You may view our frequently asked questions by clicking on the menus below.
Please feel free to contact us with any questions you may have by calling us at 1-888-464-6280 or emailing us.
General 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. It is highly recommended that the supervisor be an English speaker. If not, the student must have access to someone who has English speaking and reading abilities for support.
Yes, students may enroll as a part-time student in one course for just one semester, or they may enroll as a full-time student taking a full 6.0 credit course load.
Absolutely! Teachers at NorthStar Academy 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.
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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 as well as e-textbooks and CDs. Some courses use vendor materials that carry a fee. All other multimedia resources are included in the price of the course.
Please see the Tuition & Fees page for a full breakdown of fees and cost information.
Yes, students take tests through our Learning Management System, Buzz. These tests are password protected and are proctored by the students’ supervisors.
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; they still have the flexibility to use 52 weeks to complete a 1.0 credit 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.
We have realized the following advantages for an online school:
*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.
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.
NorthStar Academy uses a 100 point scale as opposed to a 4 point scale or a letter scale. A breakdown is below:
A+: | 97-100 | B+: | 87-89 | C+: | 77-79 | D+: | 67-69 | F: | 59 or below |
A: | 93-96 | B: | 83-86 | C: | 73-76 | D: | 63-66 | ||
A-: | 90-92 | B-: | 80-82 | C-: | 70-72 | D-: | 60-62 |
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.
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