Anchor Homeschooling in Illinois
none regulation
What Illinois requires
- Notice to authorities: Not required. Home schools are private schools. No state notice required (some districts ask). Required subjects: language arts, math, biological/physical sciences, social sciences, fine arts, physical development/health.
- Portfolio: Not required.
- Standardized testing: Not required.
- Annual evaluator: Not required.
- Quarterly reports: Not required.
- Required subjects: language arts, math, biological sciences, physical sciences, social sciences, fine arts, physical education, health
How to start homeschooling in Illinois
- Confirm you're free to begin. No notice required. Illinois treats home schools as non-public schools. Voluntary registration with ISBE is available but not required.
- Plan your school year. Illinois sets no day or hour minimum, so your calendar is yours — most families still sketch one so progress is visible.
- Keep records from your first day. Attendance, samples of work, and any test or evaluation results — every requirement above is answered from these three, and they're painless to keep daily and miserable to reconstruct in May.
How Anchor helps
Anchor logs every day automatically when you make an activity entry. It builds the portfolio your state expects, generates the attendance PDF, and reminds you about evaluations before they're due.
Common questions about homeschooling in Illinois
Do I have to notify anyone to homeschool in Illinois?
No. Illinois does not require you to file a notice of intent to homeschool. Home schools are private schools. No state notice required (some districts ask). Required subjects: language arts, math, biological/physical sciences, social sciences, fine arts, physical development/health.
How many days or hours of school does Illinois require?
Illinois sets no specific number of instructional days or hours for homeschoolers. Anchor counts each day for you as you log activities, and shows how many you have left.
Does Illinois require a portfolio or standardized testing?
No. Illinois does not require a portfolio or standardized testing for homeschoolers.
Does Illinois require an annual evaluation?
No. Illinois does not require an annual evaluator review.
What records should I keep to homeschool in Illinois?
Keep attendance for every school day, samples of your student's work, and any test or evaluation results Illinois asks for. Homeschool Anchor builds all three from your daily logs and turns this state's rules into dated checkpoints, so nothing is reconstructed at the deadline.
Stay compliant without the paperwork
Free for 1 student. $8/month for the full family with PDF exports, photo activity logging, and AI-assisted summaries.
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Sources: HSLDA — Illinois · Illinois Department of Education · last verified 2026-08-08 · Always verify with your state homeschool association before relying on this.