Homeschooling in Wisconsin

The PI-1206 can be filed at any time of year. A school district cannot make you file it before October 15, and DPI says a district should treat your word that you intend to homeschool as enough notice until then. After October 15, file or update the report on or before your child's last day at school.

The report reaches only authorized district staff. If your child's former school says it has no record, refer the school to the district office, and check that you listed the right resident district.

Kindergarten

A child who is not 6 by September 1 does not need a PI-1206. A child already enrolled in 5-year-old kindergarten must attend for the term unless you follow the district's withdrawal steps. Completing 5-year-old kindergarten is a prerequisite for public school first grade, so a child taught at home instead needs an exemption from the district at that point.

Wisconsin requires no homeschool records beyond the PI-1206, and DPI keeps submitted reports for only seven years. The report is the only state document showing your child was homeschooled, so keep every copy, with its confirmation number. Your child may need them for the military, college, jobs, apprenticeships, or government programs such as Social Security.

DPI recommends keeping records of the instruction you provide: hours, curriculum, and your child's progress. Colleges may ask for exactly those, along with your PI-1206 copies.

DPI does not release the names of homeschooling families. If a parent who did not file the report asks for it, DPI notifies you first, and you have 14 days to show a court order denying that parent access to your child's records.

Wisconsin requires no tests or assessments of homeschoolers. If you want your child tested, you arrange it. A school district may offer its local tests, possibly for a fee, but districts are not allowed to give the state's required assessments to homeschooled students.

Federal law requires each school district to find and evaluate children with disabilities, a duty called Child Find. If you suspect a disability, ask your public school district for an evaluation; it is publicly funded. If your child qualifies, the district must offer a placement that provides a free appropriate public education, which generally means enrolling in public school.

Districts do not have to provide special education and related services to children in home-based programs. A district may choose to provide any services it considers appropriate, but DPI does not aid the cost.

Wisconsin high school diplomas come from public and private schools, so a home-based program does not lead to one. Parents may create a diploma when their program is complete, and a General Educational Development (GED) certificate or High School Equivalency Diploma (HSED) is another route.

Public school courses

Under the part-time attendance law, any Wisconsin public school must let a homeschooled student take up to two courses per semester, space permitting, if the student meets the course's admission standards. The two courses can be at different schools. This is not part-time open enrollment, so there is no PI-9412 application; contact the district office to register. If a device is built into a course's daily work, the district provides it.

Homeschooled students can also attend summer school in their resident district; a nonresident district must charge tuition.

Most colleges and universities use alternative admission processes for students without a traditional high school record, weighing ACT or SAT scores with whatever records you provide.

The state's Early College Credit Program serves public and private high school students, and Start College Now serves public high school juniors and seniors, so homeschooled students are not eligible for either. A homeschooled teen can still apply to a college directly as a high school student under that college's own rules and pay its tuition.

Homeschool dual enrollment in Wisconsin

A school board must let resident homeschooled students take part in interscholastic athletics and extracurricular activities on the same basis and to the same extent as enrolled students. Participation fees, including uniforms, equipment, and musical instruments, can be charged on the same basis.

On request, your home-based program gives the school board a written statement that your child meets its requirements for age and academic and disciplinary records. The board may not question that statement or ask for more information, and no one may make a false statement. The Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association (WIAA) governs interscholastic athletics.

Homeschool sports eligibility in Wisconsin

There is no publicly funded financial help for homeschooling families from the state or your school district, and the state does not provide curriculum or materials. A district may choose to help with materials. Because a homeschooled child is not enrolled, the district receives no state aid for that child.

Homeschool tax breaks and funding in Wisconsin

Your child can go back to a public or private school at any point in the year. Sign in to your PI-1206, lower the number of children enrolled, or set it to zero, and submit the change.

The new school has discretion over grade placement and how many credits, if any, it grants for homeschool courses.

Neither DPI nor school districts have specific statutory authority to monitor homeschooling, and DPI says the legislature meant families to homeschool with minimal interference. A district is not forbidden to look into a complaint, though. If someone alleges a program falls short of the 875 hours or the six subjects, the district may invite you to a meeting to document your hours and curriculum.

DPI's own role is to provide the PI-1206 and answer questions about the law; it does not give personal consultation. DPI will never ask a homeschooling family for a Social Security number, birth certificate, or other personal information after the report is filed.