According to Idaho Statute § 33-202, “The parent or guardian of any child resident in this state who has attained the age of seven (7) years at the time of the commencement of school in his district, but not the age of sixteen (16) years, shall cause the child to be instructed in subjects commonly and usually taught in the public schools of the state of Idaho. To accomplish this, a parent or guardian shall either cause the child to be privately instructed by, or at the direction of, his parent or guardian; or enrolled in a public school or public charter school, including an on-line or virtual charter school or private or parochial school during a period in each year equal to that in which the public schools are in session; there to conform to the attendance policies and regulations established by the board of trustees, or other governing body, operating the school attended.”

The Idaho Department of Education describes homeschooling as “education directed by the parent/guardian” and emphasizes that “Idaho does not regulate or monitor home school education.” As such, the parent/guardian selects the curriculum and incurs all costs. Parents are urged “to make an informed decision and determine if they have the capacity to provide the instruction and oversight necessary for home schooling. Access to high quality curriculum; ability to accurately track or assess learning, and time to provide the instruction and oversee the work are just a few of the items to consider when looking at home schooling.”