Idaho law does not place any caps on charter school growth.

Idaho law allows new start-ups, public school conversions, and virtual schools.

Idaho law allows local school boards and a state charter school commission to authorize charter schools. It requires vrtual charter school applications to be submitted to the state commission. It also requires that applications for non-virtual charter schools must first be submitted to the local school board. Therefore, aside from virtual charter proposals, the law only allows the state commission to approve charter applications that local school boards have referred, not acted on, or denied. The law also allows the state board of education to authorize schools upon appeal if denied by the state commission.

Idaho law includes none of the elements of the model law's authorizer and overall program accountability system.

Idaho law includes none of the model law's provisions for adequate authorizer funding. The state commission is funded through legislative appropriations, and only one staff person is funded for the commission.

Idaho law and regulations set forth general application elements for all charter petitions. The law includes requirements specific to conversions as well as for virtual charter school petitions.The law requires a public hearing for each charter application, unless it is referred to the state commission by a local school board.

The law requires authorizers to make charter approval and denial decisions in an open meeting and provide written notice of approval or denial to each applicant, with reasons for denial stated in writing.

The law does not require a charter contract or a performance framework covering essential elements recommended in the model law. In Idaho, the approved petition becomes the charter, and schools are accountable for meeting the educational standards identified in the charter.Charters in Idaho are of unlimited duration; they perpetuate unless revoked.

Regulations authorize and require chartering entities to engage in compliance monitoring to ensure that each charter school meets the terms of its charter and complies with applicable laws. The regulations address performance monitoring through annual school accreditation reports and annual reporting on educational goal attainment.Idaho law requires charter schools to submit to their authorizer an annual report that contains a fiscal and programmatic audit, a report on student progress based on the school's identified educational standards, and a copy of the school's accreditation report. It also requires charter schools to comply with the same financial reporting requirements as school districts.

Idaho law requires authorizers to give charter schools written notice of perceived defects and reasonable opportunity to cure such defects through a corrective action plan developed by the school. Apart from providing such notice of problems, the law does not explicitly empower authorizers to take corrective actions or exercise sanctions short of revocation.

Charters in Idaho do not expire or require renewal; they perpetuate indefinitely unless revoked. Therefore, the law does not set forth requirements, criteria, processes, or other guidance for renewal or non-renewal. The law sets forth general grounds for charter revocation.Except in cases of an imminent threat to public safety, the law provides that revocation requires reasonable notice and opportunity for the school to cure the defect; written notice of intent to revoke, including the reasons for the planned revocation; and a public hearing including opportunity for the school to present evidence. The law requires charter revocation decisions to be made in an open meeting and allows charter schools to appeal revocation decisions to the state board of education.

Idaho law allows a charter school board to legally contract with for-profit entities "for the provision of products or services that aid in the operation of the school." The law does not require a clear performance contract between charter schools and service providers (either for-profit or non-profit).
The law prevents many (but not all) conflicts of interest by prohibiting any member of a charter school board of directors from benefiting financially, whether directly or indirectly, from a contractual relationship with the school. Idaho law prohibits charter school board members, as public officers, from having an interest in any contract entered into by the board. The law generally prohibits charter school contracts from being awarded to spouses of charter school board members. The law does not require the disclosure of potential conflicts of interest in the charter application, as recommended in the model law.

Idaho law explicitly provides fiscal and legal autonomy to charter schools. The law requires charter schools to be organized and managed as nonprofit corporations governed by a board of directors. The law deems each charter school's board of directors to be public agents authorized by the local school board, the state charter school commission, or the state board of education to control the charter school, while functioning independently of the local school district or the state commission except as provided in the charter.

Idaho law provides that charter schools are open to any student in the state. The law sets forth a mandatory enrollment preference for students residing in the attendance area of the charter school.The law requires a lottery or other random method to select students if a charter school is oversubscribed. The law allows but does not require enrollment preferences for students returning to a charter school, siblings of enrolled students, and students living in the charter school's attendance area.

The law allows enrollment preference for founders' children, up to 10% of school capacity.

Idaho law provides that charter schools are automatically exempt from most state laws and rules governing school districts.  However, Idaho does not exempt charter schools from new laws passed in 2011 governing teacher and administrator evaluations, pay for performance, and classroom technology. These laws diminish charter autonomy over staffing, instructional design, and budgeting.

Idaho law requires charter school teachers to be certified, although teachers may apply for a waiver or any of the limited alternative certification options provided by the state board of education.

Idaho law provides that charter schools are exempt from district collective bargaining agreements.

Idaho law is silent regarding these arrangements.

Idaho law is silent regarding charter eligibility and access.

Idaho law states that for all purposes including special education, charter schools authorized by their local school board are part of the district LEA, while charter schools authorized by the state commission are each their own LEA. The law provides that the LEA (either the district or the charter school itself, as stated above) is responsible for providing and funding special education services.

Idaho law provides that charter schools are funded by the same state formula as district schools for operational funding, but they do not receive any local tax revenues or supplemental levies. The law limits charter school public funding to state sources and any federal dollars that schools qualify for. The state funding formula does not compensate for charters' lack of access to local revenues.
The law entitles each charter school to receive an advance payment from the state of 25% of its estimated per-pupil funding in the summer before its first year and each subsequent year in which the school expands enrollment by at least 20 students. It also provides that subsequent payments are to be made in the same manner as for district schools.

Idaho law provides that charter schools designated as LEAs receive federal funds directly.

The law provides that charter schools must receive from the state 85% of their actual cost for student transportation, provided on a reimbursement basis in July for the previous school year.

A recent national study of charter school funding (Charter School Funding: Inequity Persists, 2010) found that Idaho charter schools were receiving on average $6,178 per pupil, while districts would have received $8,179 per pupil to educate those students. Thus, charter schools were receiving $2,001 - or 24.5% -- less per pupil than districts would have received to educate those students. This comparison includes all sources of funding. The gap between charter and district per-pupil funding is largely attributable to charters' lack of access to 1) local revenues, and 2) capital and debt service funds. (See component #19 for information on capital funding).

Idaho law provides that charter schools are eligible for tax-exempt facilities financing using Nonprofit Facilities Revenue Bonds issued by the Idaho Housing and Financing Association.

The law gives school districts the authority to authorize the transfer or conveyance of any surplus district-owned property to various public entities including charter schools.

Idaho law requires charter schools to participate in the state retirement system.