Bill Analyses and Ratings
Bill Information: S1336 – Idaho Civics & History Education Overhaul 2026
Bill Summary
Senate Bill 1336 comprehensively rewrites Idaho’s civics and history education requirements for public schools, establishing detailed graduation standards, mandatory course credits, and prescribed curriculum content. High school graduates must demonstrate cardinal virtues, understand eleven principles of republican government, and show familiarity with eighteen specific historical documents. The bill mandates two credits each in American history and American government for grades 9-12, and requires a full-year Western civilization course for all 8th graders by the 2030-2031 school year.
The bill prescribes specific content for each course area, including coverage of ancient Athens, the Roman Republic, Christianity’s historical influence, the Reformation, Renaissance, Scientific Revolution, and the Enlightenment in Western civilization courses. U.S. history curricula must address the American founding as the culmination of Western tradition and teach how totalitarian ideologies failed, with required coverage of the Holodomor, Stalin’s Great Purge, the Great Leap Forward, and the Cultural Revolution. The bill also shifts administrative authority over the civics test from individual school districts to the State Superintendent of Public Instruction and adds a new section requiring all history, civics, and social studies curricular materials to inspire patriotism, cultivate moral character, and foster appreciation for Western civilization’s heritage.
Overall Assessment
Senate Bill 1336 is primarily an education policy bill, directly and substantially affecting Idaho’s public school curriculum, graduation requirements, and administrative oversight of civics education. Its impact is concentrated almost entirely within the Education metric, where it mandates specific course content, credit requirements, and learning outcomes for history, civics, and social studies across grades 8-12. The bill’s scope is focused on what students learn and how that learning is assessed and administered at the state level.
Rating Breakdown
ARTICLE I. RESPONSIBILITY IN GOVERNMENT (0)
Senate Bill 1336 does not address government accountability, transparency, or administrative responsibility in a meaningful policy sense. Its administrative changes are limited to shifting civics test oversight to the State Superintendent, which is an education governance matter rather than a broader government responsibility issue.
ARTICLE II. CITIZEN INVOLVEMENT IN GOVERNMENT (0)
The bill does not directly address mechanisms for citizen participation, public engagement, or civic involvement in governmental processes. While it promotes civic education, it does not create or modify structures for citizen involvement in government decision-making.
ARTICLE III. EDUCATION (1)
Senate Bill 1336 directly and substantially impacts Idaho's public education system by mandating specific course credits, prescribed curriculum content, and detailed learning outcomes for history, civics, and social studies from 8th grade through high school. The bill centralizes civics test administration under the State Superintendent and establishes comprehensive new requirements for what students must learn before graduation, representing a significant expansion of state-level education policy.
ARTICLE IV. AGRICULTURE (0)
Senate Bill 1336 contains no provisions related to agriculture, farming, ranching, or rural land use. This bill is exclusively focused on public school curriculum and civics education requirements.
ARTICLE V. WATER (0)
The bill makes no reference to water rights, water management, irrigation, or any water-related policy. Its scope is entirely limited to education curriculum and graduation standards.
ARTICLE VI. NATURAL RESOURCES AND ENVIRONMENT (0)
Senate Bill 1336 does not address natural resources, environmental policy, or land management in any capacity. The bill's provisions are confined to civics and history education requirements for public schools.
ARTICLE VII. ENERGY (0)
The bill contains no provisions related to energy production, energy policy, or energy infrastructure. It is solely an education curriculum bill.
ARTICLE VIII. IDAHO NATIONAL LABORATORIES (0)
Senate Bill 1336 makes no reference to the Idaho National Laboratories or related research, nuclear energy, or federal laboratory policy. Its focus is entirely on K-12 civics and history education.
ARTICLE IX. PRIVATE PROPERTY RIGHTS (0)
The bill does not address private property rights, eminent domain, or property-related legal protections. Its provisions are limited to public school curriculum mandates and graduation requirements.
ARTICLE X. STATE AND FEDERAL LANDS (0)
Senate Bill 1336 contains no provisions related to state or federal land management, public lands policy, or land use regulations. The bill is exclusively an education policy measure.
ARTICLE XI. WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT (0)
The bill makes no reference to wildlife management, hunting, fishing, or related conservation policy. Its scope is confined to civics and history education curriculum requirements.
ARTICLE XII. ECONOMY (0)
Senate Bill 1336 does not directly address economic policy, business regulation, taxation, or workforce development in a substantive way. While civic education may have long-term indirect economic effects, the bill does not engage with economic policy metrics.
ARTICLE XIII. HEALTH AND WELFARE (0)
The bill contains no provisions related to health care, public health, social services, or welfare programs. Its focus is entirely on public school history and civics education requirements.
ARTICLE XIV. AMERICAN FAMILY (0)
While the bill promotes values such as moral character and patriotism, it does not directly address family policy, parental rights in education, or family-related legislative concerns as defined by this metric. Its provisions are administrative and curricular in nature.
ARTICLE XV. OLDER AMERICANS (0)
Senate Bill 1336 contains no provisions related to older Americans, senior services, retirement, or age-related policy. The bill exclusively addresses K-12 public school education requirements.
ARTICLE XVI. LAW AND ORDER WITH JUSTICE (0)
The bill does not address criminal justice, law enforcement, judicial processes, or public safety policy. Its scope is limited to civics and history education curriculum mandates for public schools.
ARTICLE XVII. NATIONAL DEFENSE – SECURING THE BORDER (0)
Senate Bill 1336 makes no reference to national defense, military policy, border security, or immigration. The bill is solely focused on public school civics and history education requirements.
ARTICLE XVIII. ELECTION OF JUDGES AND IDAHO SUPREME COURT JUSTICES (0)
The bill contains no provisions related to judicial elections, the selection of judges, or the Idaho Supreme Court. Its provisions are confined to K-12 education curriculum and graduation standards.
ARTICLE XIX. RELIGIOUS LIBERTY (0)
While the bill requires coverage of Christianity's historical influence in Western civilization curricula, it does not address religious liberty protections, free exercise rights, or religious freedom policy in a substantive legislative sense. The reference to Christianity is historical and educational in context rather than a religious liberty provision.