Homeschool requirements · Iowa

Homeschooling in Iowa

Light paperwork · A notice or an enrollment form, then keep your own records.

Choose between Independent Private Instruction (no notice or reporting) and Competent Private Instruction (annual Form A with optional assessment).

What Iowa asks

NoticeNone under Independent Private Instruction; annual Form A for Competent Private Instruction.
Days and hours148 days
SubjectsReading, Language Arts, Math, Science, Social Studies
AssessmentOptional under most options; required only if you choose the assessment route of Competent Private Instruction.
Records to keepKeep attendance and work samples; requirements depend on the option you choose.
Parent qualificationNone under IPI.
Worth knowing148 days applies to Competent Private Instruction; adjust for your option.

What HomeSchool Scribe does in Iowa

Read the law yourself

HSLDA’s Iowa summary

Not legal advicePlanning summaries in plain language, reviewed 2026-09-02. Deadlines and recipients vary by district; confirm with Iowa’s current law or a homeschool legal organization before you file anything. If something here is out of date, tell us and we’ll fix it for every family in Iowa.