State Laws
Read the laws regulating home education in Idaho and browse through the case law and legal opinions relating to those laws, along with government publications relating to homeschooling and summaries of the laws.
Summaries and Explanations of Idaho Homeschooling Laws
Home School in Idaho
This Idaho Department of Education page states that Idaho does not regulate or monitor home school education. This web page is intended to provide answers to frequently asked questions regarding home school in Idaho.
Frequently Asked Questions
Provided by the Idaho State Department of Education, this list of questions and answers addresses some of the basics of legally homeschooling in Idaho.
Idaho Home School Laws from HSLDA
The Home School Legal Defense Association provides a brief summary of the homeschooling laws in Idaho. Includes a link to a legal analysis of laws relating to homeschooling in Idaho.
Common Questions And Plain Answers About Home Schooling in Idaho
Answers to some of the basic questions about homeschooling in Idaho. Includes interpretations of the relevant laws.
Idaho Statutes Pertaining to Home Education
33-207. Proceedings Against Parents or Guardians.
Whenever the parents or guardians of any child between the ages of seven (7) years, as qualified in section 33-202, Idaho Code, and sixteen (16) years, have failed, neglected or refused to place the child in school as provided in this chapter or to have the child comparably instructed, or knowingly have allowed a pupil to become an habitual truant, proceedings shall be brought against such parent or guardian under the provisions of the juvenile corrections act.
33-201. School Age.
The services of the public schools of this state are extended to any acceptable person of school age. "School age" is defined as including all persons resident of the state, between the ages of five (5) and twenty-one (21) years. For the purposes of this section, the age of five (5) years shall be attained when the fifth anniversary of birth occurs on or before the first day of September of the school year in which the child is to enroll in kindergarten. For a child enrolling in the first grade, the age of six (6) years must be reached on or before the first day of September of the school year in which the child is to enroll. Any child of the age of five (5) years who has completed a private or public out-of-state kindergarten for the required four hundred fifty (450) hours but has not reached the "school age" requirement in Idaho shall be allowed to enter the first grade. For resident children with disabilities who qualify for special education and related services under the federal individuals with disabilities education act (IDEA) and subsequent amendments thereto, and applicable state and federal regulations, "school age" shall begin at the attainment of age three (3) and shall continue through the semester of school in which the student attains the age of twenty-one (21) years.
Home School Laws from HSLDA
Find the laws pertaining to home education for all 50 states and U.S. territories.
33-203. Dual Enrollment.
(1) The parent or guardian of a child of school
age who is enrolled in a nonpublic school or a public charter school shall be
allowed to enroll the student in a public school for dual enrollment purposes.
The board of trustees of the school district shall adopt procedures governing
enrollment pursuant to this section. If enrollment in a specific program
reaches the maximum for the program, priority for enrollment shall be given to
a student who is enrolled full time in the public noncharter school.
(2) Any student participating in dual enrollment may enter into any
program in the public school available to other students subject to compliance
with the eligibility requirements herein and the same responsibilities and
standards of behavior and performance that apply to any student's
participation in the activity, except that the academic eligibility
requirements for participation in nonacademic activities are as provided for
herein.
(3) Any school district shall be allowed to include dual-enrolled
nonpublic school and public charter school students for the purposes of state
funding only to the extent of the student's participation in the public school
programs.
(4) Oversight of academic standards relating to participation in
nonacademic public school activities shall be the responsibility of the
primary educational provider for that student. In order for any nonpublic
school student or public charter school student to participate in nonacademic
public school activities for which public school students must demonstrate
academic proficiency or eligibility, the nonpublic school or public charter
school student shall demonstrate composite grade-level academic proficiency on
any state board of education recognized achievement test, portfolio, or other
mechanism as provided for in state board of education rules. Additionally, a
student shall be eligible if he achieves a minimum composite, core or survey
test score within the average or higher than average range as established by
the test service utilized on any nationally-normed test. Demonstrated
proficiency shall be used to determine eligibility for the current and next
following school years. School districts shall provide to nonpublic students
who wish to participate in dual enrollment activities the opportunity to take
state tests or other standardized tests given to all regularly enrolled public
school students.
(5) A public school student who has been unable to maintain academic
eligibility is ineligible to participate in nonacademic public school
activities as a nonpublic school or public charter school student for the
duration of the school year in which the student becomes academically
ineligible and for the following academic year.
(6) A nonpublic school or public charter school student participating in
nonacademic public school activities must reside within the attendance
boundaries of the school for which the student participates.
(7) Dual enrollment shall include the option of joint enrollment in a
regular public school and an alternative public school program. The state
board of education shall establish rules that provide funding to school
districts for each student who participates in both a regular public school
program and an alternative public school program.
(8) Dual enrollment shall include the option of enrollment in a
post-secondary institution. Any credits earned from an accredited
post-secondary institution shall be credited toward state board of education
high school graduation requirements.
(9) A nonpublic student is any student who receives educational
instruction outside a public school classroom and such instruction can
include, but is not limited to, a private school or a home school.
33-202. School Attendance Compulsory.
The parent or guardian of any child resident in this state who has attained the age of seven (7) years at the time of the commencement of school in his district, but not the age of sixteen (16) years, shall cause the child to be instructed in subjects commonly and usually taught in the public schools of the state of Idaho. Unless the child is otherwise comparably instructed, the parent or guardian shall cause the child to attend a public, private or parochial school during a period in each year equal to that in which the public schools are in session; there to conform to the attendance policies and regulations established by the board of trustees, or other governing body, operating the school attended.
Case Law and Legal Opinions
Pierce v. Society of the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary
In Pierce v. Society of the Sisters, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that "the fundamental theory of liberty upon which all governments of this Union repose excludes any general power of the state to standardize its children by forcing them to accept instruction from public teachers only. The child is not the creature of the state."
Government Publications
Home School in Idaho
A compilation of resources, Idaho laws and other information
designed for parents or guardians considering home school. Written by Shannon Page, Accreditation/Elementary Services Coordinator, Idaho Department of Education.
Featured Resources
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Don't Waste Your Time Homeschooling: 72 Things I Wish I'd Known
Traci Matt, a veteran homeschool mom helps you make the most of your homeschooling efforts. She takes a look back at 20 years of successes and challenges, offering tested strategies to assist you on your home education journey. This book will help you learn ways to keep a peaceful home, stay out of the isolation trap, practice self-care, learn how to live with teens, and respond to the questions of others.
How to Drive: Real World Instruction and Advice from Hollywood's Top Driver
Want your child to be the best--and safest--driver possible? This book is for you! Ben Collins is a professional driver and is a former Top Gear Stig driver. He offers strategies for increasing control and safety and to encourage fun and efficient driving for all skill levels.
Handbook of Nature Study
A matchless handbook for decades, this classic work has been the natural history bible for countless teachers and others who seek information about their environment. Written originally for those elementary school teachers who knew little of common plants and animals, and even less about the earth beneath their feet and the skies overhead, this book is for the most part as valid and helpful today as it was when first written in 1911―and revised in the spirit of its authors by a group of naturali...
Classical Education & The Home School
Classical education is an idea whose time has come again. When parents see the failures of modern education, they look for better solutions and classical education is one that has been tested in the past and found to be good. For the Christian home educator, the classical education model is a path to joy and success.
Greenleaf Press
Greenleaf Press is a small family-owned and operated publisher and supplier of quality books for children. They are committed to "twaddle-free", living books, and approach teaching history to children using biography and chronology. You will find sections in the catalog covering each major historical period in order, with a variety of biographies, reference books, and historical fiction. For Israel, Egypt, Greece, Rome, the Middle Ages, and the Renaissance and Reformation there are Greenleaf Stu...