Homeschooling in Wisconsin
What the law requires, what you file and when, and what to keep — with the statute behind each rule.
What Wisconsin requires
- Notify
- Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI), online. Your resident school district can see it once it is submitted. — On or before October 15 each school year (can be filed from July 1). If you withdraw a child after October 15, submit or update it on or before the child's last day at school. (annual)
- Testing or evaluation
- Not required.
- Subjects set by the state
- Yes — 6 required subjects, listed below
- Teaching time
- 875 hours — in detail
- Compulsory school age
- 6 to 18 — in detail
- Records
- None required by law.
Taking your child out of school in Wisconsin
First move: Submit, or update, the online PI-1206 on or before the day your child stops attending.
The child counts as enrolled in your homeschool from the date you click Submit. Print the confirmation, and tell the school in writing so the child is not marked truant.
Before October 15, DPI says districts should treat a parent's stated intent to homeschool as enough notice until the form is filed. To withdraw a child from 5-year-old kindergarten, follow the district's withdrawal procedures.
The legal routes
2 routes exist in Wisconsin. They carry different duties, and families often do not know the alternatives to the obvious one.
- Home-based private educational program (Wis. Stat. § 118.15(4), § 118.165(1))
- A parent or guardian, or someone they designate, teaches their own child, and files the PI-1206 enrollment report with DPI each year. A program serving more than one family is not a homeschool; it would have to qualify as a private school.
- Private school (§ 118.165)
- Enrolling in a Wisconsin private school, including one that teaches online. This is not homeschooling, and no PI-1206 is filed.
The notice, and who receives it
- Goes to
- Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI), online. Your resident school district can see it once it is submitted.
- Deadline
- On or before October 15 each school year (can be filed from July 1). If you withdraw a child after October 15, submit or update it on or before the child's last day at school.
- Renews
- annual
- Form
- PI-1206 Homeschool Enrollment Report (filed online through DPI's HOMER system) — official form
Subjects Wisconsin requires
- reading
- language arts
- mathematics
- social studies
- science
- health
Compulsory school age
6 to 18 (a child who turns 6 on or before Sept. 1 must be reported; attendance is required until the end of the term or semester in which the child turns 18.
Once a child is enrolled in public 5-year-old kindergarten, they must attend for the rest of that term)
Teaching time
At least 875 hours each school year
Who may teach
Wisconsin sets no qualification for the parent teaching at home: no teaching certificate, no college degree, and no requirement that you hold a high school diploma.
Testing and evaluation
No testing or assessment is required. Public districts may not give state-required tests to homeschoolers, though some may offer local testing, possibly for a fee.
Records to keep
None required by law. DPI strongly recommends keeping copies of every PI-1206, since DPI only keeps them for 7 years and they may be needed for college, the military, jobs or Social Security.
It also recommends records of hours and curriculum, which a district may ask about if it receives a complaint.
High school, diplomas and transcripts
Parents may create their own diploma. It is not a traditional Wisconsin diploma, since those are issued only by public and private schools, but employers and colleges widely accept it.
GED/HSED is an option. Homeschoolers cannot use the Early College Credit Program or Start College Now. Public or private schools decide grade placement and how much homeschool credit to accept.
Public school classes, sports and activities
Part-time: up to 2 courses per semester at public schools, if there is space and the student meets admission standards, and the 2 courses may be in different districts (§ 118.53). Summer school is available in the resident district.
Sports and extracurriculars: resident homeschoolers may take part on the same basis as enrolled students (§ 118.133, 2015). On request, the parent provides a statement that the student meets age, academic and conduct rules, which the district may not question. WIAA requires a filed PI-1206. Special education: districts must evaluate a child on request, but need not provide services to homeschoolers.
Funding: education savings accounts, vouchers and tax credits
None for homeschoolers. DPI says there is no public financial help for homeschooling families.
The Parental Choice (voucher) and Special Needs Scholarship programs pay for private schools only.
What we could not confirm
No 2023-2026 homeschool law changes were found. The 2025 acts amending § 118.15 only changed medical excuses for absences.
Wisconsin has no statute on who issues a homeschool diploma; the DPI FAQ's view that parent-made diplomas are 'not traditional diplomas' is guidance, not law.
- Wis. Stat. pages could not be fetched (robots block) to re-read § 118.165 history; Oct 15 deadline taken from prior record/§ 115.30(3) citation, not re-read
Listed because a legal summary that hides its gaps is harder to trust than one that names them. How these pages are checked.
Statutes and sources
Statute and regulation
- Wis. Stat. § 118.15
- Wis. Stat. § 118.165
- Wis. Stat. § 115.001(3g)
- Wis. Stat. § 115.30(3)
- Wis. Stat. § 118.53
- Wis. Stat. § 118.133
Statute text
- Wis. Stat. § 118.15 (compulsory attendance)
- Wis. Stat. § 118.165 (private school / homeschool criteria)
- Wis. Stat. § 115.001(3g) (definition of home-based private educational program)
- Wis. Stat. § 115.30(3) (annual enrollment report by Oct. 15)
- Wis. Stat. § 118.53 (part-time public school courses)
- Wis. Stat. § 118.133 (athletics and extracurriculars)
State agency
- DPI – Home-Based Private Education Program (Homeschooling)
- DPI – Homeschooling Frequently Asked Questions
- DPI – Homeschool Enrollment Reporting
- DPI – PI-1206 Homeschool Enrollment Report (HOMER)