Iowa Digital Learning Landscape
| State virtual school? | NO |
| Multi-district fully online schools? | YES |
| Online learning requirement for graduation? | NO |
| State approval process for online providers? | YES |
| State approval process for online courses? | NO |
Much of the online learning activity in Iowa is at the district level. There are a number of multi-district fully online schools and one community college offering high school credit recovery. In 2020, the Iowa legislature closed Iowa Learning Online (ILO), the state virtual school.
For students to enroll in a fully online school outside the student’s resident district, the family must apply to the Iowa Department of Education’s (IDOE) Open Enrollment program. In 2020 the legislature passed SF 2310 (Section 8) that expanded the Open Enrollment program, and the number of approved online schools has grown to 23 as of September 2022. A district may offer a fully online program for students within the district without receiving state approval, however, they must meet Iowa guidance for licensed teachers and course content guidelines.
Five multi-district fully online schools enrolled 2,555 students during the 2020-21 SY and 1,917 students in SY 2021-22. However, with the increase in the number of approved online schools for SY 2022, the number of full-time students is likely higher than the enrollments reported by these five programs. The Iowa Department of Education is not currently tracking all district full-time enrollments as in the past.
In 2021, the Department of Education launched Iowa e-Learning Central online course catalog that provides PK-12 open educational resources, a district course exchange option, and a resource center for schools, teachers and homeschool families. The e-Learning Central does not provide online teachers.
The IDOE has also approved 14 online course providers that districts contract with directly for individual online courses or a full online curriculum.
District activity includes:
Des Moines Independent Community School District Virtual Learning offers a full-time option for 6K-12 students. Students are provided with a district owned laptop and courses include both asynchronous and synchronous components.
Cedar Rapids Community School District Virtual Academy serves both part- and full-time students in grades 6-12.
Sioux City Community School District’s VIBE Academy serves grades K-12 with the district supplying a laptop or other learning device.
Johnston Community School District provides online options for grades K-12. Grade 6-12 students use a national provider for curriculum and instruction while K-5 students are supported by district teachers and lessons in another online learning platform.
The Iowa Online AP Academy offers online AP courses for middle and high school students. Kirkwood High School Distance Learning is a program of Kirkwood Community College that works with school districts across Iowa to offer online transfer credit courses to students looking for credit recovery opportunities.
State Policies
No major legislation impacting online and/or blended learning was passed January through August 2022.
SF 2310 (Section 8) in 2020 expanded the Open Enrollment program.
The Iowa Department of Education publishes and annual report on online learning for the Iowa legislature. Iowa Code 256.9 subsection 55 defines the process for approving online course providers.