Updated 3/30/2026:
Ad Hoc Notes on Illinois HB 4253
While this bill has not been passed out of committee we have received several questions so want to provide some feedback for those interested.
The proposed change to language in existing law is: Beginning with the 2028-2029 school year, any pupil enrolled in the public schools who is of compulsory school age but who has not yet attended kindergarten at a public, private, or parochial school shall be required to satisfactorily complete kindergarten before advancing to first grade.
While this bill would not lower the compulsory attendance law, this would possibly give family's concern who wanted to homeschool Kindergarten and then place their child in public school 1st grade. While every IL homeschool is legally a private school and this language clearly states private school Kindergarten is to be accepted, many homeschoolers have encountered individual public schools who seem to be confused about the legalities of homeschooling in IL. Likewise, would a Kindergarten program offered at a local preschool be accepted?
This bill is not aimed at homeschooling but we recognize why this bill could be of concern. It has stalled (just as HB2827 has) and is not expected to go any further. Hopefully it will not reappear next January but as always we will remain vigilant.
Ad Hoc Committee for Illinois Home Education Legal and Legislative Matters is a consensus driven group comprising three different homeschool organizations who advocate for homeschools throughout Illinois regardless of religion, ethnicity or homeschool philosophy. Established in 1984, we are dedicated to protecting private home schools from state regulations that infringe upon the liberty of parents in the education of their children. Working by consensus, we present unified positions to state school officials and legislators on important legislative and legal issues impacting home education in Illinois. We are committed to advancing the principle of academic freedom for the good of all citizens in Illinois.
In Illinois, home schools are one kind of non-public, private school (in 1950 the Illinois State Supreme Court in People vs Levisen 90 N.E.2nd 213 no.31133 determined that home schools were private schools). There is no law requiring non-public schools to register with any public school official, nor are they required to seek state recognition, approval or accreditation.Under Illinois School Code 105 ILCS 5/26.1 (known as the Compulsory Attendance Law) parents of children ages 6 through 17, beginning with the 2014-2015 school year, must make sure the education their children receive includes the branches of education taught to their age group in the local public school (language arts, mathematics, biological ...
Withdrawing from Public School: Before withdrawing your child from public school there are four important steps to follow. If the appropriate steps are not followed, the school will most likely assume that your child is truant. First, familiarize yourself with Illinois laws that apply to homeschools: Illinois Homeschool Laws Second, write a letter to withdraw your child from the public school. See sample withdrawal letters: Letter Sample #1 Letter Sample #2 Print at least two copies of your letter, one for the school’s permanent records and one for your own permanent records. Third, deliver the letter to your child’s school in one of these three ways: Go to the post office and mail the letter “return receipt requested ...