Idaho State Board Of Education

The Idaho State Board of Education, doing business as the Idaho State Department of Education, is a U.S. state government entity that acts as the prime recipient of federal grants for K-12 education administration, child nutrition programs, and special education services across Idaho. The department holds 526 prime awards (99% of its recent portfolio) and operates as a pass-through intermediary distributing federal dollars to local school districts, charter schools, and educational organizations throughout the state; it is not a federal contractor and does not compete for federal contracts under set-aside categories.

The department's federal footprint centers on formula grants from the U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Top customers by award count are the Department of Education's Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (248 awards), the Department of Agriculture's Food and Nutrition Service (175 awards combined across two listing entries), the Department of Education's Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (51 awards), and the Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences (which anchors the highest potential value at $3.9 million across five awards). These five customer agencies cover 93% of recent awards. Representative prime recipient work includes Title I Part A Basic Grants to Local Educational Agencies (over $26 million for FY 2026, used to support supplemental instruction in high-poverty schools), Special Education Grants to States—IDEA Section 612 (over $24 million for FY 2026, distributed to local educational agencies for special education and related services to children ages 3 through 21), the Migrant Education State Grant Program (over $7.7 million for FY 2026, sub-awarded to school districts serving migrant families), Twenty-First Century Community Learning Centers (over $6.5 million for FY 2026, supporting afterschool enrichment programs), and an Institute of Education Sciences definitive contract to serve as Idaho State Coordinator for the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) State Partnership System ($1.525 million, April 2025 through March 2035, firm fixed-price). The department also administers substantial child nutrition funding, including National School Lunch Program subsidies ($86 million-plus obligated for FY 2026) and Child and Adult Care Food Program reimbursements. Additional representative grants include the English Language Acquisition State Grants Program ($2.3 million-plus annually), Special Education Preschool Grants (around $2.4 million annually), Supporting Effective Instruction State Grants (over $2.4 million annually), and Student Support and Academic Enrichment Grants (over $6.6 million annually).

The department's award activity has remained relatively stable year-to-year, with 25 awards in 2022, 24 in 2023, 22 in 2024, 28 in 2025, and 14 in 2026 (reflecting incomplete-year data). Nineteen awards reach ultimate completion within the next twenty-four months and face potential recompete. Combined potential value across all 529 recent awards is $5.7 million; however, combined obligated dollars across all awards total $5.47 billion (96,606% of potential value), indicating that the potential-value figures in the source are severely understated and obligated amounts are the operationally meaningful metric for this entity. The department holds no parent contract vehicles such as GWACs or BPAs; all federal funding flows through direct formula grants and project grants from education and agriculture agencies.

In its sub-recipient role, the Idaho State Department of Education receives pass-through funding from the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare under the Idaho Youth Suicide Prevention Program and the Salaries for School Nurses in Low-Income School Districts program (sub-awards dated May 2024 and May 2025). The department is administratively a division of the State of Idaho, the parent entity.