FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

NorthStar offers full programs for grades 4-12.

NorthStar Academy offers many different start dates and operates year round. As a general rule, students can begin a course any Monday and have up to 52 weeks to complete 36 weeks of lessons (1.0 credit) or 26 weeks to complete 18 weeks of lessons (0.5 credit). See our School Calendar for start dates.

The parent or a designated adult, 20 years of age or older, can be a student’s supervisor. The supervisor does not need to be a certified teacher or hold any post-secondary degree. The supervisor must be a strong English speaker. If not, the student must have access to someone who has English speaking and reading abilities for support.

Yes, students may be enrolled as full-time or part-time students. Full time status equals 6.0 credits for high school students or 4 year-long courses for elementary and middle school students.

Absolutely! We understand the demands of homeschooling and realize that parents will need assistance from time to time. NorthStar Academy welcomes those families who may only need one or two individual courses to complement their homeschooling program.

Yes, the school’s conferencing and productivity software may be used by both Macintosh and Windows users.

Our Statement of Faith reflects our unwavering commitment to biblical truth and shapes everything we do. 

View a map of student and teacher countries here!

Answer from a NorthStar Parent:

“I think it is vital for the student to have his own computer if the parents consistently use the computer during what we would consider school hours. My son attends a cooperative school during the day. He shares a computer with 1 other student during school hours so a schedule has been worked out between the 2 students. However, he has his own computer at home to do homework. My husband spends many hours a day on the computer and sharing did not work well.”

NorthStar uses traditional textbooks or e-textbooks and other materials. Some courses use vendor materials that carry a fee. Other resources are included in the price of the course.

Please see the Tuition & Fees page for a full breakdown of fees and cost information.

Some interested families might believe that an online program is not social or personal; however, with several clubs and ministries to participate in within Teams, our students can easily make friends! Also, we have a very active student council that organizes events, contests, and activities throughout the school year.

Yes, students take tests through our Learning Management System, Buzz. These tests are password protected and are proctored by the students’ supervisors.

For our Virtual courses (VRP), students are free to take advantage of the “anywhere, anytime” learning environment of NSA. However, students and teachers are free to schedule real-time meetings or chat sessions with each other in Teams. For our Enriched Virtual courses (EVP), students are required to join in on a class session with the teacher and other students in the course once per week.

At a minimum, NorthStar teachers hold a bachelor’s degree from a four-year university. Teacher certification and experience information can be found by clicking on the teacher’s name on our Faculty/Staff page.

The number of hours that a student will actually spend online varies. Much of it depends upon the course. Not all of the coursework is completed online. For example, in math, the students will complete their problems with pencil and paper and then scan their work or take a digital photo and submit it online. They may read from a textbook or novel, work on a project using common household items to make a model, or conduct a science experiment. However, many assignments are completed online as well, and there are many video and audio materials in our courses for teaching as well as web-based activities in which students will engage. We highly recommend 5 Mbps of steady Internet, but some families are able to be successful with less. Students may spend as little as 25% of their time online in a given day or as much as 80%. There may even be days when students are working on an ongoing project that does not require them to be online at all.

Because NorthStar exists to help meet the needs of families, our policy promotes flexibility within reason. We do not have “due dates” in the traditional sense of the term. Rather, we have suggested submission dates that are offered to students to help them gauge their pace so that they may finish their course within a traditional 9-month school year. High school students may notice that if they have not submitted an assignment by the suggested submission date, a temporary 0 will show as the grade until the assignment is completed. This is to reflect a students real time grade based on the target due date that they set within the course. Students still have the flexibility to use 52 weeks to complete a year-long course and 26 weeks to complete a semester course.

Yes, NorthStar Academy can provide individual courses for the students whose school may not be able to offer certain courses during a particular semester or year. For more information, click here!

We have realized the following advantages for an online school: 

• Students who are tutored or who study individually or in very small groups have been found to achieve close to two standard deviations above the mean of comparable students in grouped instruction.^*
• Students who study independently are better prepared for post-secondary studies.^**
• Students are more likely to edit and refine their work when using a productivity tool like word processing software than if they were using pen and paper.
• Students are not inhibited by time or shyness factors of a traditional classroom environment.
• Students can review every aspect of their class activities to include class lectures, presentations, assignments, and group discussions because all of these items have been digitally recorded, a clear benefit over oral communications that can easily be forgotten.

^{*Bloom, B.S. (1984, June/July). The 2-Sigma problem: the search for methods of group instruction as effective as one-to-one tutoring. Educational Researcher, 13, 4-16. 
**Hathaway, W.E. (1993, April). Rural education: Challenges and opportunities. The Canadian School Executive, 12 (10), 3-9, 42.}

Please click here to read NorthStar’s philosophy of curriculum.

At NorthStar Academy, we understand that every student learns differently, and we are committed to supporting diverse learning needs. While we do not offer curricular modifications, our flexible online program allows families to tailor their child’s learning experience. At NorthStar Academy, we value each student’s learning journey and strive to provide a supportive environment where all students can succeed. Our user-friendly learning platform, Buzz, includes helpful tools designed to enhance the learning experience for students with diverse learning needs, including ADD/ADHD, Autism, Dysgraphia, Dyslexia, and Anxiety. Flexible pacing, the ability to take breaks as needed, personalized course scheduling, and extended time for assessments are just a few examples of accommodations available to all students. Additionally, NorthStar provides access to an integrated toolbar and other accessibility tools to support students throughout their learning process.

Should you have any specific questions about how your student’s unique learning needs might be supported at NorthStar, please reach out to our academic advising office or principal team by emailing [email protected]

Yes. NSA holds dual accreditation from Cognia and the Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI).

Yes, NorthStar Academy offers two diploma options, a standard diploma (24 credits) and an advanced diploma (26 credits). For specific graduation requirements for each diploma, please visit our Graduation Requirement page.

Yes, transcripts may be mailed directly to the student or to the school or university of his/her choice. Transcripts can be requested here.

If the school is accredited, NSA would need to receive an official transcript from the school. If the school is not accredited or the courses were taken via homeschool, one will complete a course credit request form for each course and work with our Advising Office to get the credits transferred. Please visit the Transfer Credits page for more details about transferring credits to NorthStar Academy. For details on transferring credits to NorthStar Academy, please visit the Transfer Credits page.

Course schedules for students in grades 4-8 are basically set (pre-planned) with a few elective choices. Students in grades 9-12 have many courses to choose from. A sample course plan for grades 4-12 can be viewed here. Students planning to graduate with an NSA diploma can view their remaining requirements for graduation using the Graduation Plan tool in the Student Information System/Genius.

NorthStar Academy uses a 100 point scale as opposed to a 4 point scale or a letter scale. A breakdown is below:

NorthStar does not have a “residency requirement,” because NorthStar does not operate a physical school campus.

Yes, NorthStar Academy has a wide range of approved NCAA courses in both our regular and EVP formats. For the most up to date list, please enter CEEB code 252825 at NCAA Eligibility Center.

NorthStar students have shown a significantly high success rate on the ACT and SAT. However, this is difficult to measure due to the a-la-carte nature of online schools and the corporate maturity of the College Board processes with online schools. To view the average scores for these tests as well as the post-secondary choices of our students, please view our School Profile.