7: Boise, Idaho

Boise Metro Chamber of Commerce

HOMESCHOOL REQUIREMENTS: None. If you’re withdrawing your child from school, the state recommends notifying the school, but you don’t have to file any paperwork, meet any attendance requirements, or participate in any standardized testing.

COMMUNITY: Secular Homeschoolers of Idaho - Treasure Valley is a handy resource for keeping up with the Boise homeschooling scene.

BOOKS: Ask the folks behind the counter at the Rediscovered Bookshop what they’re reading, and there’s a pretty good chance you’ll find your new favorite book.

RESOURCES: Take kayak lessons at Boise River Park; learn to ski at Bogus Basin Mountain Recreation Park; learn about native plants at the Boise Botanical Garden; take homeschool classes at Zoo Boise; get schooled in environmental education at the Boise Watershed; work as an intern at the World Center for Birds of Prey

INSIDER TIP: Take a float trip down the Snake River to look for peregrine falcons.

NUMBER OF MUSEUMS: 14, including the Idaho Museum of Mining and Geology, the Idaho Black History Museum, and the Boise Art Museum

NUMBER OF LIBRARIES: 4, with activities including 3-D printing, board gaming groups, Lego clubs, and more

MEDIAN HOME PRICE: $120,000

POPULATION: 214,237

If you love the idea of the Pacific Northwest but not the high housing costs, Boise will feel like a revelation. This sleepy, green town has all the outdoor charm and eco-friendly vibrations you’d find in Portland or Seattle at prices real-life homeschool families can actually afford.

Idaho also has an advantage over its trendy neighbors when it comes to homeschool life: Unlike Oregon and Washington, both of which require homeschoolers to check off specific criteria every year, Boise doesn’t require homeschoolers to submit any paperwork, even if they want to take advantage of the state’s dual-enrollment options. Perhaps that’s in keeping with the town’s unofficial mantra, which seems to be to soak up the outdoors as much as humanly possible. Boise has more than 4,300 acres of green space inside the city limits, and you’ll run into plenty of fellow explorers on the biking and walking trails that wind through the city’s 25-mile-long Greenbelt along the Boise River. In summer, join other paddlers on the water at Boise River Park; in winter, Bogus River Mountain Recreation Park, home to more than 2,600 acres of skiing and snowboarding fun, is just 16 miles outside of town. Homeschoolers can learn more about the area’s ecology at the free Boise WaterShed Education Center, sign up for classes at Zoo Boise, or study Idaho’s past at the Idaho Historical Museum. See a movie revival at the old-fashioned Egyptian Theater, or watch local kids perform in shows with the Treasure Valley Children’s Theatre. Pay a visit to the World Center for Birds of Prey, a nearly 600-acre preserve for endangered birds of prey, or dive into hands-on science studies at the Discovery Center. Whether you’re seeking adventure indoors or outside, you’ll find more than enough life learning opportunities in the City of Trees.

Living in Boise is impressively affordable — housing, gas, utilities, and other everyday expenses are cheaper here than they are in more than half the rest of the United States. Even in sought-after neighborhoods like Northend, where residents can walk to farmers markets or follow the bike paths right in downtown, home prices are low enough for single-income families. If you’re content to stay inside the city limits, you could get by with good bikes, but to take advantage of the surrounding outdoor recreation options, you’ll want a car.

This list was originally published by home/school/life in 2014. Are there great Boise, ID secular homeschool resources we missed or new resources created since we made this list? Add them in the comments!

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