FAQ - Read Me First!!!

Nitty Gritty

Okay, let's get down to what you really want to know...

• Area we cover - We cover Alabama state wide and have activity directors located throughout Alabama.  
• How many days do we have to school through Everest?  160 (We offer year-round schooling June 1 - May 31 giving you 365 days to achieve the 160 days of schooling).
• What curriculum do I need to use?  You can choose your own curriculum.  Everest does not provide curriculum.  More information below on curriculum.  
• References - Every once in awhile a family will ask for references.  Here ya go!
• Services We Offer
• Religious Affiliation - Our sponsoring church is Everest Family Ministry in Hayden, Alabama.    Because Everest Academy is provided specifically to aid families in their right to home educate their children, we do not require a statement of faith. We welcome families from all religions as we do not believe that a family's religious affiliation has any bearing on their ability to successfully home educate their children.  
• Communication - Everest Academy communicates primarily through email.  If you are enrolling with Everest, it is important that you have a viable email account that you check regularly.  

Cost - There is a $200 enrollment fee for the first year per family (not per child!  If you have 5 children, it is still just $200) and $100 re-enrollment fee each year after.  Enrollment fee is due at the time of enrollment.  There is no pro-ration of fees and is the same regardless to the time of the year enrolling.  The school year ends on May 31 regardless to when you enroll.  Fees are nonrefundable.  These are all of the fees that you pay Everest Academy for enrollment.  The enrollment fee does not include field trips or curriculum.  Information about curriculum below.  *There is a special offered each year from March 1 - May 31 where you can enroll for the remainder of the school year and the entirety of the next school year for $250.  

Enrollment

• Year-round enrollment - Our school year runs from June 1 - May 31 of each year giving you 365 days to complete your required 160 days of schooling.  Enrollment ends on May 31 of each year regardless to when you enroll.  
• Eligibility:  You must have guardianship of a child to enroll them.  You can not add children to your enrollment whom you do not have guardianship.
• You can only be enrolled in one school at a time.  In other words, you cannot remain in the public/private school systems and homeschool at the same time.  
• You must be a legal resident of Alabama to enroll with Everest Academy.
• How soon can I start? Today! You can either enroll on-line now or mail in your enrollment papers .  If you enroll on-line, your paperwork is generally processed within 24 hours.  If you mail in the paperwork, we will date the paperwork whatever is postmarked on the envelope.    
• When should I withdraw my child from his/her current school?  As soon as you fill out the paperwork and submit it.  If you are completing the online enrollment, your paperwork will be processed within 24 hours - 48 hours.  If you are mailing in the Enrollment Packet, we will date the paperwork whatever is postmarked on the envelope.  
• Want to enroll? Go here... 

Withdrawing from the Public/Private School System

• How do I notify the public/private school that I am homeschooling?  Part of the enrollment packet is a Church School Enrollment Form.  Once you complete and submit your enrollment packet to Everest Academy, we will sign off on it and return it to you.  Once the signed packet is returned to you, you will turn in the Church School Enrollment Form to your local Board of Education Superintendent (not to the school).
• Why do I have to turn in this form to the BOE?  Many church school coverings will take care of this requirement for you; however, Alabama State Law specifically states that the parent is supposed to handle this procedure.  Turning in the Church School Enrollment Form to your local Board of Education Superintendent satisfies the requirement of reporting your enrollment in a church school.
• What do I give the school?  You may also choose to turn in a copy of the Church School Enrollment Form along with a Request for School Records Form (also included in the enrollment packet) to your child's last school of attendance if you would like to have those school records.  This is an optional form and not a requirement by law. 

Requirements:

• Attendance Record - No yearly reporting.  State law requires that the principal teacher (you) keep up with attendance.  Please do so.  Everest only requires that an attendance record be turned in when withdrawing from Everest Academy or graduating (or upon request).  Everest only needs to know days of unexcused absences from learning. We require 160 days of learning out of 365 possible days. That being said, there should not be any unexcused absences. You keep up with your attendance and only turn it in when you need a transcript generated (at graduation or if transferring). You may keep up with attendance however you see fit. For your convenience, here are two options: Excel Grades & Attendance  and Attendance Form.
• Grading - No yearly reporting.  Everest only requires that a grading report be turned in when withdrawing from Everest Academy or graduating.  How you keep up with grades is a personal choice. Everest only needs grades when you need an official transcript generated. You may keep up with grades however you see fit. For your convenience, here are some options: Excel Grades & Attendance, Homeschool Tracker, and Homeschool Skedtrack.  *Please note:  We do not have an account with these websites.  Please sign up as an individual family.  

Everest Academy Does Not Require

• A Statement of Faith
• Membership in HSLDA; however, all Everest Academy families will receive one free year of Center for Homeschool Liberty ($65 value)
• Interview Process
• Detailed record keeping including hours
• Exit exams at graduation
• Standardized testing
• Monthly payments
• Lesson plans or curriculum approval
• Parent Meetings
• Dress Codes
• Monthly Meetings
• Why is this important?  Alabama State Law does not require any of these things either; however, some church school coverings require some or all of these things plus place many other requirements on their enrolled families.  You must be careful in the church school covering you choose not only for what they are offering to you but for what they are requiring from you.  

Curriculum/Teaching Methods/Testing:

• No curriculum approval. You know your child far better than we do. Every child learns differently, and no one knows that better than the parent.  There are no state laws dictating the choice of curriculum for homeschoolers.  
• Everest Academy does not furnish your curriculum. Need help choosing a curriculum or want to know how much curriculum costs? You can look here to read our Thoughts on Curriculum and Curriculum Resources. 
• What methods of schooling does Everest support? Everest supports traditional schooling, unschooling, eclectic, work study, Charlotte Mason, dual enrollment, job shadowing, and any other method that you choose to use with your child.
• The State of Alabama nor Everest Academy require standardized testing. If you are interested in testing your child, please read this. 
• Is this an online school?  No, Everest Academy is a church school which supports your right to homeschool in Alabama.  You can certainly us an online curriculum if you choose, but you will still need to be enrolled in a church school to legally homeschool in the State of Alabama.  
• Can I use an online program to teach my child?  If you enroll with Everest, you are certainly welcome to use any curriculum you choose, including an online program. Please note that to legally homeschool in Alabama, you must be enrolled in an Alabama-based church school such as Everest Academy. Many of the online programs will incorrectly tell you that they fulfill this requirement. The state of Alabama will look at the online program as your curriculum but not as your legal church school.
• Please remember that Everest Academy is here to support you in your right to homeschool your child(ren); however, it is the responsibility of the parent to arrange for all curriculum, education, transportation, and child care. Everest is not responsible for choosing or purchasing your curriculum.
• When/where do I drop my kids off for classes?  You don't.  Everest Academy supports homeschooling which means you are their teacher and you homeschool them yourselves.  You can certainly find a co-op, but Everest Academy does not have any on-campus classes.  

Field Trips and Activities:

• Field Trips - We offer a ton of field trips and activities (approximately 40 or more per month).  Everything we offer is for your resource and not a requirement.  You pick and choose what you want your family to participate in.  You can find our activity calendar here.  Fees may apply for field trips and are not part of your enrollment fee. 

High School & Beyond

• College/Scholarships - If I homeschool my children, can they still go to college? Yes. Colleges are now actively recruiting homeschoolers. They will need to fulfill credit requirements and take the ACT or SAT test just like any other graduating high schooler.  Homeschooling does not hinder a child's ability to earn a scholarship.
• Military - If I homeschool my children, can they enlist in the military? Yes.  Military bound homeschoolers are now recruited at Tier 1 just like any other high schooler.  
• We have lots and lots of resources for high schoolers including Teen Scene, High School Support Group, etc, etc.   

Accreditation

• 

  Is Everest Academy accredited? No.  Accreditation is defined as follows: The act of accrediting or the state of being accredited, especially the granting of approval to an institution of learning by an official review board after the school has met specific requirements. These requirements include but are not limited to class size, subjects taught by certain experts, number of fire exits, and a lot of things home educators do not encounter since we are not in a classroom setting.
  
  Code of Alabama 1975, §16-28-24 states that Church schools are exempt from regulations or state laws governing public and private schools.  The Attorney General Opinion on Regulating Homeschooling:  There is no statutory authority authorizing or requiring any state or local authority to regulate church schools, which may conduct classes in any manner they see fit. There is no requirement that church school teachers be certified or that a church school be accredited by the state or any private agency. No state or governmental agency has the authority to regulate a church school.  
  
  
  Being accredited would mean that we would have an accrediting agency telling us what subjects and curriculum you would have to use.  If you wanted someone telling you what, how, and when to teach your children, you would just leave them in the school system.  Right?  Does this affect your child's ability to attend college, military, or scholarship opportunities? No, colleges are interested in a graduate's ACT or SAT scores along with transcripts. Most Alabama colleges require the ACT test.  Everest Academy has not had any issues with students entering the college of his/her choice as long as the student meets the minimum ACT/SAT score requirement.  Everest Academy has had students accepted at Auburn, Alabama, UAB, Troy, Sanford, University of North Alabama, Belhaven, New York Film Academy, University of Central Florida, Bevill State, Calhoun Community College, etc, etc, etc....  Many, many of our students have been awarded scholarships, etc.  
  
  
  

  Re-Enrollment with Everest
  The school year ends every year on May 31 regardless to your date of enrollment. Each year a family must fill out and send in the re-enrollment form before September 1, including the fee for the upcoming school year. Re-enrollments not postmarked by September 1 require an additional fee. Please inform Everest Academy if you plan to enroll somewhere else as we are required by Alabama Law to send an official letter stating that you are no longer enrolled in Everest Academy. Please look here for the Re-enrollment Fee Schedule: http://www.alabamahomeschooling.com/2009/12/reenrollment.html . 

  
  

  
  Withdrawal from Everest
  If you decide at some point to put your child back into either the public or private school setting, please follow the procedure found here: http://www.alabamahomeschooling.com/2009/12/withdrawal-dismissal.html. Please do not just put your child in another school without going through the withdrawal process. This causes issues for your new school, Everest Academy, and your children. VERY IMPORTANT: You cannot legally be enrolled in two schools at one time. When you enroll in another school, you legally withdraw yourself from Everest Academy. If you wish to return to Everest, you will need to go back through the new enrollment procedure found here including paying the enrollment fee: http://www.alabamahomeschooling.com/p/enrollment.html.