3boysmama Posted November 10, 2009 Share Posted November 10, 2009 Anyone live in or around Story City, IA? There is a possibility that my dh could get transferred there for work and I'm looking around online at houses and such. His job would be in Story City but I think we are also looking at Ames and the other towns close by too. Is it difficult to homeschool in IA? What do you have to do to homeschool there, and laws, etc? What would be a good area to look at homes in? Anything would be helpful!! Thanks so much!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3boysmama Posted November 10, 2009 Author Share Posted November 10, 2009 Bump :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Katia Posted November 10, 2009 Share Posted November 10, 2009 I know some people who live in Story City but, personally, it's not a town I've ever been impressed with. However, I used to drive my dd to Ames for ballet and music lessons. We LOVE Ames. The library is wonderful, and the people we met are great. There is just so much available there to do. The neighborhoods we liked best in Ames (we did look at houses there once) were west of the college (out towards the edge of town) and north of the mall (very far north of town). To homeschool in Iowa you fill out a CPI form (Competent Private Instruction) each year for each child and return it to the local school, and then have them tested (standardized test) each year in the spring and turn in copies of the score to the school. If you don't like testing, there are other options like having a supervising teacher (certified) and/or portfolio review. Check out the NICHE web-site for all the legal stuff. They also have copies of all the forms for you to download and use. http://www.the-niche.org/ Even if you are not Christian, the site is very helpful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quad Shot Academy Posted November 10, 2009 Share Posted November 10, 2009 My in-laws live in Story City and other relatives in Ames. *I* would love to move to Story City. I would stay away from Boone, and Ames is too big for me. I think of Story City as a picturesque cozy town, with only a short distance to shopping in Ames. It has a great park, cheap swimming pool and the people are friendly. That area of IA is gorgeous! :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3boysmama Posted November 12, 2009 Author Share Posted November 12, 2009 Thank you both for your responses! I will def check out that website. Do you know much about Roland? We saw a couple of houses online in that area that we liked, it didn't look too far from Story City and Ames. Thanks!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donovans4 Posted November 12, 2009 Share Posted November 12, 2009 oh, I would love to live in Ames! My grandmother lived there when I was young, and we just loved going to visit her. And, I attended college at Iowa State. Ames it a great little city, and has a lot to offer because of the Univeristy. I don't know the homeschooling laws in Iowa, but I would just start googling to see what resources you can come up with. As far as where to live, I like the older parts of town, my grandmother lived just south of the mall, and it was a wonderful neighborhood. But, the city has grown so much, there are lots of options. Another city to consider is Ankeny, just south of Story City. LauraD in MN Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SquirrellyMama Posted November 12, 2009 Share Posted November 12, 2009 Hi, We live in Huxley which is just 10 miles south of Ames. It is a great town to live in. HS'ing in Iowa is very simple. We fill out the CPI and have a supervising teacher. We don't have to test since we have a teacher. I know someone said to stay away from Boone but we really like it. I don't think the schools are good but if you are HS'ing that isn't a problem. The town itself is small but has a lot going for it (restaurants, YMCA, stores, etc...). Huxley is very small and doesn't have much in it but it is so close to Ames, Ankeny and DSM. Story City is a nice place too. It is about 20 minutes north of Ames. Ames is also a great place to live with the college. Let me know if you have any more questions about these cities. You could also look north of Story City in Jewell and Roland. Kelly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathleen in VA Posted November 12, 2009 Share Posted November 12, 2009 My in-laws live in Story City and other relatives in Ames. *I* would love to move to Story City. I would stay away from Boone, and Ames is too big for me. I think of Story City as a picturesque cozy town, with only a short distance to shopping in Ames. It has a great park, cheap swimming pool and the people are friendly. That area of IA is gorgeous! :D What's wrong with Boone? Just curious - a large part of my extended family resides there. I visited once in the 60's. My mom was born there. Just wondering why you'd steer clear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SquirrellyMama Posted November 12, 2009 Share Posted November 12, 2009 What's wrong with Boone? Just curious - a large part of my extended family resides there. I visited once in the 60's. My mom was born there. Just wondering why you'd steer clear. We love Boone and want to move there. I've heard people call it rough because it was a railroad town. I've also heard the schools are terrible. We have friends that live in Boone County but not Boone itself. They won't even tell people they live in Boone Co. They just say they live 10 minutes west of Ames. I know other people who live in Boone itself and love it. Kelly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quad Shot Academy Posted November 12, 2009 Share Posted November 12, 2009 What's wrong with Boone? Just wondering why you'd steer clear. We love Boone and want to move there. I've heard people call it rough because it was a railroad town. I've also heard the schools are terrible. We have friends that live in Boone County but not Boone itself. They won't even tell people they live in Boone Co. They just say they live 10 minutes west of Ames. Kelly Kelly pretty much summed up the reputation I have heard of. It is possible that I have only seen the bad part of Boone too. We drove there from the country to a railroad and the houses were not pretty. ;) The train ride was fantastic though! There could be a whole other side to Boone though. But I have heard people make negative comments about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SquirrellyMama Posted November 12, 2009 Share Posted November 12, 2009 Kelly pretty much summed up the reputation I have heard of. It is possible that I have only seen the bad part of Boone too. We drove there from the country to a railroad and the houses were not pretty. ;) The train ride was fantastic though! There could be a whole other side to Boone though. But I have heard people make negative comments about it. There are some beautiful big houses along the main stretch through town. They are big and cheap. Boone is a very inexpensive place to live. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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