CURRENT GRADE: D
No tax dollars are permitted to follow the student but there are tax credits for education expenses such as private school tuition.
Homeschooling is relatively parent friendly. Athletic participation is not prohibited by the state but controlled at local level.
Compulsory education is age 6 through 17.
Education Options
- Education Expense Credit
- Education expenses (tuition, book and lab fees) over $250 receive a tax credit if income doesn’t exceed $250,000 for individual or $500,000 for joint filers.
- Charter Schools
- A total of 137 charter schools but 122 of them are in Chicago.
- 15 charter schools are managed by the state education department.
- These are all controlled by local or state government.
Homeschooling Laws
Here are state requirements on the topic of homeschooling:
- If a student is enrolled in a public school and removed, parents should notify the school, so they aren’t considered truant.
- There are no reporting requirements to homeschool.
- The following courses must be taught: instruction, in the English language, in the following subject areas: Language arts, Mathematics, Biological and physical science, Social science (social studies), Fine arts, Physical development and health.
- Homeschool students may attend public school on a part-time basis, including special education students.
- Homeschool students may receive driver’s education courses in the public school.
- Athletics—local school boards decide if home schooled students may participate in high school sports.
Religious Exemptions:
The state has no formal laws related to religious exemptions but there are no requirements or notifications to homeschool.
The First Amendment states “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” Many argue that a religious conviction to provide a home-based education is constitutionally protected and a state religious exemption law is not a requirement to be able to homeschool on religious grounds.
It should be noted that the U.S. Supreme Court in Wisconsin v. Yoder (1972) established that “Under the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment, a state law requiring that children attend school past eighth grade violates the parents’ constitutional right to direct the religious upbringing of their children.” (The case involved a challenge of a 16-year-old student to be exempt, so the scope was limited)
