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Withdrawing from school to homeschool in Iowa

How to take your child out of school to homeschool in Iowa, step by step: what to file first, what to tell the school, and a letter to print.

This is general information, not legal advice; check your state's own page. Laws change, and Iowa's own statute and education department are the final word. The links below go straight to them.

Deadlines, forms and amounts checked on against the sources linked on this page.

Step by step

  1. Before your child's last day, do what Iowa asks of a new homeschool. By September 1 (only on the routes that file Form A): File Form A with your resident school district. Families on CPI Option 2 without reporting, or on independent private instruction, do not file it. The state's form: Form A: CPI Report.Source: Iowa Department of Education: Homeschooling (Private Instruction); Iowa Department of Education: Private Instruction Handbook, August 2026 (PDF)
  2. Tell the school. Within 14 calendar days of taking your child out (Form A routes): File Form A with the district.Source: Iowa Department of Education: Homeschooling (Private Instruction); Iowa Department of Education: Private Instruction Handbook, August 2026 (PDF)
  3. Ask for your child's records (report cards, test results, any evaluations or plans) so you know where your child stands. Good practice, not a legal step.
  4. If your child has an IEP or a 504 plan, ask the district before you leave what, if anything, it offers homeschooled students, and get a copy of the plan. Good practice, not a legal step.
  5. Keep copies of everything you send and anything you get back, with the dates. Good practice, not a legal step.
  6. Start your records on day one. The law lists no records to keep at home. Form A (where used) gives the child's name and age, the period of instruction, an outline of the course of study or texts, and the instructor's name and address. Independent private instruction must, on written request from the district superintendent or the Department, report the primary instructor, location, responsible authority and students.Source: Iowa Code chapter 299A, Private instruction (legislature, PDF)

What Iowa's law or education agency says about leaving school

For Form A routes, file Form A within 14 calendar days of withdrawing the child from a school. The handbook says families using CPI Option 2 without reporting need not notify the district, but it recommends doing so, so the district presumes the child is compliant.

A letter to the school

Fill this in and print it. It tells the school your child is leaving to be taught at home and asks for the records. It is not the state's notice.

For example a copy of your notice, or the acknowledgement the state sent you.

Nothing you type here is saved or sent.

Your letter

________________

To: ________________

I am withdrawing ________________ from your school. My child will be educated at home under the law of Iowa.

Please send me a copy of my child's school records.

Thank you.

SignatureDate
Keep a copy with the date you handed it in or mailed it.

Where this comes from

Checked on October 29, 2026. This is general information, not legal advice. Laws and forms change; confirm a date with your school district or the state agency before you rely on it. For legal advice, ask a lawyer licensed in Iowa; homeschool legal-help organizations and your state's homeschool groups can also point you to help. Something out of date? Tell us and we will fix it.