2026–2027 Homeschool Laws and Requirements
How to Homeschool in Wisconsin
Yes, you can homeschool your child in Wisconsin. You do not need a teaching license or a state-approved curriculum; you choose your learning materials and your schedule. Wisconsin asks for one short online report each year and a school year of at least 875 hours across six subjects.
Updated 9 October 2026 · Sources read 8 October 2026
Free printable guide
The Wisconsin homeschool quick reference, 2026–2027
One page to keep: what Wisconsin requires, the dates, and the official links, checked for the 2026–2027 school year. Open it here first, then download it.
What Wisconsin homeschool law requires
The whole list for the 2026–2027 school year, from Wisconsin's statutes and the Department of Public Instruction:
| Requirement | What Wisconsin asks | Where it says so |
|---|---|---|
| Enrollment report | The PI-1206 Homeschool Enrollment Report, filed online through DPI's HOMER portal on or before October 15 each year (the window opens July 1); a family that starts later files it on or before the child's last day at the previous school. Print the confirmation: it is the only state record that you homeschooled. | Wis. Stat. § 115.30(3); DPI's HOMER portal |
| Hours | At least 875 hours of instruction each school year, on the calendar you choose. | Wis. Stat. § 118.165(1)(c) |
| Subjects | A sequentially progressive curriculum of fundamental instruction in reading, language arts, mathematics, social studies, science and health. The program need not include any concept, topic or practice in conflict with its religious doctrines. | Wis. Stat. § 118.165(1)(d) |
| The program | A home-based private educational program whose primary purpose is to provide private or religious-based education, serving one family, taught by the parent or by someone the parent designates. | Wis. Stat. §§ 118.15(4), 118.165(1)(a) |
| Teacher, tests, records | No teaching license or minimum education, no state test, no curriculum approval, no home visit, and no records to submit. | Wis. Stat. § 118.15(4); DPI's homeschool FAQ (March 2026) |
| Ages | Compulsory attendance from 6 to 18. A child who is not six by September 1 needs no report that year. | Wis. Stat. § 118.15(1)(a) |
How to start homeschooling in Wisconsin
- Decide when you will begin. If your child is enrolled in a public school, tell the school in writing that you are withdrawing to a home-based private educational program, so the child is not marked absent.
- File the enrollment report, form PI-1206, online with the Department of Public Instruction (the HOMER system) by October 15 of each school year, or as soon as you begin mid-year. It is a report, not an application: nothing is approved.
- Plan 875 hours of instruction for the year across the six subject areas: reading, language arts, mathematics, social studies, science and health. The free Homeschool Rhythm Builder turns the hours into a printable weekly plan.
- Choose your materials. Wisconsin approves no curriculum and sets no qualification for the teaching parent; the statute lets the program be private or religious-based. Faith Schooling's reading, language arts and mathematics programs cover three of the six areas, and you add the rest.
- Keep your own record of hours and finished work. Wisconsin asks for none and tests no homeschooled child, but a dated stack of pages answers any question a school ever asks.
How Faith Schooling covers Wisconsin's requirements
Wisconsin asks for 875 hours a year. Over a 36-week year of five days, or 45 weeks of four, that is about 4.9 hours a day.
Wisconsin's statute names the purpose first: a program whose primary purpose is to provide private or religious-based education, and whose curriculum need not include anything in conflict with its religious doctrines. Faith Schooling is written for exactly that family: Scripture-first textbooks that teach reading, language arts and mathematics in a sequence that builds, which is what the law's "sequentially progressive" wording asks for.
Three of Wisconsin's six subjects come from the three programs below. Social studies, science and health are yours to choose, and many families count Bible, history and nature study toward them.
Wisconsin asks you to keep no records. Keep them anyway: the dated, finished pages of each program are your own record of the year, and they answer any question a school ever asks when a child moves between home and classroom.
- Reading
- Phonics, Decoding, and Early Fluency K–5 reading textbooks in four quarterly volumes a year, with complete teaching guides
- Language arts
- Phonics, Decoding, and Early Fluency and Grammar Garden reading in Phonics, Decoding, and Early Fluency; grammar, writing and composition in Grammar Garden
- Mathematics
- Building Number Sense K–5 mathematics textbooks; Kindergarten to Grade 2 add practice workbooks and teaching guides
- Social studies, science and health
- Your choice Faith Schooling does not publish these subjects; choose what fits your family
- Bible
- The Apostolic Academy not something Wisconsin requires; free: Scripture memory, Bible study and printables for the family
The curriculum map Phonics, Decoding, and Early Fluency Grammar Garden Building Number Sense HARVEST placement Homeschool Rhythm Builder
What Wisconsin does not require, and you should still do
- Place your child before you buy anything. Wisconsin tests no homeschooled child, so nobody will tell you where yours stands in reading or math; HARVEST, the free placement check, does that in an afternoon and names the grade and quarter to start.
- Plan the 875 hours. The Homeschool Rhythm Builder turns your week into a printable plan and a running hour count, so the October report and the year's hours are never a guess.
- Keep a simple record. DPI asks for none, but a dated stack of finished pages and an hour log answer every question a school, a college or a district will ever ask.
HARVEST free placement Homeschool Rhythm Builder The Apostolic Academy
Common questions
- What is required to homeschool in Wisconsin?
- One enrollment report a year to the Department of Public Instruction (form PI-1206, by October 15), at least 875 hours of instruction, and a sequentially progressive curriculum in reading, language arts, mathematics, social studies, science and health. No teacher qualification, no curriculum approval, no test and no records are required.
- How do I start homeschooling in Wisconsin?
- File the PI-1206 enrollment report online with DPI by October 15 or when you begin, plan 875 hours across the six subjects, choose your materials, and keep your own records. If your child is in a public school, tell the school in writing that you are withdrawing.
- How many instructional hours does Wisconsin require?
- At least 875 hours a year, under § 118.165(1)(c). Over a 36-week year of five days that is about 4.9 hours a day; the calendar is yours.
- Are standardized tests required for Wisconsin homeschoolers?
- No. Wisconsin requires no test, evaluation or portfolio review of a home-based private educational program, and the Department of Public Instruction does not supervise it.
- Can I homeschool kindergarten in Wisconsin?
- Yes. Compulsory attendance runs from age 6 to 18, so a kindergarten year at five needs no report; file the enrollment report for the school year in which your child is six, or earlier if you choose.
- Can the program be religious?
- Yes. Wisconsin's statute says a home-based private educational program may be private or religious-based, and the choice of materials is yours.
Official Wisconsin homeschool resources
Read from the state's own pages for the 2026–2027 school year on the date shown. The statutes and the Department of Public Instruction are the final word; this page is a plain-language guide, not legal advice.
- Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction — Home-Based Private Educational Program (Homeschooling) — checked 2026-10-08
- Wisconsin DPI — PI-1206 Homeschool Enrollment Report, the HOMER portal — checked 2026-10-08
- Wisconsin DPI — Frequently Asked Questions Relating to Homeschooling (March 2026) — checked 2026-10-08
- Wis. Stat. § 118.165 — the 875 hours, the six subjects and the religious-content clause — checked 2026-10-08
- Wis. Stat. § 115.30(3) — the annual enrollment report due on or before October 15 — checked 2026-10-08
- Wis. Stat. § 118.15 — compulsory school attendance, ages 6 to 18; subsection (4) lets a home-based program substitute for attendance — checked 2026-10-08