Iowa homeschool requirements

Iowa has three practical pathways. Independent Private Instruction (IPI) files nothing, has no minimum days and no assessment. Competent Private Instruction (CPI) with reporting — Option 1 under a licensed practitioner, or Option 2 where a family wants dual enrollment or chooses to report — files Form A by September 1 and teaches at least 148 days; only Option 2 proves adequate progress by an annual evaluation, because Iowa Code 299A.2 exempts licensed-practitioner instruction from that requirement. CPI Option 2 without reporting files nothing and sends no results, but gives up dual enrollment, district activities, a home school assistance program and special-education services.

Last reviewed June 5, 2026 · corrected September 23, 2026 · Sources below

Moderate regulation Notice required Instruction time by pathway Testing or evaluation by pathway

Another state:

Iowa homeschool requirements at a glance

Notice: RequiredWhere it goes: Only the reporting pathways file anything, and it goes to the local school district of residence: CPI Option 1 (a licensed practitioner, including a district home school assistance program) and CPI Option 2 where the family wants dual enrollment or chooses to report. Independent Private Instruction and CPI Option 2 without reporting file with no one. When: Form A by September 1 of the school year, for each child (Iowa Code 299.4(1)). The Department of Education's handbook puts the deadline at September 15 for a district home school assistance program, and gives 14 calendar days to file where a family moves into the district or removes a child from an accredited school after the September deadline. IPI and CPI Option 2 without reporting have no deadline, because nothing is filed.
Required subjects: Mathematics, Reading, Language Arts, Science, Social Studies/History
Instruction time: Set by pathwayCPI: at least 148 days, with at least 37 in each quarter. The 148-day count sits in the licensed-practitioner half of the definition (Iowa Code 299A.1(2)(a)(1)); the Department of Education's handbook applies it to both CPI options, parent-supervised Option 2 included, and lets a family subtract days the child already attended that year before withdrawing from a school. IPI: no minimum number of days.
Testing or evaluation: Yes — annualCompetent Private Instruction Option 2 with reporting; CPI Option 1 under a licensed practitioner or a district home school assistance program, CPI Option 2 with the opt-out, and Independent Private Instruction are all exempt from the state's annual evaluation. An Option 2 family that reports shows adequate progress each year: a standardized test from the Department of Education's approved list, a portfolio reviewed by a licensed Iowa practitioner, or a report card or transcript from an accredited correspondence or online school. A family that wants an instrument not on the list asks the Department to approve it first — Iowa Code 299A.4(1) and Iowa Administrative Code 281-31.4(1) both keep a process for approving alternate assessments, and the Department publishes a request form. The evaluation is done by May 31 and the results reach the district and the Department by August 1 (Iowa Code 299A.4(1), 299A.3(3)). Adequate progress means scores above the 30th percentile in reading, language arts and mathematics — and from grade six in science and social studies too — plus six months' progress since the last evaluation or work at or above grade level for the child's age (Iowa Code 299A.6(4); the portfolio rule, Iowa Administrative Code 281-31.4(4), uses the same grade split). Which areas a standardized test must report is less settled: Iowa Code 299A.6(3) bars reading the chapter to require testing at grade levels other than those in Iowa Code 256.7(21)(b)(2), which sets reading and mathematics in grades three through eleven and science in grades five, eight and ten, and the Department's August 2026 handbook states the science grades two different ways — confirm with your district which areas it expects before you pay for a test. CPI Option 1 families may test but are not required to: Iowa Code 299A.2 exempts instruction by a licensed practitioner from sections 299A.3 through 299A.7, though a home school assistance program may require a test as its own condition of joining. IPI has no assessment. The Department reads the Option 2 opt-out as excusing the evaluation as well as the reporting, though Iowa Code 299A.4(1) and Iowa Administrative Code 281-31.4(1) still say every child receiving competent private instruction is to be evaluated annually by May 31.
Records: Yes — enrollment records, portfolio
Parent qualifications: Not required
Compulsory attendance ages: 6–16Iowa measures the ages on September 15: a child who has turned six and is under sixteen on that date is of compulsory attendance age (Iowa Code 299.1A(1)). A child whose sixteenth birthday falls after September 15 finishes that school year, and the Department of Education's handbook tells homeschooling families that a child who turns sixteen before September 15 may stop at any point in that year. Enrolling a five-year-old in a public school — or a four-year-old in the statewide preschool — also makes that child of compulsory attendance age until the parent withdraws them in writing (Iowa Code 299.1A(2) and (3)).
Ways to homeschool: Three pathways
Law: Iowa Code ch. 299A
Official source: educate.iowa.gov ↗

Do I have to notify anyone to homeschool in Iowa?

Yes. Iowa requires homeschooling families to file a notice. Where it goes: Only the reporting pathways file anything, and it goes to the local school district of residence: CPI Option 1 (a licensed practitioner, including a district home school assistance program) and CPI Option 2 where the family wants dual enrollment or chooses to report. Independent Private Instruction and CPI Option 2 without reporting file with no one. How: Reporting pathways: Form A, returned to the district of residence. IPI: nothing is filed — answer in writing only if the superintendent or the state director asks for the primary instructor, the location, the authority responsible for the instruction and the names of the students. CPI Option 2 without reporting: nothing is filed, and the district may not ask who is teaching, where, or which children. When: Form A by September 1 of the school year, for each child (Iowa Code 299.4(1)). The Department of Education's handbook puts the deadline at September 15 for a district home school assistance program, and gives 14 calendar days to file where a family moves into the district or removes a child from an accredited school after the September deadline. IPI and CPI Option 2 without reporting have no deadline, because nothing is filed. IPI is unaccredited instruction whose primary purpose is private or religious-based teaching, covering mathematics, reading and language arts, science and social studies at all grade levels, and it files no Form A. Two IPI limits families still see quoted — no more than four unrelated students, and no charging tuition — were struck from Iowa Code 299A.1(2)(b) by House File 2754, signed May 12, 2026 and effective the same day, so neither binds any more; IPI still may not be a nonpublic school, and the Department's handbook tells families whose children attend a nonaccredited school to file Form A. CPI is Option 1, provided or supervised by a licensed practitioner, or Option 2, provided by a parent without a teaching license. Iowa Code 299A.3 frames the Option 2 duties — send the report, have the child evaluated, report the results — as ones a parent may meet rather than must, and Iowa Administrative Code 281-31.3(2) says the same. That is the opt-out.

What subjects does Iowa require homeschoolers to teach?

Iowa requires instruction in Mathematics, Reading, Language Arts, Science, and Social Studies/History. Independent Private Instruction must cover these areas at all grade levels (Iowa Code 299A.1(2)(b)), and the Department of Education's handbook tells CPI Option 2 families who opt out of reporting the same. For CPI with reporting the handbook only encourages a subject list; what binds there is the annual proof of adequate progress, measured in reading, language arts and mathematics, and in science and social studies from grade six (Iowa Code 299A.6(4)).

How many days or hours of instruction does Iowa require?

Here is Iowa's rule. CPI: at least 148 days, with at least 37 in each quarter. The 148-day count sits in the licensed-practitioner half of the definition (Iowa Code 299A.1(2)(a)(1)); the Department of Education's handbook applies it to both CPI options, parent-supervised Option 2 included, and lets a family subtract days the child already attended that year before withdrawing from a school. IPI: no minimum number of days.

Is standardized testing required to homeschool in Iowa?

Yes. Iowa requires a test or another accepted form of evaluation. How often: Annual (CPI Option 2 with reporting). Who this applies to: Competent Private Instruction Option 2 with reporting; CPI Option 1 under a licensed practitioner or a district home school assistance program, CPI Option 2 with the opt-out, and Independent Private Instruction are all exempt from the state's annual evaluation. Accepted options: standardized test from the Department of Education's approved list, portfolio review by a licensed Iowa practitioner, report card or transcript from an accredited correspondence or online school, and another assessment the Department approves on request. An Option 2 family that reports shows adequate progress each year: a standardized test from the Department of Education's approved list, a portfolio reviewed by a licensed Iowa practitioner, or a report card or transcript from an accredited correspondence or online school. A family that wants an instrument not on the list asks the Department to approve it first — Iowa Code 299A.4(1) and Iowa Administrative Code 281-31.4(1) both keep a process for approving alternate assessments, and the Department publishes a request form. The evaluation is done by May 31 and the results reach the district and the Department by August 1 (Iowa Code 299A.4(1), 299A.3(3)). Adequate progress means scores above the 30th percentile in reading, language arts and mathematics — and from grade six in science and social studies too — plus six months' progress since the last evaluation or work at or above grade level for the child's age (Iowa Code 299A.6(4); the portfolio rule, Iowa Administrative Code 281-31.4(4), uses the same grade split). Which areas a standardized test must report is less settled: Iowa Code 299A.6(3) bars reading the chapter to require testing at grade levels other than those in Iowa Code 256.7(21)(b)(2), which sets reading and mathematics in grades three through eleven and science in grades five, eight and ten, and the Department's August 2026 handbook states the science grades two different ways — confirm with your district which areas it expects before you pay for a test. CPI Option 1 families may test but are not required to: Iowa Code 299A.2 exempts instruction by a licensed practitioner from sections 299A.3 through 299A.7, though a home school assistance program may require a test as its own condition of joining. IPI has no assessment. The Department reads the Option 2 opt-out as excusing the evaluation as well as the reporting, though Iowa Code 299A.4(1) and Iowa Administrative Code 281-31.4(1) still say every child receiving competent private instruction is to be evaluated annually by May 31.

What records do I need to keep to homeschool in Iowa?

Iowa requires these records: Form A (CPI Option 1, and CPI Option 2 for dual enrollment or voluntary reporting) and annual assessment or portfolio results (CPI Option 2 with reporting). Only the reporting pathways hand anything to the district — Form A, and the annual proof of adequate progress. Keep your own copy of Form A; the district holds one for five years. CPI Option 2 families who take the opt-out file no Form A and send no results, and in exchange give up dual enrollment, district activities, special-education services, a home school assistance program, open enrollment and requests for district instructional materials (Iowa Administrative Code 281-31.7(5)). IPI keeps nothing for the state. A diploma or final transcript issued by the parent who ran the program is accepted statewide the same as a district's — for admission, employment and licensure — under Iowa Code 299A.13, added by House File 2754 in 2026.

Do parents need a teaching certificate or other qualification to homeschool in Iowa?

No. Iowa does not set a general qualification for homeschooling parents. None for IPI or CPI Option 2. CPI Option 1 must involve a licensed teacher.

What ages does Iowa's compulsory attendance law cover?

Iowa's compulsory attendance law covers children from age 6 to age 16. Iowa measures the ages on September 15: a child who has turned six and is under sixteen on that date is of compulsory attendance age (Iowa Code 299.1A(1)). A child whose sixteenth birthday falls after September 15 finishes that school year, and the Department of Education's handbook tells homeschooling families that a child who turns sixteen before September 15 may stop at any point in that year. Enrolling a five-year-old in a public school — or a four-year-old in the statewide preschool — also makes that child of compulsory attendance age until the parent withdraws them in writing (Iowa Code 299.1A(2) and (3)).

What are the ways to homeschool in Iowa?

In Iowa, families homeschool under one of three pathways: Independent Private Instruction (IPI) — nothing filed; Competent Private Instruction with reporting (Form A) — Option 1 under a licensed practitioner, or Option 2 for dual enrollment or voluntary reporting; and Competent Private Instruction Option 2 without reporting — nothing filed.

Is homeschooling legal in Iowa?

Yes. Homeschooling is legal in Iowa, as it is in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. Iowa has three practical pathways. Independent Private Instruction (IPI) files nothing, has no minimum days and no assessment. Competent Private Instruction (CPI) with reporting — Option 1 under a licensed practitioner, or Option 2 where a family wants dual enrollment or chooses to report — files Form A by September 1 and teaches at least 148 days; only Option 2 proves adequate progress by an annual evaluation, because Iowa Code 299A.2 exempts licensed-practitioner instruction from that requirement. CPI Option 2 without reporting files nothing and sends no results, but gives up dual enrollment, district activities, a home school assistance program and special-education services.

How to get started in Iowa

Check your child's age on September 15

Iowa measures compulsory attendance age on September 15: a child who has turned six and is under sixteen on that date is of compulsory attendance age (Iowa Code 299.1A(1)). A child whose sixteenth birthday falls after September 15 finishes that school year, and the Department of Education's handbook tells homeschooling families that a child who turns sixteen before September 15 may stop at any point in that year. Enrolling a five-year-old in a public school, or a four-year-old in the statewide preschool, also makes that child of compulsory attendance age until you withdraw them in writing (Iowa Code 299.1A(2) and (3)).

Pick one of three pathways

Independent Private Instruction (IPI) files nothing, has no day minimum and no assessment. Competent Private Instruction (CPI) is Option 1, provided or supervised by a licensed practitioner, or Option 2, provided by you with no teaching license — and an Option 2 family either reports or opts out of reporting. Every step below names the pathway it belongs to. Iowa's education savings account cannot be used while homeschooling: Iowa Code 257.11B(2)(a)(3) pays only for a pupil who attends a nonpublic school, so IPI and CPI families cannot draw on it.

Official resource (educate.iowa.gov) →

IPI: teach the core subjects, file nothing

Cover mathematics, reading and language arts, science and social studies at all grade levels (Iowa Code 299A.1(2)(b)). Nothing goes to the state and nothing is kept for it, but answer in writing if your superintendent or the state director asks for the primary instructor, the location, the authority responsible for the instruction and the names of the students. The two limits families still see quoted — no more than four unrelated students, and no charging tuition — were struck from the statute by House File 2754, signed May 12, 2026 and effective the same day, and no longer bind. IPI still may not be a nonpublic school, and the Department of Education's handbook tells families whose children attend a nonaccredited school to file Form A.

CPI Option 2 without reporting: nothing filed, and what it costs

Iowa Code 299A.3 and Iowa Administrative Code 281-31.3(2) frame the Option 2 duties — send the report, have the child evaluated, report the results — as ones a parent may meet rather than must; that is the opt-out. You send no Form A and no results, and the district may not ask who is teaching, where, or which children. In exchange you give up dual enrollment, district activities, special-education services, a home school assistance program, open enrollment and requests for district instructional materials (Iowa Administrative Code 281-31.7(5)). The Department of Education's handbook tells these families to cover the same subject areas as IPI, and the Department reads the opt-out as excusing the annual evaluation as well as the reporting — though Iowa Code 299A.4(1) and Iowa Administrative Code 281-31.4(1) still say every child receiving competent private instruction is to be evaluated annually by May 31.

Reporting pathways: Form A by September 1

Form A goes to your district of residence, one for each child, by September 1 (Iowa Code 299.4(1)). The Department of Education's handbook puts the deadline at September 15 for a district home school assistance program, and gives 14 calendar days to file if you move into the district or take a child out of an accredited school after the September deadline. Keep your own copy — the district holds one for five years.

Official resource (educate.iowa.gov) →

CPI (both options): plan on 148 days

At least 148 days of instruction a year, with at least 37 in each quarter. The count sits in the licensed-practitioner half of the definition (Iowa Code 299A.1(2)(a)(1)); the Department of Education's handbook applies it to both CPI options, parent-supervised Option 2 included, and lets you subtract days a child already attended school that year before withdrawing. Independent Private Instruction has no minimum number of days. An attendance log is the simplest way to keep the count.

CPI Option 2 with reporting: the annual evaluation

Have the child evaluated by May 31 and get the results to your district and the Department by August 1 (Iowa Code 299A.4(1), 299A.3(3)), using a standardized test from the Department of Education's approved list, a portfolio reviewed by a licensed Iowa practitioner, a report card or transcript from an accredited correspondence or online school, or another assessment the Department approves — ask for that approval before you use it. Adequate progress means scores above the 30th percentile in reading, language arts and mathematics — and from grade six in science and social studies too — plus six months' progress since the last evaluation or work at or above grade level for the child's age (Iowa Code 299A.6(4)). Which areas a standardized test must report is less settled: Iowa Code 299A.6(3) bars requiring tests at grade levels other than those in Iowa Code 256.7(21)(b)(2), and the Department's August 2026 handbook states the science grades two different ways, so confirm with your district which areas it expects before you pay for a test. Option 1 families may test but are not required to, though a home school assistance program may require a test as its own condition of joining.

What Romeschool tracks for you: Attendance, subject coverage, assessment reminders, filing reminders.

Generate your Iowa Notice of Intent →Iowa funding & ESAs Find field trips in Iowa

Sources for Iowa

Official source (educate.iowa.gov) ↗HSLDA's Iowa summary ↗

Statute: Iowa Code ch. 299A

Last reviewed: June 5, 2026

Corrected: September 23, 2026, after re-reading the official source for what changed

Every requirement above comes from our review of Iowa’s rules, checked against these sources on June 5, 2026 and corrected on September 23, 2026 after re-reading the official source for what changed. Homeschool law changes, and a state can amend its rules between our reviews — read the official source before you file anything or rely on a date here. How we review state requirements.

Nearby states

States that share a border with Iowa:

Illinois Minnesota Missouri Nebraska South Dakota Wisconsin

All 50 states & D.C. →