avoid truancy follow-ups. Rather than hand-writing the withdrawal letter, Homeschool Fox produces a pre-formatted PDF ready to send to the district.

3. 3

   Plan your subjects

   Illinois requires instruction in the following subjects: language arts, math, science, social studies, fine arts, health, and physical education. Beyond these requirements, you have flexibility to add subjects that interest your family.

4. 4

   Set your hours or days target

   Illinois does not mandate a specific number of instructional hours. Families have flexibility in determining their own schedule and pace of learning.

5. 5

   Track your hours and keep records

   Log activities as they happen so hours, attendance, and subject coverage build up automatically. Homeschool Fox lets you log from your phone or by voice and generates a Illinois-specific compliance report when you need it.

Free tool

Calculate your homeschool pace

Illinois doesn't mandate a minimum. Use 900 hours/year as a general guide to stay on pace.

What Homeschool Fox tracks for Illinois

Everything Illinois expects you to keep, in one place — no spreadsheets, no lost notebooks.

• Required hours or days
• Required subjects & core hours
• Daily activity logs
• Attendance records
• Notes & portfolio records
• Printable PDF reports
• High school transcripts
• State-specific progress tracking

More Illinois guides

• Illinois Homeschool Requirements Hours, notice, assessment, and subjects at a glance.
• Homeschooling High School in Illinois Credits, GPA, transcripts, and graduation.
• Record Keeping in Illinois What to document, how to organize it, and staying compliant.