Homeschool Owl

How to Start Homeschooling in Illinois

No Notice Required

Quick answer

Illinois does not require notification to homeschool. You can generally start by withdrawing your child from their current school in writing.

This data is a draft and has not been verified against official sources. Please verify requirements on your state's Department of Education website before relying on this information.

What to do

  1. 1

    Decide your start date

    Pick the date your child will stop attending their current school and homeschooling will begin. This is the date you'll reference in your withdrawal letter and any required state notification.

  2. 2

    Withdraw your child from their current school, in writing

    Notify your child's current school in writing that you are withdrawing them to homeschool, effective your start date. Most schools have a withdrawal form; even if they don't, a dated letter or email is a good record to keep. This step applies regardless of what your state requires below.

  3. 3

    Set up your curriculum

    Illinois doesn't specify required subjects, but most families still cover core subjects like math, reading, and science.

  4. 4

    Start tracking instructional days

    Illinois requires 180 instructional days per year. Logging days as you go (rather than reconstructing them later) makes end-of-year reporting much easier.

  5. 5

    Prepare for reporting

    Illinois's report frequency is: none. Keep records (logs, samples of work, test results if applicable) throughout the year so reporting is just an export, not a scramble.

When to do it

You can generally start homeschooling at any point in the school year — you don't need to wait for a semester or term boundary. Withdraw from your current school effective your chosen start date.

How to do it

Where to submit

Illinois doesn't require a state-level filing — you just need to withdraw your child from their current school (see the sample letter below).

Sample withdrawal letter+

A generic starting point for notifying your child's current school. If Illinois requires its own notification form, use the official one linked above in addition to this letter.

Date: [Today's Date]

To: [School Name / Principal's Name]
[School Address]

Re: Withdrawal of [Child's Full Name] to Homeschool

I am writing to notify you that I am withdrawing my child, [Child's Full Name]
(Date of Birth: [DOB], Grade: [Grade]), from [School Name], effective
[Start Date]. My family will be homeschooling going forward.

Please let me know if you need any additional information or if there are
next steps required on my end to complete the withdrawal.

Thank you,
[Your Name]
[Your Address]
[Your Phone / Email]

Frequently Asked Questions

Is homeschooling legal in Illinois?+
Yes. Homeschooling is legal in all 50 US states, including Illinois. States vary in how much paperwork and reporting they require, but the right to homeschool itself is not in question anywhere in the US.
Do I need a teaching certificate to homeschool?+
No. No US state requires parents to hold a teaching certificate or degree to homeschool their own children.
Do I need permission from my school district to homeschool in Illinois?+
No. Illinois doesn't require notification or approval to homeschool.
Can I withdraw my child mid-semester or mid-year?+
Yes — you can generally begin homeschooling at any point in the school year. Notify your child's current school of the withdrawal date, and if your state requires notification, file it around that same time.
What if my child has an IEP or 504 plan?+
Homeschooling doesn't automatically carry over public-school special education services. If your child has an IEP or 504 plan, talk to your district and consider consulting a special-education advocate about what services (if any) remain available and how to structure accommodations at home.
What happens if I don't notify Illinois that I'm homeschooling?+
Illinois doesn't require notification, so there's nothing to file on this front — just make sure you've formally withdrawn from your child's previous school.
Illinois requirements in detail →Free homeschool tools →All state guides →

Track your Illinois homeschool year automatically

Once you've withdrawn, Homeschool Owl logs your instructional days, tracks progress toward 180 days, and generates Illinois compliance documents.

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