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 an instruction permit and a clean driving record for at least six consecutive months immediately before applying for your minor school license.
• Live 1 mile or more from the school you are enrolled in, unless a special need exists. If you have more than one residence, where you live is the location you reside the majority of the time.
• You must have your school superintendent, principal, or school board chair AND your parent or guardian sign Affidavit for School License (form 430021) available at any driver’s license issuance site or online. This form must be filled out by a school employee prior to submission to the Superintendent.

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 the following.

• Drive from your home to your school(s) of enrollment or school sponsored activities using the most direct and accessible route. Activities must be at the school(s) you are enrolled in.
• Drive to a school that is not your school of enrollment to participate in extracurricular activities. Activities must be in a contiguous (bordering) school district and must be held at a site, facility, or school designated for the activity under a sharing agreement between schools or conducted at a site or facility that the school district you are enrolled in has designated to accommodate extracurricular activities.
• Drive to and from your home to the closest school bus stop.
• Stop for fuel while on route or at the closest filling station off route.

You may also drive at any time with adult supervision. Adult supervision means your parent, guardian, custodian, an immediate family member at least 21 years of age, a driver education instructor, or a person at least 25 years of age with written permission from your parent, guardian, or custodian. The supervising adult must possess a valid driver’s license.

What can't I do with this license

• Use a cell phone, smartphone, tablet, or other electronic communication or entertainment device while driving.
• 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 that is not your school of enrollment to participate in extracurricular activities if the activities are not in a contiguous (bordering) school district and are not held at a site, facility, or school designated for the activity under a sharing agreement between schools or are not conducted at a site or facility that the school district you are enrolled in has designated to accommodate extracurricular activities.
• Carry more passengers than the number of seat belts in your vehicle, even when driving with adult supervision.

How do I advance to the next step: an intermediate license?

• Be at least 16 years old.
• Hold an 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. Either in person at a driver’s license issuance site or complete the Parent’s/Guardian’s Written Consent Form (form 430018).
• Complete 20 hours of supervised driving in addition to any driving you completed in driver’s education. At least two of those hours must be between sunset and sunrise.

What if I mess up?

Your license will be suspended if you are convicted of a traffic violation (including, but not limited to, speeding, reckless driving, failure to obey a traffic signal), violate any of the restrictions on your license, or are involved in a crash you caused or contributed to.

• 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 any time your license gets suspended or revoked, your six-month period to have a clean driving record will start over.

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.

For more information please visit the Iowa DOT website: https://iowadot.gov/mvd/driverslicense/under-18