Homeschooling In {Idaho}

Are you thinking about homeschooling? Not sure what the rules/laws are in your state? Not sure where to begin with your homeschooling journey? Then you have come to the right place.

I'm starting this new series called "Homeschooling In {Insert State Here}". In this series i will tell you what you need to know to get up and running as a homeschooling family in each state.

What better way to start than with my home state of Idaho.

Idaho's laws are pretty relaxed as far as homeschooling goes, which i love! I love it because it gives you the freedom to teach your children how you see fit. You just have so much control over it. And really isn't that they way it should be? I mean they are your children, YOU should be able to teach them what you feel is best for them, Right?!


Here are some things you should know about homeschooling in Idaho.

1. All children are required to be educated once they are 7 years old and up until the age of 16. Anything before 7 years old or after 16 years old is not required.

2. There is no set amount of days/hours you are required to teach them.

3. You are not required to test them.

4. You can have anyone teach your child you see fit, with your supervision. (i.e. Grandparents, Aunt/Uncle, etc.)

5. There is no paperwork to fill out. However, if your child is already in a public school, you do need to mail the school a withdrawal letter.

6. You can use any curriculum you like.


With all that being said, i still believe you should keep records of your homeschooling just in case. I personally like to keep attendance records and all of my children's completed work (along with their grades). If your child was in public school and you withdrew them, i would keep a copy of the withdrawal letter too.


Here are some great resources for homeschooling in Idaho:

1. https://www.chois.org/  - Christian Homeschoolers of Idaho state

2. http://www.iche-idaho.org/ - Idaho Coalition of Home Educators

3. https://www.sde.idaho.gov/site/home_school/  - Idaho State Department of Education

4. https://www.hslda.org/hs/state/ID/  - HSLDA

Once you have decided to homeschool your child and you have looked into all the laws/rules, what comes next is picking out what curriculum you are going to use.

Best place to start with that is by checking out what curriculum other homeschoolers are using (and loving). In other words Google search "homeschooling blogs" and start reading what all the other homeschooling families out there use.

Another place you could go is HomeSchoolReviews, they offer reviews on all the curriculum out there and those reviews are written by other homeschoolers.

Keep in mind, when picking out curriculum, your child's learning style!

After you have the curriculum all picked out, all that's left to do is start planning your school year.

I personally like to keep with the same school year outline as our public schools, (start at the end of August and go until the end of May), but you can do whatever you would like. I know some families like to school year round and take more breaks throughout the year. It's really up to you to decide what will work best for your family.

Now all that's left to do is dive right on into it. The first year is going to be full of bumps. You'll make some mistakes, you'll have some rough days/weeks, but *hopefully* you will learn from your mistakes and in the end it will all be worth it.

Good luck with the journey ahead of you!!


****None of this is intended to be legal advice (i'm not a lawyer), it's purely informational. So make sure you check out your states laws beforehand.*