Quick Links
Skip to main contentSkip to navigation

St. Ansgar CSD

JMC
Menu
Calendar
Email
Pay Schools

Middle & High School

  1. Home
  2. breadcrumbs: Middle & High School
  3. breadcrumbs: Minor School License Info

Working...

Ajax Loading Image

 

MINOR SCHOOL LICENSE

 

Driving yourself to school is an adult responsibility that you need to take seriously to keep you and others safe and protect your privilege to drive.

 

HOW DO I GET A MINOR SCHOOL LICENSE?

  • Be at least 14 1/2 years old.
  • Complete an Iowa-approved driver education course.
  • Hold a valid instruction permit and maintain a clean driving record for at least six consecutive months immediately before applying for your minor school license.
  • Live one mile or more from the school you are enrolled in, unless a special need exists or you live or work on a farm in Iowa. If you have more than one residence, where you live is the location you reside the majority of the time.
  • Be enrolled in one of the following schools:
    • A public school located within the school district of your parent or guardian’s residence, or located in a bordering school district of your residence if you open enroll or your school district of residence has a sharing agreement.
    • An accredited non-public school within 50 driving miles of your parent or guardian’s residence.
  • Have the appropriate school authority AND your parent or guardian sign an Affidavit for School License (form 430021) available at any driver’s license issuance site or online at: https://forms.iowadot.gov/BrowseForms.aspx.
  • You may be required to complete a drive test at the driver’s license service center.

WHAT CAN I DO WITH THIS LICENSE?

This license allows you to drive without adult supervision between the hours of 5 a.m. and 10 p.m. for these reasons:

  • Drive from your home to your school(s) of enrollment or school sponsored activities using the most direct and accessible route. Activities must be in the school district you are enrolled in and at a site designated by your school.
  • Drive to a school that is not your school of enrollment to participate in extracurricular activities conducted at that school under a sharing agreement with your school of enrollment using the most direct and accessible route. Activities must be in a bordering school district for public school students, or not more than 50 miles driving distance of your residence for private school students.
  • Drive to complete farm-related work using the most direct and accessible route, if you live on or work on a farm in Iowa.  The driving distance between the origin and destination must be 50 miles or less.
  • Drive to and from your home to the closest school bus stop.
  • Stop for fuel at the closest station to your route.
  • Drive at any time with adult supervision. The adult must possess a valid driver’s license and be one of the following:
    • Parent, guardian, or custodian
    • Immediate family member at least 21 years old
    • Driver education instructor
    • A person at least 25 years old with written permission from your parent or guardian.

WHAT CAN'T I DO WITH THIS LICENSE?

  • Use any electronic communication or entertainment device while driving.
  • Drive to work without adult supervision, unless you live on or work on a farm and are driving less than 50 miles for farm-related work.
  • Carry more than one minor passenger that is not a relative when driving without adult supervision. A relative means someone that is your brother, sister, step-brother, step-sister, or another minor living in your household.
  • Drive to a school district you are not enrolled in for school or school-sponsored activities, unless your school has an extracurricular sharing agreement with that school district and you participate in the extracurricular activity.
  • Carry more passengers than the number of seat belts in your vehicle, even when driving with adult supervision.
  • Drive a commercial motor vehicle, a vehicle requiring a class D chauffeur’s license, a vehicle with more than two axles, a vehicle towing another vehicle, or a motorcycle (unless you have motorcycle privileges).

WHAT IF I MESS UP?

If you are involved in a crash you caused or contributed to, you will be subject to additional license restrictions.  If you’re convicted of a traffic violation such as speeding or violation of any restrictions on your license, the following will happen:

  • First offense: Your license will be suspended for 30 days and you must pay a fee to reinstate your minor school license.
  • Second offense: Your license will be revoked for 30 days and you must pay a fee to reinstate to an instruction permit for six months before you are eligible for a minor school license.


Any time you have a violation, or your license gets suspended or revoked, your six-month period to maintain a clean driving record will start over after you have reinstated your driving privilege.

HOW DO I ADVANCE TO THE NEXT STEP: AN INTERMEDIATE LICENSE?

  • Be at least 16 years old.
  • Hold a valid instruction permit (or instruction permit and minor school license) for a total of at least 12 months.
  • Maintain a clean driving record for at least six consecutive months immediately before applying for an intermediate license.
  • Your parent or guardian must provide written consent in person at a driver’s license service center or complete the Parent’s/Guardian’s Written Consent Form (form 430018).
  • Complete 20 hours of supervised driving including any driving you completed in driver’s education. At least two of those hours must be between sunset and sunrise.

MAY A HOME-SCHOOLED AND DUAL-ENROLLED STUDENT GET A MINOR SCHOOL LICENSE?

If the student has completed an Iowa-approved driver education course, the student is eligible for a minor school license for the limited purpose of driving to the district academic program or activity that takes place 1 mile or more from the student's home, unless school transportation is an option. The minor school license is not valid for driving to home school academics or activities.

CAN A MINOR WHO HAS COMPLETED DRIVER EDUCATION IN ANOTHER STATE GET AN IOWA MINOR SCHOOL LICENSE?

To obtain an Iowa minor school license, the student must provide an Iowa driver education completion certificate from their Iowa school. If a student completed driver education in another state, they can ask their Iowa school district if the course meets the same program requirements as the Iowa school district’s course. If it does, the Iowa school may issue a driver education completion certificate. This decision is made by the local school district and is at their discretion.