Homeschooling in Illinois
Is the Easiest in America.
We Cover the Homeschooling Laws
And Show You How To Get Started.

If you are new to homeschooling in Illinois and are worried about being shackled by draconian homeschooling laws, we have one very big news for you - Illinois has no homeschooling law! There is no specific statute for homeschooling in Illinois. That's what makes this state so special for homeschoolers.

Illinois is homeschooling haven. There are a few obligations you have to meet as a homeschooling parent though. However, they are not burdensome. You don't have to be a donkey to any bossy bureaucrat - we assure you.

There are no homeschooling laws in Illinois, but sadly, there are other laws which we have to obey. We have to live in the Sahara Desert if we want a lawless life. Even then, camels have their unwritten code of honor.

To make life easy for us and for you, we will loosely call the laws that pertain to homeschooling "Illinois Homeschooling Laws" although in reality they are not.

Want to know the relevant laws and how to get started homeschooling in Illinois? Get a cup of coffee, take a deep breath and plunge right in.

Homeschooling in Illinois
Miscellany

1. instruct your children in English, and

2. teach them the subjects taught at public schools, at the appropriate age and grade levels.

If you do that, your homeschool automatically qualifies as a legitimate private school. Wonderful!

Since we are clairvoyants, we know what your next question would be - what are the subjects you have to teach by Illinois Homeschool Law. They are Language Arts, Math, Social Sciences, Physical Sciences, Fine arts, Physical Education and Health.

Sounds easy doesn't it. That's what most homeschooling parents do anyway, except those weird ones who teach their kids witchcraft or anthropophagy (a cute name for cannibalism). You might want to try anthropophagy if you are a chronic insomniac - it can bring about the much coveted Sleeping Disease.

Compulsory Attendance Ages in Illinois

According to the law, your child has to begin her education by her 7th birthday and continue until her 17th birthday. If however, your child is an Einstein and completes High School at the age of 10, you don't have to fret about it. You don't have to twiddle your thumbs wondering what you are going to do for the next 7 years.

Once she completes High School, she is free to do whatever she wants after that. For most homeschoolers, it is usually college.

Required Days of Instruction If You Are Homeschooling In Illinois

According to the law in Illinois, children in public schools have to be instructed for 176 days annually but this is not applicable to homeschools as they are lumped under the category of private schools.

Technically you can teach for only 1 day per year, if your child happens to be a supercomputer. However, it is a better idea to teach for approximately the number of days specified and keep a record of it, just to stay out of trouble - and for the future of your child, of course.

Just in case a truancy action has been filed against your child, you can always furnish the attendance data to the judge as part of your proof that she is getting a proper education. Don't worry, homeschooling in Illinois is not a crocodile pool. Most Illinois homeschoolers are living in peace.

Your Qualifications to Homeschool in Illinois

You don't need to be a certified teacher, that's for sure. In fact, Illinois is one of the states in America in which an Elementary School dropout can legally teach her kids right up to High School. Go figure!

However, you need one important qualification - you have to be a human.

Standardized Tests For Homeschoolers in Illinois

None. Absolutely none. So is there any gauge as to how well your children are doing? How will you know how well your children are faring academically compared to their peers? If you want to, you can have your children sit for any of the nationally standardized achievement tests out there.

This is totally optional - there is no homeschool law to compel you. Is that you we hear screaming for joy? We told you homeschooling in Illinois is great.

Can My Child Homeschool in Illinois and Still Get a Scholarship

She can homeschool in Uganda and still get a scholarship. Homeschooling in Illinois is not a problem. There are so many scholarships out there, it causes a migraine just to get a decent list of them.

To ensure that your child gets a scholarship, you have to prepare in advance - years in advance. Why? So that your child will know the eligibility criteria and be able to fulfill them in the course of her studies.

If you were to ask us, get your child to take the SAT. It is a good way to show her scholastic mettle. Being a homeschooler, she should ace it. The SAT is also the ticket to college and scholarship.

A good place to do a search for scholarships is College Scholarships.com.

Homeschool Records to Keep and Cherish By Illinois Law

There is no homeschool law to demand that you keep records. But it makes sense to file away certain records for you may need them.

They are medical records, correspondence between you and your child's public school, and the regional superintendent, your child's test scores, transcripts and certificates, samples of her assignments and projects, and anything else that you feel might be important for the future.

Homeschooling Your Special Needs Child in Illinois

If your child has a disability, she is eligible for free special education funded by the government. Depending on the severity of her disability, she can receive her education in a public school or a special school.

Please visit the US Department of Education IDEA Website for Special Needs Children for the full details.

If your child is suffering from a psychological disorder, the best therapy for her is Behavior Therapy. It works in most cases. It can be used in combination with drugs and other therapies.

Please consult a Clinical Psychologist who practises Behavior Therapy to get the full picture before you commit yourself to any therapy.

A successful way to educate your special needs child is through Discrete Trial Teaching. We will be writing articles on special needs children, Behavior Therapy and Discrete Trial Teaching soon. Please bookmark our Homepage and come back to it later and hopefully our articles will be there for you.

How the Religious Freedom Act Helps Homeschoolers in Illinois

One law which covers you totally is the Religious Freedom Act. If you are religious and feel that you are unable to fully practice your religion because of the interference of Homeschooling Laws, then you are free to cast aside those laws which are a hindrance to your free exercise of religion. There is no law above that. Period.

Illinois homeschools are having a great time because of that. That doesn't mean you can wallow in decadence and debauchery, claiming to be a devotee of Baal. There is a limit to this. Thank God!

Public Schools' Obligations to Homeschoolers in Illinois

If you have opted to home educate your kids, it means that public schools have washed their hands off your children. Please don't panic. Isn't this what you wanted? Isn't that what homeschooling in Illinois is all about?

Public schools will have no power over you. However, they are also not obliged to finance your children's education in any way.

Payment for any books, materials, tuition fees and field trips are strictly from your own pocket - however tattered and torn they may be - and perhaps your in-laws', if you happen to have mastered the delicate art of begging.

This Illinois homeschool law is a double-edged sword. Ouch!

Please sheath this unwieldy sword and let's move on to the next topic. An important one at that too!

How Do I Start Homeschooling in Illinois?

Transferring From Public School To Homeschool in Illinois

Just do exactly as we tell you to - we hope we are not sounding rude to you - and you will avoid any potential trouble.

As we told you earlier, there is no such thing as Illinois homeschool law. But you have to protect yourself from truancy officers and meddling bureaucrats, don't you?

Firstly, you have to download the Illinois Homeschool Sample Letter Of Withdrawal and the Sample Letter of Records Transfer which www.illinoishomeeducation.com has kindly provided for parents like you. You will find those 2 letters on pages 8 and 9.

Then type out at least 2 copies of each letter and sign them. Of course one copy is for the school authorities and one is for you to keep for your records.

Please don't forget to mail the letters return receipt requested, or you might get into some trouble if the school doesn't receive your letters. It is not fun for your child to be labeled a truant like Huckleberry Finn.

The alternative is to meet the principal in person and ask her to sign and date your copies of the 2 letters. If you are friendly and charming like Ronald Reagan, you should have no problems at the principal's office.

The school officials would be curious as to why you are withdrawing your child from their splendid school. Although you are not required to do so by Illinois homeschool law, our advice to you is to give some reason, which or which may not be true, without disparaging their school.

Why? Because you need to be on good terms with them. Why? Because they will happily transfer your child's records to you without much of a fuss. They will also not cause any problems later out of spite or ill will. Trust us. A lamentable fact of America is that a lot of legal problems can be easily avoided - if only people were pleasant, easygoing and friendly.

Starting your homeschooling in Illinois is easy, isn't it?

If you have already withdrawn your child without observing the procedure we have outlined above, you are not really in deep trouble. You can still follow the above steps outlined to you.

If the school officials have already contacted you, then just plead ignorance and supply the necessary paperwork to ease their bureaucratic conscience. It will help if you are friendly.

First-time Schoolers in Illinois

Has your child never been to school? Is her first school your homeschool? Then you are not required to notify anyone of your intention to start homeschooling. You just start homeschooling her without any fuss and bother.

If fate has conspired against you and truant officers or the police are breaking down your door, don't despair - your homeschooling in Illinois journey is not going to be derailed. You won't have to spend the rest of your life in Alcatraz.

Never let any officers into your house. However, if they flash their signed search warrant, step aside. They won't have a search warrant - unless you are a wanted criminal.

Our advice to you is to contact HSLDA. They will perform some powerful wizardry - and you will breathe easy for the rest of your homeschooling life.

Please don't fall prey to anxiety attacks worrying over "impending doom". Most parents who are homeschooling in Illinois don't have any nasty encounters with bureaucrats. Illinois, as we have said earlier, is a homeschooling paradise.

Transferring from Homeschool to Public School in Illinois

Simply contact the school. They may require transcripts or any other proof of your child's academic ability to place her in the "right" grade. Some schools are not too particular and will just place your child in the grade that suits her age and take it from there.

High school might be a problem because schools usually give their high school graduation diploma for all four years of study. They may require some documents to prove that your child has been previously schooling with an accredited school.

All Good Things Must Come To An End

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