How to Start Homeschooling in Wisconsin

Yes. Homeschooling in Wisconsin is legal and well-established in state law. Under Wis. Stat. 118.15(4), instruction in a home-based private educational program that meets all of the criteria in Wis. Stat. 118.165(1) may be substituted for attendance at a public or private school.

Under Wis. Stat. 115.001(3g), a home-based private educational program is a program of educational instruction provided to a child by the child's parent or guardian, or by a person the parent or guardian designates. An instructional program provided to more than one family unit is not an HBPEP.

You do not need any special qualifications to homeschool your child in Wisconsin. No teaching degree. No college diploma. No certification.

Wisconsin's compulsory attendance law, Wis. Stat. 118.15(1)(a), covers children between the ages of 6 and 18. It continues until the end of the school term, quarter, or semester of the school year in which the child turns 18, unless the child has graduated from high school.

DPI explains that if your child will reach age six on or before September 1, you will need to submit a PI-1206 for that school year. If your child will not reach age six by September 1, you do not need to file for that year.

Starting to homeschool in Wisconsin takes just a few steps. None require permission or approval.

Step 1: File Form PI-1206 with the Wisconsin DPI. DPI's PI-1206 is an online form in your parent HOMER account. Under Wis. Stat. 115.30(3), the report covers your program's enrollment and whether your program meets the criteria in Wis. Stat. 118.165(1), including at least 875 hours of instruction and a sequentially progressive curriculum in the six required subjects. The deadline is October 15 of each school year.

Step 2: If your child is in school, file before they leave. Wisconsin law does not require a withdrawal letter. DPI says that if you withdraw your child after October 15, you should submit or update your PI-1206 on or before the date your child stops attending school.

Step 3: Start teaching. Cover the six required subjects (reading, language arts, mathematics, social studies, science, and health) in a sequentially progressive curriculum. Provide at least 875 hours of instruction over the year. You pick the curriculum, the schedule, and the materials.

The form you file is the PI-1206. It goes to the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, not your local school district.

Under Wis. Stat. 115.30(3), on or before each October 15, each home-based private educational program submits a statement of enrollment on the department's form and indicates whether the program meets all of the criteria under Wis. Stat. 118.165(1). DPI's PI-1206 is completed online in your HOMER account.

This form must be completed every school year. It is not a one-time filing. DPI keeps submitted online forms for seven years, and it is your responsibility to keep your own copies.

Wisconsin requires a sequentially progressive curriculum of fundamental instruction in six subjects: reading, language arts, mathematics, social studies, science, and health. These come from Wis. Stat. 118.165(1)(d), and an HBPEP must meet those criteria under Wis. Stat. 118.15(4).

In plain terms, "sequentially progressive" means your teaching builds on what came before. Beyond that, you choose how to teach each subject and what materials to use. You never submit curriculum plans for review.

You can teach additional subjects like foreign language, music, art, or physical education. Those extras are your choice.

Wisconsin requires at least 875 hours of instruction each school year under Wis. Stat. 118.165(1)(c). The law sets no minimum number of days and no minimum hours per day. The 875 hours is a total annual number, and you decide how to structure it.

You can teach evenings, weekends, or year-round. You do not need to follow the public school calendar. You do not report your hours to anyone. State law does not require you to keep attendance records. DPI recommends keeping records of the instruction you provide, because colleges, employers and the military may ask for them.

Wisconsin has two pathways for home education.

Pathway 1: Home-Based Private Educational Program (HBPEP). The pathway for parents teaching their own children at home under Wis. Stat. 115.001(3g) and 118.15(4). File the PI-1206 annually, teach six subjects, provide 875 hours. No testing, no curriculum approval, no reporting beyond the annual form.

Pathway 2: Private School. Under Wis. Stat. 118.165, an institution is a private school if its program meets the statute's criteria, including the same subject and 875-hour requirements. If your child attends a Wisconsin private school, the school's administrator files the school's enrollment report with DPI by October 15 (Wis. Stat. 115.30(3)), and you do not file a PI-1206. State teacher licensing (Wis. Stat. 118.19(1)) does not apply to private schools.

A note about co-ops: Under Wis. Stat. 115.001(3g), an instructional program provided to more than one family unit does not constitute a home-based private educational program. If your family takes part in a co-op, keep that rule in mind, and check how your arrangement fits before relying on it for core instruction.

File with DPI, not the district. Your PI-1206 goes to the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction.

Keep copies of every PI-1206. DPI keeps submitted online forms for seven years, but it is your responsibility to keep your own copies. Save a copy each year, along with basic records of what you taught and your hours.

Build a high school transcript starting in ninth grade. Homeschool students do not receive a diploma issued by a public or private high school. DPI notes that parents may create a diploma when their program is complete. Start a transcript early so you are not scrambling later.

Your child can join school sports and activities. Under Wis. Stat. 118.133, a school board must permit a pupil who lives in the district and is enrolled in an HBPEP to participate in interscholastic athletics and extracurricular activities on the same basis and to the same extent as enrolled pupils. On request, your program provides the school board a written statement that your child meets its age, academic, and disciplinary requirements for athletics. The school may charge the same participation fees it charges enrolled pupils.

Public school classes. DPI explains that under the part-time attendance law (Wis. Stat. 118.53), a school district must, space permitting, allow a homeschooled student to take up to two courses per semester at any public school, if the student meets the course's admission standards. DPI also notes that homeschool students are not eligible for Start College Now or the Early College Credit Program.

Understand special needs realities. If your child has an IEP, services from the public school end when you withdraw. Contact your district's special education office to ask about evaluation and any services available.

Find support. DPI does not provide personal consultation on home-based programs, but its Frequently Asked Questions page lists home-based parent associations you can contact.