Wisconsin families educate more than 29,000 students statewide and approximately 6,800 of those students reside in Southeast Wisconsin.

Dear Parents,

If you are new to homeschooling, congratulations! You might be feeling excited and a bit scattered. We’ve all been there! If you are an existing homeschool family that calls Southeast Wisconsin home, welcome to the table.

We live in a state with low regulation and that’s great news! The state recognizes you as the administrator of your homeschool which means that you decide which curricula your students will use, what your ‘standards’ are and what tests you want your children to take (if any).

The world is your oyster… and that my friends… requires a lot of filtering through content clutter!

The goal of this site is to ease that burden.

We live in a state with low regulation. You determine the curricula, ‘standards’ and tests (if any).

Start homeschooling in less than 4 hours.

Step One.

Notice & Withdrawal
(15 min)

Skip to step two if it’s summer break – OR – your school-age children have never been enrolled in public or private school.

If your child was/is currently attending school and you wish to withdraw, you have the option to provide a courtesy notice but it’s not legally required. The Wisconsin Homeschooling Parents Association (WHPA) has sample letters available for your convenience.

Step Two.

File the PI-1206 Report
(15 min)

Submitting the PI-1206 Homeschool Report by October 15th each year officially notifies your school district that you’re homeschooling (view a sample).

If you’re withdrawing your students from another school, file this report at the same time – or immediately after – you’ve sent your courtesy notice. Congratulations! You’ve now been promoted to school administrator.

Step Three.

Daily Instruction
(2.4 hrs/day)

Now what? Spend the next couple of weeks (or months) getting reacquainted with your local libraries, museums and parks…and while you’re at it…log what you’ve done!

You are required to provide 875 hours of instruction per year covering six subjects: reading, language arts, math, social studies, science and health. Schools typically plan this across 36 weeks between Sept and June.

If you take the scenic route, you can school year round averaging about 3 hours per day. You’re the administrator and you determine the pace.

What curriculum should I choose?

Curriculum is a personal choice and sifting through it all can cause analysis paralysis. My advice? First, visit the library and second, find a group. Let me explain…

It will behoove you to get acquainted with your local youth librarians. Consider them part of your new administrative staff! Tell them you’re starting your homeschool journey and ask for a tour of resources suited to your student’s grade level. Then ask about homeschool groups in the surrounding area and prioritize getting in touch with those groups.

Finding like-minded homeschool families can help inform curricula and methods of teaching that might be a great fit for your family (and save you thousands of dollars). Relax and don’t be afraid to take a few weeks or months to get organized.

Can I start homeschooling without curriculum?

Absolutely! Here’s an example of what that could look like for a K-8 student.

  • Ask your youth librarian how to determine your child’s reading level. They can direct you to appropriate books and fun educational tools. Let your kids pick out what captures their interest! Then read out loud at home and/or encourage independent reading.
    It counts! Track your hours.

  • Pick up a few low-cost, age-approprite workbooks and/or research a few writing prompts. Try out Prodigy English or another fun app that your kids might enjoy. Journal about your day. Finally, ask your librarian for language arts resources that are age appropriate.
    It counts! Track your hours.

  • Do flash cards. Play Speed Drill or Prodigy Math. Check out CTC Math. Pick up a few low-cost workbooks. Bake something (fractions). Play a card game or board game that requires math to tally a score. Finally, ask your librarian for math resources at the library that are age appropriate.
    It counts! Track your hours.

  • You refreshed your memory on the dewey decimal system right? Have your kids browse some Science (500) and Social Studies or History (300/900) books that pique their interest. Visit a science or history museum. Finally, ask your librarian for science and history resources at the library that are age appropriate. (Are you sensing a theme?)
    It counts! Track your hours.

  • Imagine this. Following breakfast, you pack a picnic lunch and involve your kids by having them make sandwiches and discuss healthy food choices.

    On your drive to the Milwaukee Public Museum, you listen to Yakko’s World in the car for some auditory learning. After walking around for a bit and reading all those exhibit signs to ”strengthen the brain”, you pause to rest and nourish your bodies with lunch.

    You head home but on the way you stop at a playground, tackle 2-3 rounds of Speed Drill on your smartphone and release your kids to run wild for physical exercise.

    After a good night’s sleep you look at the pictures you took and write about your favorite exhibits or do some related copywork from a museum resource you picked up.

    Way to go! You efficiently checked off 6-8 hours of school and covered reading, language arts, math, geography, social studies and science. Did they even realize they had fun in health class?

    It all counts! Track your hours and take it easy for the rest of the week.

  • 115.001.(3g) “Home-based private educational program” means a program of educational instruction provided to a child by the child’s parent or guardian or by a person designated by the parent or guardian. An instructional program provided to more than one family unit does not constitute a home-based private educational program.

    In plain english, this means that co-op classes and group field trips could be challenged from a legal perspective because it’s not 1:1 instruction.

    Visit the WPA for more info on record-keeping.

“You dropped a hundred & fifty grand on [an] education you coulda got for a dollar fifty in late charges at the public library.”

Will Hunting
Good Will Hunting, Gus Van Sant

What do the homeschooling trends look like in Wisconsin and how big is the southeast community?

15-Year Statewide Enrollment Trend (2009-2024)

Southeast Student Enrollment
(2023-’24)

Southeast Grade Levels
(2023-’24)

Southeast Enrollment Trend
(2015-2024)

Did you know?

The percentage of total enrollment for public schools has been declining steadily over the past 15 years. During the 2023-2024 academic year, public enrollment decreased by 8,802 students (1.07%) compared to the previous year. Meanwhile, home-based education realized a 2.59% increase and private education a 3.65% increase for a cumulative bump of 5,287 students in those categories.

Source: Home Based Private Education Statistics, Wisconsin Dept. of Public Instruction

What else do I need to know?

What does administration look like from year to year as you homeschool? As your kids grow into different ages and stages, questions will pop up (especially as they move into the high school years). Here are some sites that I find myself revisiting as I execute my game plan each academic year.

  • This comprehensive statewide site provides answers to a ton of frequently asked questions regarding homeschool administration. I used it a lot at the beginning of my journey and still pop in on occasion as my kids transition from one phase to another.

    Visit & Bookmark Site

  • HSLDA is a nationwide advocacy organization that specializes in legal matters related to homeschooling. It offers many of the same resources that the WHPA does but I find that it’s updated more frequently. The variety of content modalities help me keep a pulse on news that might trickle down to Wisconsin.

    Visit & Bookmark Site

  • This one is bookmarked for these reasons:

    1. It’s where to submit the annual PI-1206 and,

    2. It provides access to the most up to date Wisconsin Statutes

    At most I visit this twice per year.

    Homeschoolers do not have to comply with state-mandated standards. But if you’re curious about what the government is teaching public school students…enjoy the light reading on this site.

    You might be concerned about whether or not your kids will be on track with peers their age. That’s okay! It’s a normal feeling at first.

    Look forward to relaxing as you journey further along. Providing a customized education for your kids and working at their pace is a blessing like no other!

    Visit & Bookmark Site

  • Wisconsin’s online library! Did you know you can access a ton of digital resources with your library card using BadgerLink, Libby & Hoopla? Find educational resources for each grade level and personal interest resources like popular magazines, encyclopedias, geneology, health & wellness etc.

    Libby & Hoopla are my go-to apps for audiobooks. They make library-hopping trips that much more entertaining!

  • There are four main library systems that cover Southeast Wisconsin libraries. This is handy to know. For example, a library card from the SHARE catalog will give you access to 20 Southeast Wisconsin libraries. Branch out! You will find unique maker spaces & FAB Labs, experience passes for local attractions, large-format printers and tons of educational ‘stuff’ from The Library of Things that you can check out.

Ready to have fun?

County Resources

Under the Counties section at the top of this site, you’ll find stats about your homeschool community along with a smorgasbord of local resources to enrich your student’s educational and social journey. This will give you the confidence you need to lean into your child’s ever-changing interests. You can do this!

Classes

Enjoy access to a community calendar selectively curated with Southeast Wisconsin homeschoolers in mind. This mix of low-cost/no-cost experiences makes it easy for students and parents to explore emerging interests, enrich current lessons and socialize with friends. Please consider supporting to keep this site accessible for all. Thank you!

Food for Thought

Learn how I leverage a career in experiential marketing and live event production to craft an efficient and eclectic approach to homeschooling. We read a lot, so you’ll find book recommendations, reviews and learning extensions here. If you’re not a fan of workbooks, busywork, or grading…we’ll get along great.

Upcoming Homeschool Opportunities