More than 60 vendors, dozens of parent workshops, and a brand-new market where kids run their own booths are landing at the Waukesha County Expo Center on August 16 for the Wisconsin Homeschooling Expo, a full-day event organizers say is built for families whether they are just starting out or have been homeschooling for years.
The event is hosted by Elyse Scheeler, a certified speech-language pathologist and wellness coach who runs Speaking Life Speech Therapy & Wellness and hosts the podcast “Speaking Life Into Motherhood,” according to Speaking Life Speech Therapy & Wellness. Scheeler created the expo to bring together clinical, educational, and parent-support resources under one roof, and she recently appeared on Real Milwaukee to talk about it, according to FOX6 News Milwaukee. Among the speakers this year is E. Clare, a homeschooled author who is also participating in the event's new youth marketplace, per the same station.
General admission runs $15 for individual adults and $40 for a family pass, with children 17 and under getting in free, according to CBS 58. The station reports the 2026 lineup includes more than 60 vendors and expert-led workshops covering learning differences, child development, homeschool methodologies, and family advocacy, with the event open to secular, Christian, and eclectic homeschooling approaches alike.
A New Market Where Kids Run the Booths
New this year is an outdoor Mini Makers Market, where homeschooled children can rent a $10 vendor spot to sell handmade crafts, woodworking, baked goods, or digital products, per a post from Wisconsin Homeschool Events on Facebook. The booths are operated directly by the young creators, though each is accompanied by an adult. It gives kids like E. Clare, who is set to participate in the market alongside her author appearance, a hands-on taste of running a small business rather than just browsing one.
Behind the Expo Lies a Fast-Growing Student Population
The expo arrives as Wisconsin's homeschool population continues climbing well past its pandemic-era surge. State Department of Public Instruction data reported by Heartlander News shows homeschool enrollment grew nearly 6% in 2026 to reach 32,891 students, a group now roughly equivalent in size to the state's second-largest school district. Separate figures compiled by the Wisconsin Association of School Business Officials put homeschoolers at about 3% of the state's K-12 population in the 2024–25 school year, or 31,094 students, compared with 82% enrolled in district public schools and 13% in private schools, even as public districts have faced multi-year enrollment declines statewide.
What the Law Actually Requires
Wisconsin's home-education rules are relatively flexible compared with many states. Under Wisconsin Statute 118.165, parents must provide at least 875 hours of instruction per school year covering six subjects — reading, language arts, mathematics, social studies, science, and health — with compliance reported annually through the state's PI-1206 form, according to the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. No standardized testing is required.
Homeschooled students also carry specific legal protections once they interact with public schools. Wisconsin Statute 118.133 requires public districts to let resident homeschooled students join interscholastic sports and extracurricular activities on the same basis as enrolled students, according to the Wisconsin Homeschooling Parents Association, though athletes must still meet district academic and age requirements. Separately, Wisconsin Statute 118.53 allows homeschooled students to take up to two classes per semester at their resident public school if space allows, per HSLDA — though school boards retain authority to set entry standards for those courses.
One area of frequent confusion for families evaluating their options is the line between traditional home-based instruction and publicly funded virtual charter schools. The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction explicitly distinguishes the two: virtual charter students are bound by standard public school diploma and testing requirements and by district policy, rather than the PI-1206 reporting process used by independent homeschoolers.
For families weighing those choices, the August 16 gathering in Waukesha is positioned as a one-stop resource — pairing vendor booths and workshops with a chance for kids themselves to sell what they have made, all inside a state where the homeschooling population keeps expanding.
