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🧩 Special Needs & Special Education Homeschooling in Illinois

What Illinois offers homeschool families of children with disabilities or learning differences — special-needs scholarships, evaluations and services — from our Illinois guide and articles.

Public school classes, sports and special education

Special education: ISBE says home-schooled students are included in the private school population for federal special education, so a district must spend a proportionate share of its federal IDEA funds on parentally placed private and home-schooled students with disabilities, and must carry out child find, consultation and services for them. That share is usually much smaller than what districts spend in public schools, and a district can end services for the rest of the year when the funds run out. Home-schooled students with disabilities aren't entitled to an IEP; districts often provide an Individual Services Plan (ISP) instead.

Part-time special education: school boards must accept children with disabilities enrolled in nonpublic schools in part-time attendance; the parent makes the request to a public school in the district where the child lives (105 ILCS 5/14-6.01). ISBE says the student must attend the public school for at least one instructional subject to qualify for an IEP, and receives IEP services to the extent the student actually attends.

Read the full section in our Illinois guide

Official sources

Summarized from our Illinois guide (as of November 2026) and articles. Rules change — confirm on the official pages before you act.

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