Secular and Non-Christian Homeschool Curriculum for Idaho Families

If you search for homeschool support in Idaho, you will quickly notice that the most organized resources — Homeschool Idaho, most local co-ops, the advocacy groups that successfully lobbied for Idaho's deregulated laws — are rooted in Christian faith. The state's homeschool history grew from religious freedom claims, and that culture runs deep, especially in eastern Idaho and the panhandle.

That does not mean secular homeschooling is difficult in Idaho. In fact, Idaho's absence of any state curriculum requirements is ideal for non-religious families. You are not constrained to any particular content framework. The challenge is finding community and curriculum that fits without wading through overtly religious materials.

Idaho Law Imposes No Content Framework

Idaho Code §33-202 requires that children between ages 7 and 16 be instructed in "subjects commonly and usually taught in the public schools of Idaho." The statute lists no specific content, no religious or secular requirement, and no approved curriculum list. The Idaho State Department of Education does not maintain a list of approved or disapproved curricula.

Senate Bill 1017, signed in 2009, removed the word "comparably" from the statute — meaning the state can no longer require that home instruction match the scope or sequence of public school programs. You are not required to teach any particular perspective on any subject. A secular family in Boise using entirely evidence-based, non-religious curriculum is in complete legal compliance.

Secular Curriculum Options That Idaho Homeschoolers Use

Core subjects — comprehensive programs:

Oak Meadow takes a Waldorf-inspired approach to learning. It is secular, experiential, and available for grades K-12. It includes textbooks, workbooks, and complete course descriptions — which helps when it comes to building a high school transcript.

Moving Beyond the Page is a literature-based, secular program designed for gifted and advanced learners. It integrates science, social studies, language arts, and critical thinking. The program is rigorous enough to produce strong college-prep transcripts.

Pandia Press produces secular history (History Odyssey) and science (Real Science Odyssey) curricula specifically for homeschoolers who want academically rigorous, non-religious content. The science curriculum is particularly strong for families who want evolution, human biology, and earth science taught accurately.

Secular, Eclectic, Academic Homeschoolers (SEAH) is not a curriculum but a community that curates secular resource lists by subject and grade level. It is the most useful starting point for a family building their own curriculum from individual components.

Science:

Exploration Education provides secular physical science courses. DIVE Science has a Christian edition and a non-religious edition — verify which version you are purchasing. Friendly Chemistry is secular and designed for home use. For high school biology, many Idaho secular homeschoolers use the standard AP Biology course materials alongside DIVE Biology (secular edition) or build from OpenStax's free, peer-reviewed textbooks.

History and social studies:

Story of the World by Susan Wise Bauer is widely used in both religious and secular homeschools because it covers world history narratively without a religious lens at the elementary level. The high school companion series The History of the Medieval World and related volumes are similarly secular in approach.

Sonlight is religious — do not confuse it with Story of the World. The Tapestry of Grace and My Father's World curricula are similarly faith-integrated.

For US History and Government at the high school level, many secular Idaho families use the standard AP US History curriculum framework with materials available through AP Classroom, supplemented by Zinn Education Project resources for perspectives not typically covered in public school textbooks.

Mathematics:

Saxon Math, Math-U-See, RightStart, and Singapore Math are all secular programs widely used in Idaho homeschools. Art of Problem Solving is rigorous and secular, appropriate for mathematically inclined students in middle school and high school. Khan Academy is free, comprehensive, and completely secular for all math levels.

Language Arts:

Institute for Excellence in Writing (IEW) has both secular and Christian editions — the secular version (called the "Student Writing Intensive") is widely available. Writing with Skill by Susan Wise Bauer is secular and structured. Easy Grammar and Simply Grammar are secular grammar programs without religious framing.

Secular Community in Idaho

The social infrastructure for Idaho homeschoolers skews heavily religious, but secular community exists in several areas:

Secular Homeschoolers of the Treasure Valley serves the Boise-Meridian-Nampa corridor and explicitly organizes social events, field trips, and co-op activities for families who want non-religious community. This is the best-organized secular homeschool network in Idaho.

Facebook groups — search "secular homeschool Idaho" and "Idaho secular homeschoolers" for active groups. The Treasure Valley has the most activity; North Idaho and eastern Idaho communities are smaller but present.

Public library programs in Boise, Coeur d'Alene, and Idaho Falls offer homeschool-specific enrichment programs that are secular by nature. These vary by library system but typically include science programming, history presentations, and reading groups that are open to homeschool families.

The Idaho YMCA and Boys and Girls Clubs serve homeschool families for physical education and social activities. Mountain Home AFB families have access to DoD STARBASE STEM programs at Gowen Field regardless of religious background.

University extension programs — the University of Idaho and Boise State University both offer various youth and family programs that are secular and academically oriented.

The Parental Choice Tax Credit and Secular Curriculum

Idaho's 2025 Parental Choice Tax Credit (House Bill 93) provides up to $5,000 per student for qualifying educational expenses. Critically, the law does not require that curriculum be religious or secular — it only requires that the curriculum cover the four core subjects (ELA, math, science, and social studies). Every secular comprehensive curriculum listed above qualifies for the credit as long as receipts are maintained and the application is submitted during the January 15 – March 15 window.

This is worth noting because some early commentary on HB 93 framed it as a religious education subsidy. It is not. It is available to every Idaho homeschool family regardless of the educational philosophy or religious orientation of their curriculum choices.

Starting Without the Religious Messaging

One frustration secular families commonly hit when researching Idaho homeschool law is that most guides, templates, and local resources come wrapped in religious framing. Homeschool Idaho's website, for example, states explicitly that "our Christian faith is the basis for our belief that the freedom to homeschool is a fundamental human right." Their free withdrawal letter template is legally accurate and usable by anyone — the messaging around it just assumes a shared worldview that not every family holds.

The legal withdrawal process itself is entirely secular: it involves sending a written notice to the school principal that your child is being withdrawn to be educated at home. No religious justification is required or appropriate. No ideology needs to be declared.

If you want a withdrawal process that is practical, step-by-step, and free of religious framing, the Idaho Legal Withdrawal Blueprint takes a professional, non-partisan approach — focused on administrative mechanics, legal protection, and funding access rather than ideology.

Idaho Is More Welcoming Than It Looks

The presence of a strong religious homeschool culture in Idaho does not exclude secular families — it just means you may need to be more deliberate about finding your community. The Treasure Valley in particular has a large and growing population of families who moved from California, Oregon, and Washington bringing secular homeschool approaches with them.

Idaho's laws are the least restrictive in the country. No reporting, no testing, no curriculum approval. That freedom belongs equally to religious and secular families. The infrastructure of co-ops and advocacy groups just reflects who built that infrastructure. You can build on it selectively, ignore it entirely, or build your own.

See more United States homeschool guides →