Compulsory Education in Iowa - Quick FAQs 2

Before reading this, please read the blog on compulsory education published earlier today.

1.  How many days or hours of instruction must students attend during a school calendar year? 

Chapter 279.10(1) requires school calendars to include at least 180 days or 1,080 hours of instruction while schools are in session during the calendar year. Most school calendars show more than 180 days or 1,080 hours to accommodate school cancelations due to emergencies and inclement weather. 

Iowa Code 299.1(2)(a) and (b) require the school district board of directors or the governing body of an accredited nonpublic school to set the number of days or hours they require students to attend school while schools are in session during any school calendar.  A board may require attendance for the entire number of days or hours district its schools are in session or set a different attendance requirement. In a review of the school board policies and student/parent handbooks published on the websites of fifteen public school districts, the number of required hours of school attendance has ranged from 881.88 hours to 1,080 hours. 

2.  How many days or hours are in 10%, 15%, and 20% of a grading period?

A parent, guardian, or custodian should contact the public or private accredited school where their child is enrolled to obtain this information. 

Making a general determination of the number of days or hours in a percentage of a grading period requires the following information:

• the number of hours or days counted as instructional time during the district's school calendar year,

• the number of hours or days the school district requires students to attend school during the school  calendar year, 

• the length of the grading period set by the school district that applies to the child’s grade. 

The following tables demonstrate the attendance expectation differences between a fictional school that requires students to attend 1,080 hours during the school calendar year and another fictional school that requires students to attend 880 hours during the school calendar year.