National Home Education Network***State Info

State Info - Iowa

If you are just getting started homeschooling in Iowa, we can help you find your way. Whether your children are just reaching school age, you are pulling older children out of school, or you are moving to Iowa, NHEN is here to help you find out where to get answers to all of your homeschooling questions.

State Overview

Legal Requirements

Finding Support

Information and resources for homeschooling in Iowa Note! NHEN welcomes input to these state pages. Please email legislative-update@nhen.org if you have corrections or comments on this information. Return to LegInfo Home \| Return to State Listings
The information contained on this website does not constitute legal advice.
Brief overview of state regulations CAUTION! Most states cannot be accurately summarized in a short paragraph. The overview is only a starting place. You must spend the time necessary to acquaint yourself with the complexities of the regulations.	Homeschoolers have 4 options to legally homeschool in Iowa. The first option is to work with a supervising teacher; the parent must have 8 meetings, 4 of which must be face-to-face. The second option is provide annually the results of a test administered by a certified teacher results at the end of every school year, by a certified teacher; there is a specific group of tests that the state approves and testing cannot be done by the parent. The third option is to create a portfolio every year; the parent finds a portfolio evaluator, who must be a certified teacher, and the parent must keep samples of the child's work, and a record of activities. At the end of the year, these are reviewed by the evaluator. The final option is the homeschool assistance program and only the larger school districts offer these programs; this option is also known as dual enrollment.

Important documents or other commentary	Iowa Statute may be found at: http://showcase.netins.net/web/nurture/Statute.html or Laws and Rules Governing Home Education

For more information: Be sure to read NHEN's list of probing questions, so you will know what to ask when finding out about homeschooling requirements.	Please see NHEN Support Group Listings.

Website for state legislature and researching bills	Iowa General Assembly

To find support online and in your area, check out the NHEN Support Group Listing. Check for Events or Conferences in your state. By joining an egroup for your state, you will have a good opportunity to ask questions of other homeschoolers and to raise your own concerns about state requirements.