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

Wis. Stat. § 118.15(4) allows instruction in a home-based private educational program that meets all the criteria in § 118.165(1) to be substituted for attendance at a public or private school. Section 115.001(3g) defines the program, and § 115.30(3) requires the annual enrollment report to the Department of Public Instruction.

Wis. Stat. § 118.15(4); Wis. Stat. § 115.001(3g); Wis. Stat. § 115.30(3)

The law as of September 29, 2026.

Wisconsin at a glance

As of September 29, 2026

Notice to the state: Notice every year
On or before October 15 each year, the administrator of a home-based private educational program must file with the Department of Public Instruction, on the department's form (PI-1206), a statement of enrollment as of the third Friday of September that indicates whether the program meets all the criteria in § 118.165(1). DPI's guidance says a parent who withdraws a child from school after October 15 should submit or update the form on or before the day the child stops attending.Wis. Stat. § 115.30(3); DPI, Home-Based Private Educational Program FAQ (March 17, 2026)
Records the law asks for: None required by law
Wisconsin law does not require a home-based program to keep or submit instructional, attendance or test records beyond the annual PI-1206 report. DPI recommends, but the law does not require, that parents keep records of the instruction provided and copies of each PI-1206, which DPI retains for only seven years.Wis. Stat. § 115.30(3); DPI, Home-Based Private Educational Program FAQ (March 17, 2026)
Testing or evaluation: None required by law
Wisconsin law requires no testing or assessment of home-based students. DPI states that public school districts may not administer state-required assessments to students in home-based programs.Wis. Stat. § 118.165(1); DPI, Home-Based Private Educational Program FAQ (March 17, 2026)
Graduation requirements: None set by the state
Wisconsin sets no graduation requirements for home-based programs. The program must provide at least 875 hours of instruction each school year and a sequentially progressive curriculum of fundamental instruction in reading, language arts, mathematics, social studies, science and health, and need not include content that conflicts with its religious doctrines.Wis. Stat. § 118.165(1)(c), (d)
Diploma: Issued by: parent
DPI states that high school diplomas in Wisconsin are issued by public and private schools, that a home-based program does not lead to a traditional Wisconsin high school diploma, and that parents may create a diploma when their program is completed. A student may instead pursue a GED certificate or a High School Equivalency Diploma (HSED) through DPI.DPI, Home-Based Private Education Program (Homeschooling); DPI, Home-Based Private Educational Program FAQ (March 17, 2026)
Compulsory school ages: 6 to 18: a child between the ages of 6 and 18 must attend school regularly until the end of the term, quarter or semester of the school year in which the child turns 18, unless excused or graduated; DPI states a PI-1206 is needed for a child who turns six on or before September 1.Wis. Stat. § 118.15(1)(a); DPI, Home-Based Private Education Program (Homeschooling)

How homeschooling is authorized in Wisconsin

Home-based private educational programA parent or guardian, or a person the parent or guardian designates, may instruct the child in a home-based private educational program that meets the private school criteria in Wis. Stat. § 118.165(1), including at least 875 hours of instruction each school year and a sequentially progressive curriculum of fundamental instruction in reading, language arts, mathematics, social studies, science and health; a program provided to more than one family unit is not a home-based program. Basis: statuteWis. Stat. § 118.15(4); Wis. Stat. § 115.001(3g); Wis. Stat. § 118.165(1)

What Wisconsin law means for your transcript

The law sets hours (875 a year) and subjects (§ 118.165(1)) but no credit system, so credit values are the parent's choice; the 120-hour Carnegie unit is a common convention, not a requirement.
DPI calls the PI-1206 the only state documentation of home-based enrollment and keeps it for seven years, so keeping each year's copy with the transcript is DPI's recommendation, not a legal requirement.
For UW guaranteed admission a home-based applicant qualifies on a single-date ACT composite percentile plus the Regents' required courses (§ 36.11(3m)), so as practice the transcript can make those courses easy to find.
A public or private school that later enrolls the student decides grade placement and how many credits, if any, to grant for home-based courses (DPI FAQ).

College admission and state aid for Wisconsin homeschoolers

Under the University of Wisconsin System guaranteed admission program, an applicant enrolled in a home-based private educational program in Wisconsin who applies during the final year of the program qualifies with a composite ACT score from a single test date at or above the national 90th percentile (98th percentile and the early action deadline for UW-Madison), if the applicant also completes the courses the Board of Regents requires of all applicants; an institution may revoke the offer if the applicant is not granted a high school diploma before the scheduled enrollment date. DPI states that home-based students are not eligible for the Early College Credit Program or Start College Now.Wis. Stat. § 36.11(3m); DPI, Home-Based Private Educational Program FAQ (March 17, 2026)

Recent changes to Wisconsin homeschool law

2023 Wisconsin Act 95 (SB 367), enacted February 20, 2024 and published February 21, 2024, created the UW System guaranteed admission program in § 36.11(3m), first applying to applications for the 2025-26 academic year, with an ACT-percentile route for students in home-based programs. No change to the home-based program rules in §§ 115.001(3g), 115.30(3), 118.15(4) or 118.165(1) was found for 2023 to 2026; 2025 Wisconsin Acts 17 and 101 amended § 118.15(3)(a) (excuses for physical or mental condition), which does not change the home-based rules.

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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:

The legislative history note for § 36.11 could not be extracted from the statutes site; the enactment and applicability dates come from the text of 2023 Wisconsin Act 95.
No Wisconsin statute on home-based students and Wisconsin Technical College System admission or state grants was found.

Sources

General information about Wisconsin 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].