Illinois homeschool law for high school: graduation, diploma and records

Home education rests on the private school exemption in 105 ILCS 5/26-1(1) as interpreted in People v. Levisen, 404 Ill. 574 (1950), which ISBE summarizes as covering home schooling where the teacher is competent, the required branches are taught and the education is at least equivalent to public schooling. No Illinois statute regulates home schools as such, and 105 ILCS 5/2-3.25o(e) excludes home-based schools from ISBE's voluntary nonpublic school registration and recognition.

105 ILCS 5/26-1; 105 ILCS 5/2-3.25o(e); ISBE, Questions you may have on Illinois Home Schooling (rev. Oct. 2017)

The law as of September 29, 2026.

Illinois at a glance

As of September 29, 2026

Notice to the state: No notice required
No statute requires notice or registration. ISBE offers an optional home schooling registration form and says parents 'may choose' to notify the regional superintendent or ISBE; it recommends, but does not require, telling a child's current school in writing when withdrawing so the child is not reported truant.ISBE, Questions you may have on Illinois Home Schooling (Q4, Q7); ISBE, Illinois Homeschooling
Records the law asks for: None required by law
No statute requires records to be kept or submitted. ISBE 'strongly encourage[s]' good records, such as report cards, syllabi, attendance logs and test results, because the parent must document the child's education if asked, for example when re-enrolling in public school; that is guidance, not law.ISBE, Illinois Homeschooling
Testing or evaluation: None required by law
No testing is required, and any test results the parent chooses to obtain need not be submitted to any school official. ISBE notes that home school students may not take the state accountability tests given in public schools.ISBE, Questions you may have on Illinois Home Schooling (Q5); ISBE, Illinois Homeschooling
Graduation requirements: None set by the state
Illinois sets no graduation or credit requirements for home schools; ISBE states that graduation requirements are the parent's decision. Instruction must be in English in the branches taught in public schools, which ISBE, citing 105 ILCS 5/26-1 and 27-1, lists as language arts, mathematics, biological and physical science, social science, fine arts, and physical development and health.105 ILCS 5/26-1(1); 105 ILCS 5/27-1; ISBE, Illinois Homeschooling
Diploma: Issued by: parent
No statute provides for a home school diploma; in practice the parent, as administrator of the private school, issues it. ISBE states that a home schooled student has no right to a public school diploma or graduation ceremony, and that a public high school may not grant credit for classes that did not come from an accredited program if the student enrolls.ISBE, Illinois Homeschooling; ISBE, Questions you may have on Illinois Home Schooling (Q15)
Compulsory school ages: From age 6 (on or before September 1) to age 17, unless the child has already graduated from high school.105 ILCS 5/26-1

How homeschooling is authorized in Illinois

Home school as a private school105 ILCS 5/26-1 exempts a child 'attending a private or a parochial school where children are taught the branches of education taught to children of corresponding age and grade in the public schools' in English, and in People v. Levisen (1950) the Illinois Supreme Court held that a home school can be such a private school. The Illinois State Board of Education treats a home school as a private school for most purposes. Basis: case law105 ILCS 5/26-1(1); People v. Levisen, 404 Ill. 574 (1950) (text not confirmed); ISBE, Questions you may have on Illinois Home Schooling (rev. Oct. 2017)

What Illinois law means for your transcript

Illinois sets no homeschool graduation requirements, and ISBE suggests using public school graduation requirements if the student plans to attend college; that is advice, not law.
No Illinois law defines a high school credit for a home school; counting a year-long course as one credit is a convention.
Because Illinois home schools operate as private schools, a transcript can present the program as a private school record, but HSLDA advises identifying the student as homeschooled on the FAFSA.
A public high school may not grant credit for courses that did not come from an accredited program (ISBE guidance), so a transcript alone may not transfer credit if the student re-enrolls.

Recent changes to Illinois homeschool law

No homeschool law was enacted in 2023 to 2026. H.B. 2827 (104th General Assembly), which would have created a 'Homeschool Act' with an annual notification form, was re-referred to the House Rules Committee on April 11, 2025 and has had no further action; it is not law. The most recent amendment listed for 105 ILCS 5/26-1 is P.A. 103-721 (effective January 1, 2025); the private school exemption in paragraph 1 reads the same as ISBE quotes it in its 2017 FAQ.

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What we could not confirm

These points could not be checked against the statute or regulation text, so treat them with care:

We did not open the People v. Levisen opinion; its citation (404 Ill. 574 (1950)) and holding are taken from ISBE's home schooling FAQ.
ISBE's main homeschool web page (isbe.net/pages/homeschool.aspx) was not opened; we read ISBE's published 'Illinois Homeschooling' guide and its October 2017 FAQ PDF, which may be older than the web page.
We did not find an Illinois statute on home school graduates' admission to public universities or eligibility for state aid; college_access is null on that basis.
ILGA bill status shows H.B. 2827's last action on April 11, 2025; the 104th General Assembly runs until January 2027, so the bill has not formally expired, although HSLDA describes it as dead.

Sources

General information about Illinois law as of September 29, 2026, not legal advice. Laws change, so check the statute before you rely on it. Found an error? Email [email protected].