Education

Idaho's state department of education is headed by a superintendent of public instruction, elected for a four-year term. The state board of education consists of the superintendent and five members appointed by the governor. Besides establishing public school policy, it functions as the board of regents of the University of Idaho. School attendance is compulsory from ages 7 to 16.

The first schools in Idaho were established by Mormon settlers at Franklin in 1860 and in the Teton Valley in 1888.

The University of Idaho was opened in 1892 as a land-grant institution. The campus and agricultural experiment stations at Moscow cover nearly 1,400 acres (567 hectares). Idaho State University, until 1947 a part of the University of Idaho, is at Pocatello.