I had been looking for a high school for my son for a year or so when I came across NorthStar Academy during an internet search. I was impressed with what I saw. When I contacted the school with questions, the staff there were extremely helpful and polite without any pressure of enrolling. It felt like like the storm to find the best school for my son had eased...this was the place.
This is a Christian school, catering to international missionary and business families. Due to it's international flavor, the academic standards are very high and the Bible is the core of every subject.
I enrolled my son in one teacher-led, semester long class this year as a way to "road test" the school and my son's response to it, and the results are amazing. Because I have homeschooled from the start, I have been my son's only teacher. This one class (music appreciation) has allowed my son to grow, and mature academically as he does the research and takes time to really develop and write his assignments. It's like everything I've been trying to get him to do for me has finally sprung forth.
I asked him this morning what his thoughts were four weeks into the class and he gave me a typical teenage, "Duh, Mom, what do you think." look on his face. He loves this school. It is well worth the investment.
This school offers a regular or college prep diploma and as honors, pre-AP and AP classes. The school begins at 5th grade and goes through 12th.
(Side note) The week my son started the school, he had a writing assignment to do for me. He had to write about a wild animal but couldn't decide which animal to write about. "You have classmates, ask them." I told him.
After a moment of surprise and "how do I do that." He went to First Class (the high school "commons, as it were), and found who was online. "Here's a girl from Thailand, can I ask her?"
I agreed, and my son started chatting with her through an instant message program. A minute or two later, he told me she recommended he do the Asian Elephant and gave him some information." As he signed off, he stated. "This is so cool!"
If you are looking for a dedicated Christian online school with high academic standards that happens to be international in flavor, look no further. NorthStar Academy is the place to go. read more