Homeschooling in Idaho
Welcome, Idaho homeschool family. Idaho’s legal path is short. A parent or guardian causes the child to be instructed in the subjects commonly and usually taught in Idaho’s public schools, and the instruction may be given by the parent or at the parent’s direction. Here is what that means in practice.
Who this applies to
Idaho’s compulsory attendance duty applies to a child who has turned seven by the time school starts in the district and has not yet turned sixteen.
Within that range, the parent or guardian shall cause the child to be instructed in subjects commonly and usually taught in Idaho’s public schools.
If your child is enrolled in a public school right now
The Idaho Department of Education says the first step is to make sure your child is officially unenrolled from any public school. From that point forward, the Department says, you as the parent or guardian are responsible for providing all curriculum and instruction.
What Idaho asks for
What Idaho asks for
- Compulsory age
- Instruction
- Who teaches
- Registration and reporting
- Testing
- Teacher credential
- Curriculum
- Records
How to handle it
- The duty runs from age seven, at the commencement of school in your district, until age sixteen
- Teach the subjects commonly and usually taught in Idaho’s public schools
- The child is privately instructed by, or at the direction of, the parent or guardian
- No homeschool registration or sign-up procedure, and no routine reports or check-ins
- Idaho has no state homeschool testing requirement
- Idaho does not require the parent to hold a teaching license
- Idaho does not prescribe a curriculum, and the subject standard above still applies
- The Department recommends keeping your own records; Idaho does not require them
What Idaho asks for
How to handle it
- Compulsory age
- The duty runs from age seven, at the commencement of school in your district, until age sixteen
- Instruction
- Teach the subjects commonly and usually taught in Idaho’s public schools
- Who teaches
- The child is privately instructed by, or at the direction of, the parent or guardian
- Registration and reporting
- No homeschool registration or sign-up procedure, and no routine reports or check-ins
- Testing
- Idaho has no state homeschool testing requirement
- Teacher credential
- Idaho does not require the parent to hold a teaching license
- Curriculum
- Idaho does not prescribe a curriculum, and the subject standard above still applies
- Records
- The Department recommends keeping your own records; Idaho does not require them
Who does the teaching
Idaho Code 33-202 says the child may be “privately instructed by, or at the direction of, his parent or guardian.”
The statute expressly allows instruction to be provided at the parent’s direction. It does not require the parent to personally deliver every lesson.
What you teach
This is the one thing Idaho actually specifies: the child is to be instructed in subjects commonly and usually taught in Idaho’s public schools.
The Idaho Department of Education states that Idaho does not have a set curriculum to be followed for homeschool education, and that it is up to the parent or guardian to select the curriculum they wish to use. Read those two things together. You choose the materials and the approach; the subject standard in the statute still applies.
Keeping your own records
The Idaho Department of Education recommends that homeschooling families keep their own records of attendance, work completion, and similar information.
That is a recommendation, not an Idaho requirement. It is also simply good practice. Good records let you see the year clearly, show what your child has covered, and give you something solid to work from if your child ever enters or returns to a school.
Your home base: SchoolhouseTeachers.com
Idaho names the subject standard and leaves the rest to you. That is real freedom, and it puts the whole program in your hands. SchoolhouseTeachers.com can help you build it and keep track of it.
One online family membership gives every child unlimited access to hundreds of online, self-paced courses from preschool through twelfth grade, all from a Biblical worldview, with graduation and college-preparation resources.
You will also find Virtual School Boxes, self-grading iST courses, World Book Online, and thousands of family-friendly videos.
The Homeschool Records & Compliance Center gives you the tools to plan the year and keep the records the Department recommends:
- Education Plan Builder for mapping each child’s year and course sequence
- Custom Schedule Builder for laying out your instructional year
- Gradebook and report cards for tracking work as you go
- Portfolio Builder for gathering samples in one place
- Transcript tools for organizing the high school years
- Applecore recordkeeping for grades, attendance, courses, and credits
- Certificates of Completion for documenting finished courses
One family membership. Every child in your HOME. No fee per child. No fee per course. No limits.
“SchoolhouseTeachers.com is just amazing! I’ve had my account for almost two years, and I still don’t think I’ve seen everything!”
Ammy Quinn, SchoolhouseTeachers.com member
Questions? Call 1.888.718.HOME or email
customerservice@theoldschoolhouse.com.
A real homeschooler answers.
Requirements vary and change. Confirm current requirements with the Idaho Department of Education and current Idaho law. SchoolhouseTeachers.com provides curriculum and recordkeeping tools. It is not a school, it is not accredited, and nothing on this page is legal advice.
Sources: Idaho Code 33-202; Idaho Department of Education homeschool guidance and Frequently Asked Questions about Homeschooling.
Last reviewed: August 2026
