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Read. Follow. Verify.Idaho House Bill 779 revises student enrollment counting rules for public schools and charters
Last action · February 26, 2026: Reported Printed and Referred to Education
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What This Bill Proposed
Idaho House Bill 779 updates the statutory framework for calculating student enrollment counts in public school districts and public charter schools, setting specific caps for full-time, kindergarten, summer, and night school enrollments and establishing four official annual count dates starting July 1, 2026.
Changes how school districts and charter schools calculate full-time student enrollment for state funding purposes, implementing strict exclusion rules for students with consecutive unexcused absences or lacking parental consent.
Who It Would Have Affected
Groups the bill's text would have affected, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
school districts
Must conduct official student enrollment counts on four specified annual dates and comply with new student weighting and absence exclusion rules.
public charter schools
Subject to the same enrollment counting limitations, absence restrictions, and parent consent requirements as traditional school districts.
students
Enrollment status for funding and reporting is subject to specific caps based on program type, attendance continuity, and parental consent.
Key Facts
- Full-time enrollment (FTE) is based on enrollment in any school district or public charter school.
- A standard student is capped at a total of 1.0 unweighted FTE in a single school year, with exceptions for summer or night school.
- Kindergarten students are capped at 0.5 unweighted enrollment in a single school year.
- Students attending summer or night school may receive up to an additional 0.25 unweighted enrollment.
Show all 7 facts
- School districts and public charter schools must conduct official student counts on October 1, December 1, February 1, and April 1.
- Students with 11 or more consecutive unexcused absences immediately prior to and including the official count date cannot be counted as enrolled.
- Students whose parent or legal guardian has not consented to their enrollment cannot be counted.
Frequently Asked Questions
When are the official student count dates under House Bill 779?
Can a kindergarten student be counted as a full-time student?
What happens if a student has consecutive unexcused absences before an official count date?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
This bill did not become law - Died at adjournment · in House committee.
Procedural history
2 actions- Feb 26, 2026CommitteeReported Printed and Referred to Education
- Feb 25, 2026IntroducedIntroduced, read first time, referred to JRA for Printing
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Connected Entities
Sources
legislature.idaho.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance20Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 65)
- Controversy15Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz25Current news / social attention level
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