Homeschooling in Wisconsin
Looking to homeschool in Wisconsin?
Homeschooling law in Wisconsin is pretty straightforward.
Here’s what you need to know.
Reporting in Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a very easy and straightforward state to homeschool in. It can take a little bit to understand our laws, but once you understand them, you will realize just how simple the whole process is!
Compulsory education in WI goes from ages 6 to 18, so these are the ages you must report for homeschooling. Every homeschooling family in Wisconsin that has kids who are six before September 1st must file with the Department of Education. The form that you file is called the PI-1206. When you file this form, you are not asking for their permission, but rather you are reporting your homeschool’s enrollment. According to state statute, you are recording the enrollment of your homeschool as of the third Friday in September. The statue also specifies that this form must be filled out by October 15th. Therefore, you should file the form yearly between the third Friday of September and October 15th.
The information that the form asks for is very simple. You will not be required to give any of your child’s personal information. The form simply asks how many kids you are homeschooling and then gives you the option to record the grades they are in. If you do not want to record the grades they are in, you may simply choose either ungraded 1-8 or ungraded 9-12. This acknowledges that your kid is either in elementary school or in high school. It is completely your personal preference whether you would like to pick specific grades or choose ungraded.
One tricky part of the form to be aware of is that it will ask you what school district you reside in. If you don’t know this information off hand, you will need to look it up before you fill out the form.
When you fill out the PI-1206, you will create a username and password. Make sure you save these in a safe place because you will use the same one every year. You should save a copy of your form; the state only keeps these records on file for 7 years. When you are done filling it out you will see an option to print it.
If you make changes during the middle of the school year that affect your information – like you move to a new address – you will need to go into the form and update it. If you move out of state in the middle of the year, you should return to the form and adjust the number of kids you are homeschooling to zero.
What should I do if I am withdrawing my child from school?
Wisconsin does not require you to notify the school district, but many parents do as a courtesy. Sending a letter or email can be helpful so that you have a paper trail that you have notified them. If you are pulling them out at the beginning of the year, wait and file the PI-1206 until after the third Friday in September. If you are pulling them out after October 15th, file the form immediately. You may start and stop homeschooling at any time – even if it is the middle of the year. If you stop homeschooling, go back into the PI-1206 and return the number of students to zero (or whichever number it is if you did not stop homeschooling all of your kids).
What are the responsibilities of homeschooling in WI?
As part of filling out the PI-1206, you will be required to acknowledge that you are following Wisconsin’s homeschool law. So – what does that law entail?
The legal definition of homeschooling:
In Wisconsin, homeschooling can be provided by you, the parent, or by an adult that you designate. However, it is important to note that the teaching can only be done to one family unit. Homeschoolers often have many wonderful opportunities for co-op classes, online classes, and more – but you can only count the hours that are being taught exclusively to your family, whether that’s by you or a person you have designated. Some examples of a person that you have designated might be a tutor you hire or a grandparent. But remember, only to your family. The tutoring would need to be one on one – not a group situation.
The type of instruction:
Wisconsin requires 875 hours of instruction per year. Now, this does not necessarily mean that is 875 hours of sit down at the table bookwork. You can count going on a nature hike (PE, science), cooking in the kitchen (math, home ec, science), and more. As long as it is taught just to your family, it can count.
Wisconsin does have required subjects, and they are:
- Reading
- Language Arts
- Mathematics
- Social Studies
- Science
- Health
You are not limited to these subject areas – you can teach anything you want – but these are the ones you are required to teach. Whatever you teach should also be sequentially progressive. What that means in a nutshell is that your child should move forward in a logical order. Likely, you would do this already without even thinking of it. You won’t, for example, still be reading phonics readers when your child is ready for chapter books. You will let them grow and learn naturally as they progress.
Important note: the law specifically says that you are not required to teach anything in your school that goes against your religious beliefs.
Record Keeping – You should keep a record of your child’s attendance and fulfillment of the 875 hours. You will need to show this should you be asked. It is unlikely anyone will ask to see these, but if you are asked, this is something you should be aware you will need to provide.
Special Note: Kindergarten
You may have noticed from the first section that compulsory age of school attendance is from 6-18. Where does this leave kindergarteners? Well, kindergarten is not required. However, the law states that kids must attend kindergarten in order to go to first grade.
What does this mean if you plan to homeschool for kindergarten and first grade? Nothing. You can file the form as normal when they are six before September 1st. There are no other restrictions on entering public school in any other grade.
However, if you are only planning on homeschooling for kindergarten, you will need to contact the school and ask for their written policy concerning entering as a first grader after being homeschooled for kindergarten. Every school district is required to have this and they will need to supply you with this. If you know ahead of time that you are only going to be homeschooling for kindergarten, try to request this at the beginning of the year.
What if I want my child to take some classes or play sports at the public school?
In Wisconsin, your child is allowed to take up to 2 classes at your local school. This, however, depends on the school and if they have space for your child to take the two classes. You can not count these classes towards your 875 hours. If you are interested in this option, you will need to contact the school.
Your child is also allowed to participate in sports or other extracurricular activities with a public school. Again, if you are interested in this you will need to contact the school. The school may charge you any fees associated with the event that it also charges other students. In the case that the school requests it, you must also be prepared to provide a true written statement that your student meets the academic standards required by the school to participate.
Need More Wisconsin Help?
The Wisconsin Homeschooling Parents Association should be your go to resource for all things Wisconsin homeschooling related. They have so much information and answers to all the other questions you may have. Most of what I know I learned from them. I appreciate all the work that they do to help Wisconsinites homeschool!