Here is a list of commonly asked questions.
Can’t find the answer you need? Scroll down and send us a message!
Pre-Enrollment FAQ
Only you and your child can answer that one! Our teaching style tends to be fast paced and above grade level. We've had very young students in classes geared toward older students, and while they don’t pick up every single detail, it’s amazing how much information they absorb. We challenge students, and it is rare that they don’t meet that challenge! If your child has excellent cognitive skills, enjoys learning, and craves a little structure, chances are our classes will be a great fit for their learning style. If you aren’t sure if our format will work for your learner, I encourage you to try our $5 classes. Each of our three instructors offers at least one, so you can get a good idea of their individual teaching style and the format of Next Level Homeschool classes.
Next Level Homeschool is 100% secular. We teach science based evolution, geological time, etc... In some classes the topic of religion may be necessary, but it is only spoken of in context of its importance surrounding a particular event or period in time. Never is one religion shown favor over another. Nor are any religions spoken of as inferior.
Short answer: We aren't strict at all! The age ranges we list for a particular class are suggested age ranges only. We fully understand that many younger students are academically advanced and able to do coursework designed for older students. We also understand that many older students may prefer to take classes designed for younger students for many reasons. YOU know your child and their needs far better than we do! And we trust your judgement about putting them into the classes they need, not just the ones that match their age. We never question parents on this. However, if you have a question for us about putting a student outside of the suggested age range into a class, please contact us and we'll advise the best we can.
In classes where two levels are offered, the material for each level is the same. The difference is in the homework assignments. Level 2 work will be more comprehensive and in depth than Level 1 work. In general, we recommend Level 1 for students at the lower end of the age range for the class or older students who don't want more intense homework, and Level 2 for older students and younger academically advanced students who want more of a challenge.
We have a large population of younger, gifted students in our school. They enjoy the classes because they are fast paced, challenging, above grade level, and do not include “busy work”. The homework and projects are also geared toward giving students freedom to explore the topics that they found particularly interesting each week, allowing for a deeper understanding of the material.
No. We do not offer any live classes- primarily because we are a content focused school, and it is impossible to teach the sheer amount of content we do in a one hour weekly live meeting. Also, we teach children from all over the world and time zone coordination is impossible.
Socialization is not our main focus at Next Level Homeschool, although we do know that our students love interacting with their peers! Each class has a discussion board where students can socialize and get to know their classmates.
You can view the general format of our classes on our class format page.
Absolutely! All submitted assignments receive feedback from the teacher, and students are encouraged to directly email their instructor whenever they have a question or a problem. We're here to support, encourage, and help them!
Next Level Homeschool is a small, completely family run business!
1. Mary Middlebrook- Hi! I’m the owner of Next Level Homeschool and head of the science department. I have a BS in Marine Biology from Texas A&M University at Galveston. I have been teaching homeschool classes since 2011 and opened Next Level Homeschool in 201
2. Dylan Monshaugen- Dylan is head of our History department (and my son!). He has a BA in History from the University of Colorado.
3. Lara Hincapie- Lara is head of the Language and Visual Arts Departments (and my daughter in law!). She has a BA in Theatrical Design and Technology from St. Edwards in Austin, Tx and an MBA from the University of Colorado Denver Business School.
No. Curriculum can not be accredited, only schools. After looking into the accreditation process, we determined that it really does not tell you anything about the quality of the classes offered by a school, so we decided against pursuing it. Also, homeschoolers don't need accreditation.
Enrollment FAQ
It’s as simple as filling out an enrollment form. We do not charge additional registration fees- you just pay for the class(es) you take.
Fees vary depending on the type of class, how long it runs (4 weeks, 12 weeks, or full year). Pricing information for each class is on the right side of the class description page for that class.
You can receive a 10% discount for purchasing over $300 in a semester- perfect for students who take multiple classes or for families enrolling multiple children.
We accept all major credit cards, via our secure online enrollment form. A spot in a class is not guaranteed until payment in full is made!
We no longer accept charter school funds unless your charter is able to pay with a credit card on our enrollment form.
There are NO refunds given for any reason, unless we have to cancel the class. There are NO exceptions to this rule. This is why it is important to take a $5 class with the instructor(s) of your choice before paying for a longer, more expensive class, to make sure our format is a good fit for your student. If you are unable to take a class for some reason, you may find someone to take your spot. This must be done BEFORE the semester begins- no exceptions. Any transfer of payment between you and the new student for your class space is between you and them. We do not refund you and then allow them to pay us.
Most of our classes fill every semester. We do not hold spots for any reason. The only way to guarantee a spot in a class is with the required payment.
Class FAQ
Some classes have a grading option, some do not. When the class begins, you have the option of choosing if you want your child to receive grades or not. If they are graded, they will have a private grade book that you can access to keep up with their progress and grades. Note that all assignments such as quizzes or lab assessments that are graded by the system will receive a grade. ALL students, graded or not, will receive feedback from me on their homework.
NO! Our classes are written like living textbooks by each individual instructor. We do not rely on textbooks to teach your child. Some classes, especially science, have labs, but all labs are optional. Labs are filmed by the instructor so students who do not have the materials can still view and analyze the lab. There are material lists provided on the class description page for each class, so if you wish to purchase materials so your child can do labs with the instructor they can. Do one lab, do all the labs, do none of the labs- it's up to you! Of course, we always recommend that students do the labs themselves for a better learning experience.
This is homeschool! You don't have to do "all" of anything! Obviously the lesson plans are extremely important. We trust that you and your child can decide what is best for your situation when it comes to taking quizzes and submitting assignments. Do everything some weeks! Do some things some weeks! Do none of them some weeks! It's entirely customizable for your family's needs. We don't judge. 🙂
Every class has a start date and an end date. These are listed on the class description page. It is important that your student complete their work before the end date. After that, they do NOT have access to the course materials and can not submit their work. There are NO EXCEPTIONS to this end date for ANY reason.
We do not issue credits, nor do we give advice on how much credit you should issue for a class. This is because credit requirements vary between countries and states. If you know the specific set of criteria for your location and need to know if our class meets that criteria, please email us and we'll give you as much information as we can.
Yes! All students, graded or not, will be issued a final report with their grades and/or feedback. These reports are issued the day after the final end date of the class. They are only available for printing for 1 week (until the next Tuesday), so if you need them please print them because we do not save copies after we close out the class.
We do not provide more than a generalized weekly syllabus of topics. Those can be found on the class description pages. If you require something more detailed than this for reporting to other agencies, you will need to create what you need each week after reviewing the lesson plan.
