Loading…
Loading…
Iowa · Some paperwork
Iowa asks you to file a notice before you begin. Here is what goes in it, when it is due, and what happens after.
VerifiedMarch 2026
Written from Iowa's own rules. If a step is missing below, it is because your state does not ask for it.
Withdraw from the school your child attends now
If your child is currently enrolled in a public school, tell the school in writing that you are moving to home education. Keep a dated copy for yourself — it is the record that closes out their enrollment.
Send your notice of intent
Iowa asks families to file a notice before they begin. The deadline is: Form A goes to your resident school district by September 1 of the school year (Iowa Code 299.4), or within 14 calendar days of moving or withdrawing the child from an accredited school, per the Department of Education. It is needed for instruction by a licensed teacher who is not part of a district home school assistance program (Option 1) and for parent-taught instruction with dual enrollment or optional reporting (Option 2). If you request your district's home school assistance program, the date is September 15. Families who choose parent-taught instruction with no reporting, or independent private instruction, do not file Form A. First-time filers also provide immunization evidence and, for elementary-age children, a blood lead test. You will do this again at the start of every school year. It goes to Iowa Department of Education.
Cover the subjects the state names
Iowa names 4 subject areas to teach. How you teach them, in what order, and with which materials is entirely up to you.
Keep a light record as you go
Attendance, a few work samples each term, and a running list of what you covered. Iowa does not require you to keep records, but a simple folder of work samples makes transcripts and college applications far easier later on.
No testing or assessment
Iowa does not require a standardized test or an evaluator's review. Plenty of families still keep a folder of work through the year — not because the state asks, but because it makes a transcript or a college application far easier to put together later. A note from the state: CPI Option 1 (licensed teacher or district home school assistance program): the annual evaluation and August 1 results rules in Iowa Code 299A.3 through 299A.7 do not apply. The licensed teacher assesses progress and keeps a log of visits (Iowa Admin. Code 281-31.3). A privately retained teacher still files Form A by September 1. CPI Option 2 with dual enrollment or optional reporting: a yearly evaluation by May 31 (an approved standardized test, a portfolio review by a licensed Iowa teacher, or an accredited correspondence school report card), with results sent to the resident district by August 1. CPI Option 2 without reporting: no Form A and no results to submit. Per Iowa Admin. Code 281-31.7(5), this option is not available to families who ask the district or area education agency for services such as materials, home school assistance, dual enrollment, open enrollment or special education. Independent Private Instruction (IPI): no required assessment. You may ask the district or area education agency for annual testing at your own cost (Iowa Admin. Code 281-31.4(7)). You provide a report naming the instructor, location and students only if the district superintendent or the Department of Education director asks in writing.
Students First Education Savings Account
Run by Iowa Department of Education · payments through Odyssey
$8,148 per student for 2026-27, paid in two halves — July 15 and December 1.
How you get it: A closed marketplace: the funds can only be spent with vendors the program has approved. There is no reimbursement route.
Eligibility and application dates are set by the program. Check the program's official page before you apply.
Is homeschooling legal in Iowa?
Yes. Homeschooling is legal in Iowa. Iowa has moderate homeschool regulation — some requirements apply but they are generally manageable. Koydo can put the dates your state lists on your calendar.
Do I need to file a Notice of Intent to homeschool in Iowa?
Yes. Iowa requires families to file a Notice of Intent by Form A goes to your resident school district by September 1 of the school year (Iowa Code 299.4), or within 14 calendar days of moving or withdrawing the child from an accredited school, per the Department of Education. It is needed for instruction by a licensed teacher who is not part of a district home school assistance program (Option 1) and for parent-taught instruction with dual enrollment or optional reporting (Option 2). If you request your district's home school assistance program, the date is September 15. Families who choose parent-taught instruction with no reporting, or independent private instruction, do not file Form A. First-time filers also provide immunization evidence and, for elementary-age children, a blood lead test.. This notice must be renewed annually.
How many instruction days are required in Iowa?
Iowa requires 148 days a year.
What subjects are required by law in Iowa?
Iowa requires instruction in the following subjects: Reading and language arts, Mathematics, Science, Social studies.
Does Iowa require annual assessment for homeschoolers?
No. Iowa does not require formal annual assessment. Families may voluntarily track progress for college application purposes.
Do I need a teaching certificate to homeschool in Iowa?
No. Iowa does not require parents to hold a teaching certificate or any specific educational credential to homeschool their children.
Can homeschoolers participate in public school sports in Iowa?
Iowa has a law on this. Under Iowa Code 299A.8, if you request dual enrollment your child may take part in the resident district's extracurricular activities on the same basis as other students in their grade or group. The Department of Education says the request is due by September 1 (or within 14 days of moving or withdrawing from an accredited school), and that students must meet the same eligibility rules as enrolled students, including taking at least four classes in total.
Iowa has several paths with different amounts of paperwork. Competent private instruction (CPI) Option 1 uses a licensed teacher or a district home school assistance program. Option 2 is parent-taught, with dual enrollment, optional reporting, or no reporting. Independent private instruction (IPI) has the lightest rules. Where Form A is needed it is due September 1. The Department of Education's rules were updated in 2024 and 2025, and House File 2754 (2026) changed the IPI and diploma rules. Check the Department of Education page for current forms.
The free tools below work whether or not you ever pay us a penny; each tile says what it needs. Use what helps with Iowa's requirements and ignore the rest.
Last checked in March 2026. Laws change between checks, so confirm anything you are about to file with Iowa Department of Education. This is information for families, not legal advice.