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.  
• References - Every once in a while a family will ask for references.  Here ya go!
• Services We Offer
• Religious Affiliation - Our sponsoring church is Everest Family Ministry in Graysville, Alabama.  We do not require a statement of faith. We welcome families from all religions.

Enrollment/Withdrawal

• Year-round enrollment.  
• 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 How soon can I start? Today! You can either enroll on-line now or fill out the "Intent to Enroll" form and mail in your enrollment papers .  Everest Academy will hold the "Intent to Enroll" for 7 days. That means you will need to go ahead and print and send in your enrollment papers to Everest Academy ASAP. If the school contacts you, you are welcome to give them our phone number and let them know you are enrolling with us.  Please note, you only need to fill out the "Intent to Enroll" form if you are pulling your child out of the public/private school system during the school year and are worried about a lapse in attendance.  The "Intent to Enroll" form does not enroll your child in Everest Academy nor keep your child from being truant.  It is simply a means for you to give Everest Academy a written notification of your intent to enroll so that if the public school system contacts us, we can assure them we are working with you to complete the enrollment process.  
• 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.  These are all of the fees that you pay Everest Academy for enrollment.  Fees may apply for field trips and are not part of your enrollment fee.  Curriculum is not included in enrollment (Find info about curriculum below.).
• Want to enroll? Go here... 
• What if I decide to put my child back in a school setting? Look here....

Notifying the School

• How do I notify the 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.  
• 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 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 Homeschool Legal Advantage ($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. 
• 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.

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, Teen Ambassadors, High School Support Group, etc, etc.  Look here for a listing of teen activities. 

Accreditation

• Is Everest Academy accredited? Eww, gross!  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.  
  
  
  *The only colleges that I know of currently that require anything additional from homeschoolers is Faulkner University & Virginia College who require that a homeschooler pass the G.E.D. exam to attend their college.  You will want to check with the college of your choice to find out their specific requirements.