Are you ready for a really informative lesson? Well get ready to take some good notes because today, we are learning all about schools in the Boise, Idaho area, and after having raised my 3 kids in the Boise School system, I have a wealth of information for you.
Videos about schools in the Boise area were actually some of the first videos I ever made, so they are a little embarrassing because the quality wasn’t great, but the information is good, so I will put links to those videos below if you want more detail on the things I go over today. But for this video, I will give you a comprehensive overview of the general education system in the Boise area, the choices of education offered, pros and cons, and where to find more resources for your own research. I will also discuss some topics that are of the utmost importance these days, topics many people skirt around when discussing the education system, like policies regarding the “v” word.
I have 3 children, who as of this recording are 17, 19, and 23, and they all went through the Boise school systems. I am a very firm believer in doing what is best for your individual child’s educational needs, and so I have had my kids in public school, charter schools, home school full time, and homeschool with dual enrollment in public schools.
And that brings me to the absolute number one best thing about the educational system in Idaho: Educational Options and Choices. Freedom to Choose what is best for your child and family. There are the public schools, charter schools, public online schools, magnet schools, private religious schools, private non-religious schools, homeschooling, having your child dual-enrolled, which means going to public school for some classes and home schooling for some classes, and then in high school, there are concurrent enrollment options for your child to get college credit while in high school.
Let’s start with an overview of the traditional public Idaho schools, and some pros and cons.
The public schools have teachers and faculty who are very devoted to the students, really want what’s best for them, and work really hard on behalf of the kids. The public schools have well rounded programs, including music, band, orchestra, choir, art, science, PE, regular recess breaks, and after school team sports starting in 5th grade.
As far as the quality of education goes, well, I am going to be very honest here. People always ask me about the best schools, and what is being taught. I know you all want to move to a place where you can find your personal utopia. You need to know that all of the very deep concerns people have in other states with the public education system are just as a concern here. So, the best recourse to that is to make sure you are very aware of what your child is being taught, be an advocate for them, and be a partner in their educational journey instead of expecting the individual public schools to have power to change a massive learning shift that began many years ago and was implemented in a way that most parents weren’t recognizing what was happening.
The topic parents are most concerned with is usually what the schools are teaching for what is called the Health and Sexuality Standards. So yes, generally speaking, what is taught for that will be much more on the conservative side here in Idaho schools than what they are teaching in states like California. But if that is a concern for you, be very bold when talking to prospective schools for your children and ask them exactly what is being taught in what grades, what books or online programs are being used, and ask to see the standards and curriculum they are following.
The public schools do offer plenty of AP classes in high school, tons of extracurricular activities by junior high or middle school, and I have been really impressed with the offerings in the High Schools that help students either prepare for a college path, like the concurrent enrollment courses, or your child can even get an AA degree by the same time they graduate from high school if you work closely with their counselor. They also have so many options to help kids who want to go into the trades, like mechanics, construction, or technology or even nursing or culinary arts. They also have options to have a combination of public online classes with the in-person classes.
My children’s middle and high school counselors were always willing and available to help us create individualized paths for each of my children. So again, I am not too happy about what is happening with our educational system in the nation as a whole, but I have been very impressed by the ability and freedom we have in Idaho to create a better path for our children if we become advocates for their education.
Another important aspect of the public schools are the sports and music programs in high school. So of course, if you have a child that will be pursuing sports or music in college, you will want to make sure they are going to the correct school in our area that will help them with that. And as a side note, a great thing here is that your child can homeschool and still participate in the public-school sports or other extracurricular programs. I know that in many states, if they homeschool, they cannot participate, but in Idaho, they can.
And the public schools have more funding and resources to help children with special needs, so they generally have more options for speech therapy, aides, and other things your child with an IEP may need. People ask me about where their child should go to school when they have special needs. That is such an individualized choice, so again, be an advocate for them, call schools you are interested in and be very blunt in the questions you ask. Visit the schools and visit the counselors.
Okay let’s talk about public charter schools
So, these schools are free, they are run under the public school system but do not receive as much funding. They are scattered throughout all of the valley in all of the districts. Most are in person, but there are some online charter schools as well. Charter schools are typically much smaller than the public schools and have only one or two classes per grade. They also tend to focus on a value, maybe one is a “character” based school, or we have a Waldorf based Charter school in Boise, and Meridian has some great charter high schools for specific needs, like Meridian Medical Arts Charter High and Meridian Technical Charter High. Some charter schools have music programs, some do not. Some offer extracurricular sports, some do not. there are many charter schools that are k-8, but only a handful that go to 12th grade.
Charter schools do have to adhere to Common Core standards, however, they have much more freedom in how those standards are taught and what materials are used to teach the standards. They have smaller environments, and parental involvement is expected. Sometimes they may charge extra fees to help cover costs of materials or other things. My children had positive experiences in the charter school they went to. We liked that they seemed to have a higher quality of education in the middle school grades, and the charter school they went to had a fantastic science teacher for all of the grades and his own lab. My daughter enjoyed playing sports at the charter school because it was on a much less competitive level.
And there are other factors to consider with charter schools as well, such as most do not have busses or kitchens for kids to get lunch at school, and they may or may not offer services you need for children with special needs.
So again, call the schools, ask questions, and visit them to see what you think will be best for your child.
And onto the public magnet schools
These are a bit like the charter schools, except that they have a focus, either arts or STEM, so the curriculum and other classes are geared towards one or the other. Other than that, they are similar to charter schools in what they may or may not offer in the way of extra-curricular classes or help for children with special needs. And of course, in a minute I’ll tell you where to find the resources for more information about charter and magnet schools.
One public magnet school in Boise that I want to point out, as it often gets overlooked, is Treasure Valley Math and Science school. This school provides an incredible opportunity for your gifted math and science kids to learn at an incredibly high and rigorous level. Your child has to test in, but it is free, and they offer a combination of going there for certain classes or going there full time. It serves as young as 5th grade for the very excelled, and up to 12th grade. They have award winning national science teams, so this is a pretty great opportunity in the Treasure Valley for the right students.
Okay so private schools
Private schools here are probably the same as what you would expect for private schools most anywhere. They have a tuition fee, they have full freedom to teach whatever they want, and they vary greatly in curriculum and activities offered. So, I will tell you where to find the resources list for that, but just know that there are several great Private School Choices throughout our area, and many are less expensive than you may think if you are coming from other states.
Let’s talk briefly about full-time home school and dual enrollment.
I made two videos about homeschooling, one specifically about homeschooling in Idaho, and one was just to help people who are beginning to homeschool in general. I will leave the links to those below. So of course, that is a huge topic, so check out those videos for the details on homeschooling in Idaho. But for a general overview, homeschooling in Idaho is fantastic in that there are many families who homeschool, so it is easy to find or put together a homeschool co-op group. Also, places like the libraries, nature center, gymnastics centers, they all have daytime programs specifically for homeschool kids. And the thing I loved best about homeschooling in Idaho was that you can take full responsibility and don’t have to report to anyone. Oh, and as I mentioned before, I loved that your kids can be dual enrolled in homeschool and public school or public-school activities.
There are options for getting financial assistance for homeschooling, which are run through a sort of online charter school type program, and I talk about that in my video I will link below, but of course, if you’re receiving financial assistance for it, it comes from the government, and so there are some rules to follow, like turning in lesson plans and taking standardized tests.
Another thing about the Boise area is that most people choose to do what’s best for their child, so within one neighborhood, of course the majority will be at the local public school, but you’ll have homeschoolers, kids going to private schools, kids going to charter schools, and other options, so your child shouldn’t feel like an outcast if they aren’t on the traditional path. However, it can be a bit more difficult for kids to bond with other kids in the neighborhood when they are all doing different things for schools.
And I told you I’d discuss policies regarding the “v” word.
Vaccinations are not required in Idaho to attend public school or play sports with the public school. None of them are required. You will have to fill out an exemption form, but you can claim a philosophical exemption and just state that you are philosophically opposed. Again, NONE of them are required for public school attendance.
So, back to the school information resources.
I have put a page on my website for you that lists and has links to all of the school districts for each city, all of the public, charter, and magnet schools in each district, and a link to find the private schools. You can find it here. We are going to do our best to keep it updated, but there may be a few schools changing from time to time. But you should be able to click on all of these links to get to the direct page for all of the schools!
So, did you have a good lesson on Boise area schools and what to expect? Please don’t hesitate to contact us to set up a call about buying or selling a home in the Boise area.
Detailed Video about Public Schools: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XpiMrZ1C3wk
Detailed Video about Private Schools: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-tHo0_qVpk
Detailed Video about Homeschooling: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7tpv-nOhwR8
How to Survive Homeschooling: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9AlLjE4h0Nc
Detailed Video about Charter Schools: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ILtrvNih43A
