Illinois Rep. Rohr’s bill allowing early high school course enrollment passes House and Senate

Passed bill authored by State Rep. Janet Yang Rohr aims to enable middle school students to take high school courses for credit, supporting academic advancement while ensuring course quality and standards, according to the Illinois General Assembly.

In the House, 72 Democrats and 34 Republicans voted in favor of the bill.

Meanwhile, in the Senate, 38 Democrats and 17 Republicans voted in favor of the bill, while two Republicans voted against it.

Rohr introduced the bill in the Illinois House on Feb. 6, 2025 during the 104th session.

The legislation, known as HB3039, was passed on May 22, 2025 during the general assembly session 104.

According to the Illinois General Assembly site, the legislature summarized the bill’s official text as follows: “Amends the School Code. Allows a student enrolled in grade 7 or 8 to enroll in a required high school course if the course is offered by the high school that the student would attend and the student participates in the course where the student attends school as long as the student passes the end of course exam given at the high school granting the credit for the same course, demonstrating proficiency at the high school level (course is taught by a teacher who holds a professional educator license issued under Article 21B of this Code and endorsed for the grade level and content area of the course).”

The following is our breakdown, based on the actual bill text, and may include interpretation to clarify its provisions.

In essence, this bill amends the School Code to allow school districts in Illinois that have grades nine through 12 to adopt a policy enabling seventh or eighth grade students to enroll in high school courses required under Section 27-22. Students can take these courses at the high school they will attend, provided it does not displace high school students, or at their current school if they pass the high school’s end-of-course exam. Alternatively, courses must be taught by a qualified teacher. Successfully completed courses must grant academic credit that counts toward high school graduation requirements, including those for transfer students, unless the course’s rigor and content do not meet Illinois Learning Standards. Students’ grades in these courses must be included in their GPA according to school policy.

The bill was sponsored by Sen. Julie A. Morrison (Democrat-29th District), Sen. Laura Ellman (Democrat-21st District), and Rep. Tracy Katz Muhl (Democrat-57th District).

Bills in Illinois follow a multi-step legislative process, beginning with introduction in either the House or Senate, followed by committee review, floor debates, and votes in both chambers before reaching the governor for approval or veto. The General Assembly operates on a biennial schedule, and while typically thousands of bills are introduced each session, only a fraction successfully pass through the process to become law.

You can read more about bills and other measures here.

Rohr graduated from Northwestern University in 2002 with a BA and again in 2010 from University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

Rohr, a Democrat, was elected to the Illinois State House in 2021 to represent the state’s 41st House District, replacing previous state representative Grant Wehrli.

Lawmakers listed as “Not Voting” were present for the vote but did not cast a vote. Those marked as having an “Excused Absence” were not present and formally provided a reason for their absence, which was accepted.