{"id":628,"date":"2023-12-21T20:45:37","date_gmt":"2023-12-21T20:45:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/education.jhu.edu\/edpolicy\/?post_type=us_state&#038;p=628"},"modified":"2026-06-04T23:17:06","modified_gmt":"2026-06-04T23:17:06","slug":"idaho","status":"publish","type":"us_state","link":"https:\/\/education.jhu.edu\/edpolicy\/policy-research-initiatives\/homeschool-hub\/states\/idaho\/","title":{"rendered":"Idaho"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>History<\/h2>\n<p>Idaho is in the western United States. Homeschooling, while practiced before this time, was officially protected in <a href=\"https:\/\/legislature.idaho.gov\/statutesrules\/idstat\/Title32\/T32CH10\/SECT32-1010\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">2015<\/a> under the parental rights law. Earlier references to homeschool legalization cite <a href=\"https:\/\/legislature.idaho.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/statutesrules\/idstat\/Title33\/T33CH2.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">1963 and 2009<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2>Regulation<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sde.idaho.gov\/school-choice\/home-school\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Idaho<\/a> offers one option for homeschooling. Parents interested in homeschooling their children, ages 7 to 16, can contact their local school office and complete any forms. However, this is a recommendation, and there are no requirements for reporting homeschool participation. The state does not specify any parental education or attendance requirements, nor record keeping, but students are<span> required to receive such instruction in <a href=\"https:\/\/legislature.idaho.gov\/statutesrules\/idstat\/Title33\/T33CH2\/SECT33-202\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">subjects<\/a> usually taught in public schools.<\/span>\u00a0Idaho does not require homeschooled students to take any state or other assessments. However, they may participate in the state test, but parents must pay the testing fee.<\/p>\n<p>Idaho has some of the <a href=\"https:\/\/legislature.idaho.gov\/statutesrules\/idstat\/title33\/t33ch2\/sect33-203\/#:~:text=Idaho%20Statutes&amp;text=33%2D203.,school%2C%20for%20dual%20enrollment%20purposes.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">broadest access<\/a> to public school offerings for all nonpublic students, including homeschoolers. It offers all students unlimited and publicly funded access to extracurricular and course offerings in the public school system. The statute guarantees this access with limited district discretion. Idaho students, who qualify, also have access to special needs services.<\/p>\n<h2>State Data<\/h2>\n<p>Idaho does not report homeschool participation for the state because it has no reporting requirement. Some information about Idaho\u2019s homeschool participation is available through U.S. Census data. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.census.gov\/library\/stories\/2021\/03\/homeschooling-on-the-rise-during-covid-19-pandemic.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">U.S. Census estimates<\/a> indicate that around 8.0% of Idaho families homeschooled in the spring of 2020 and increased to 10.3% by the fall of 2020. This is close to the national average of 11.1% at that time. Based on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.census.gov\/programs-surveys\/household-pulse-survey\/data.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">U.S. Census data<\/a><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW250678110 BCX0\">, our calculations indicate that about 7.72<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW250678110 BCX0\">% of K-12 students in Idaho<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW250678110 BCX0\"> were homeschooled during the 2022-23 school year, and 8.66<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW250678110 BCX0\">% during the 2023-24 school year. <span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW72226137 BCX0\">Due to<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW72226137 BCX0\"> <\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW72226137 BCX0\">survey<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW72226137 BCX0\"> changes<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW72226137 BCX0\">, the<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW72226137 BCX0\"> data from 2020<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW72226137 BCX0\"> reflects<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW72226137 BCX0\"> the percentage of households, while <\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW72226137 BCX0\">the data from <\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW72226137 BCX0\">following years<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW72226137 BCX0\"> reflect<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW72226137 BCX0\">s the percentage of<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW72226137 BCX0\"> students<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW72226137 BCX0\">.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<a class=\"wysiwyg_button\" href=\"https:\/\/docs.google.com\/spreadsheets\/d\/1xFaTmfL1W-rkgrT_M39aApH2SVTjpnte\/edit?usp=sharing&amp;ouid=112367036183430899073&amp;rtpof=true&amp;sd=true\" target=\"_self\"><span class=\"wysiwyg_button_label\">Download Homeschool Hub State Data<\/span><\/a>\n<h2>Cross-Sector Comparison<\/h2>\n<p>We cannot calculate a cross-sector comparison because we lack information on homeschool participation.<\/p>\n<h2>School Choice Context<\/h2>\n<p>In addition to homeschooling, families in Idaho have multiple <a href=\"https:\/\/www.edchoice.org\/school-choice\/state\/idaho\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">school choice<\/a> options. These include inter- and intra-district enrollment in traditional public schools, as well as private, magnet, and charter schools. In 2025, Idaho launched its first private school choice program called the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.edchoice.org\/school-choice\/programs\/idaho-parental-choice-tax-credit\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Idaho Parental Choice Tax Credit<\/a>, with an average account value of $5,300.<\/p>\n<h2>Commentary<\/h2>\n<p>There are few barriers to homeschooling in Idaho and broad access for all nonpublic students to public school offerings like sports, other extracurricular activities, and courses. The state further removes barriers by funding these options so families can access the necessary educational opportunities.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"template":"","class_list":["post-628","us_state","type-us_state","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<title>Idaho - Johns Hopkins Homeschool Hub<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The Johns Hopkins Institute for Education Policy\u2019s Homeschool Hub is your one-stop shop for U.S. homeschooling data and insights. 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