Iowa Homeschooling

More and more parents in Iowa are joining the millions of homeschooling families in the United States who have chosen to provide a home education for their children. Here you'll find everything you need to successfully home educate your children at home, including information on homeschooling methods, support groups, local and state events, online resources, and much, much more.

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299A.5 Reporting of evaluation results.
The results of evaluations administered to children of compulsory attendance age who are under competent private instruction shall be reported by the evaluation administrator to the child's parent, guardian, or legal custodian, the school district of residence of the child, and the department of education. Personally identifiable information relating to or contained in the evaluation scores is confidential and shall not be released without the prior consent of the child's parent, guardian, or cu...
Report of Portfolio Evaluator Selection Form
If you will be using the portfolio evaluation method, you may find this simple optional form helpful. When filled out and submitted to your resident school district, it provides a mechanism to fulfill the legal requirement of seeking the school district superintendent's approval of your selected portfolio evaluator. This approval process is simply a check of the appropriateness of your evaluator's license.
Iowa School Districts
A listing of all the school districts in Iowa.
281—31.8(299A) Reporting assessment results.
31.8(1) Baseline tests. The baseline test results of each child subject to the baseline test requirement of Iowa Code section 299B.4 and subrule 31.7(1) shall be reported by the test administrator to the school district of residence of the child and to the department of education by June 30 of the year in which the test was taken. The baseline test shall serve only as data from which subsequent progress shall be measured; the baseline test alone is not an indication of educational progres...
The History of NICHE
This video relates the fight for homeschool freedom in Iowa by the Network of Iowa Christian Home Educators (NICHE).
Iowa Homeschool Support Groups
This referral service will connect you with local support groups near you. NICHE maintains a list of over 120 support group contacts throughout Iowa. This service is for individuals who are either currently homeschooling or about to start homeschooling.
299A.1 Private instruction.
The parent, guardian, or legal custodian of a child of compulsory attendance age who places the child under private instruction shall provide, unless otherwise exempted, competent private instruction in accordance with this chapter. A parent, guardian, or legal custodian of a child of compulsory attendance age who places the child under private instruction which is not competent private instruction, or otherwise fails to comply with the requirements of this chapter, is subject to the provisions ...
Optional Report Form for CPI Option 2 with Opt-Out (no reporting required)
This report form can be used by parents who are providing private instruction under the CPI Option 2 with Opt-Out. While all reporting is optional under this option, parents can file this form to notify their resident school district officials that they are providing private instruction to students of compulsory school attendance age.
Homeschool Iowa Kids
Penpal and discussion group for homeschooled kids in Iowa.
homeschool-Iowa
YahooGroup email list for homeschoolers in Iowa.
The Iowa Legislature
This website includes links to the Senate and House sections, legislators' contacts, pending legislation, and more.
299A.6 Failure to make adequate progress.
If the results of evaluations, administered to a child of compulsory attendance age who is under competent private instruction, indicate that the student has failed to make adequate progress, the parent, guardian, or legal custodian shall cause the child to attend an accredited public or nonpublic school at the beginning of the next school year unless, before the beginning of the next school year, the child retakes a different form of the same evaluation, or another evaluation from the approved ...
Licensing & State Laws in Iowa
Iowa’s multi-stage licensing process allows teens to gradually gain exposure to complex driving situations, easing them into driving over an extended period of time. The instruction permit and intermediate stages are key steps.
299.1A Compulsory attendance age.
A child who has reached the age of six and is under sixteen years of age by September 15 is of compulsory attendance age.
Iowa Homeschool Legal Requirements and Options
The Iowa law and rules may seem quite complicated at first, but NICHE has created a number of resources and forms to help home educators find their way through the maze of regulations. Here you will find a brief overview of the legal requirements and options in Iowa.
Featured Resources

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Basic Montessori: Learning Activities for Under-Fives
For the first time, Basic Montessori opens the celebrated philosophy and method to a more general public. David Gettman has devised a clear and modern explanation of Montessori's revolutionary ideas about early intellectual development, and provides...
A Child's Story of America
This text reads like a story book more than a history textbook. This book has a decidedly Christian bent. Students are given a comprehensive overview of U.S. history from Columbus to the present. Review questions are included throughout, as well as h...
Dr. Montessori's Own Handbook
A short, illustrated guide to the use of Montessori classroom materials. Describes how to set up a "children's house" - an environment for learning where children can be their own masters.
A Different Kind of Teacher: Solving the Crisis of American Schooling
In 1991, shortly after receiving both the New York State and New York City Teacher of the Year Awards, John Gatto resigned to begin a new career as an education reform advocate. In this collection of 16 essays, Gatto analyzes the problems of American...
Diana Waring--History Alive!
Diana Waring--History Alive! produces books, tapes, videos, and history curriculum for the homeschool market.