Acellus - Academy And Powerhomeschool

Acellus Academy and Power Homeschool are two homeschooling programs, offered by the International Academy of Science. This is a non-profit based organization that has been advancing science and education for over 30 years. As mentioned prior, there are 2 homeschooling options offered from Acellus i.e Acellus Academy, and Power Homeschool.

Do you have a personal experience with Acellus or Power Homeschool? I'd like to invite you to leave a short review on the comment section - it may help another parent.

Acellus Academy/Homeschool

 

Acellus Academy is more of an online private school (K-12/Grade R - 12), rather than a pure homeschooling curriculum. The students get assigned teachers who guide them through the learning process e.g marking of exams and assessments, homework, projects etc.  Most of the work is still  marked through instant grading, since this is an online program.

Some parents opt for this "online private school" approach for various reasons:

1. The support they receive for their kids' learning.
2. They intend to put their children back to public school, therefore feel more comfortable if they "homeschool" with an accredited curriculum.
3. Itinerant families e.g people in the entertainment industries, the army, missionaries etc

 Is Acellus Homeschool Accredited?

Because Acellus Academy is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC), the above families choose this option so that they get less grief when they are re-enrolling the kids at public schools.

As a mom who is part of some of the Acellus Facebook groups, I've seen arguments about whether the above accreditation means much. For parents outside the U.S, the accreditation talk is likely to mean less (as school leaving requirements and regulations may differ).

For U.S based parents, another upside of using Acellus Homeschool is that they issue the transcripts, and high school Diploma for your child.

How much does Acellus Homeschool cost?

 

Acellus homeschool costs $2400/year, and $279 if you opt for a monthly payment plan. They also offer a scholarship program (Roger Billings Scholarship Program), that can pay up to 70% of your child's tuition - if they commit to the weekly mentorship program.

They have outlined the subjects offered, as well as the graduation requirements on their website.

Power Homeschool

 

Unlike Acellus Academy, Power Homeschool is only a curriculum. Although they have the same content as Acellus, with Power Homeschool, the parent becomes the primary educator of the child. The child will still receive the lessons via the recorded videos, take assessments via their online system, and get graded instantly.  There is no extra help available for the student, and the parent is responsible for the marking of the Special Lessons that are done offline.

We use Power Homeschool for our youngest, so this is one of the homeschool curriculum reviews that rely heavily on personal experience. 

These are the features that mark Power Homeschool (according to their website, and our experience):

• • Video-based lessons
  • Interactive practice problems
  • Help videos for difficult concepts
  • Reviews & exams
  • Memorization drills*
  • Digital books*
  • Onsite lesson plans
  • Automatic record keeping (Progress reports and attendance).

Unlike Acellus Homeschool, your child will not receive a high school Diploma. For a South African family like ourselves, this is not an issue as we will be switching our daughter to another curriculum that we allow her to write the local external examinations required  to receive a school leaving qualification. Most U.S based parents need not worry, as they are allowed to issue the Diplomas for their children.

How much does Power Homeschool cost?

 

 Power Homeschool has 3 pricing options:

1. $25/per child to enroll for a maximum of 7 subjects
2. Power tutoring for $10 - this is for one subject only.
3. Power tutoring plus for $20 - your student will be able to enroll for 2 subjects. 

The last 2 pricing categories are recent additions, in response to parents who wanted to enroll only certain subjects on Power Homeschool.

Is Power Homeschool the same as Acellus? 

 

The two are different (to an extent) products offered by the same company. They offer similar content, with differences in student support and the issuing of transcripts and Diplomas. These are available through Acellus Homeschool, but not Power Homeschool.

Is Power Homeschool accredited? 

 

No. As a curriculum, Power Homeschool does not need accreditation - only schools do. As the parent using the curriculum, you are the teacher of the student.

What about support? 

We are satisfied with the level of support we receive from this company. The few times we contacted them for system glitches, they were resolved within 24 hours.

Do you have a personal experience with Acellus or Power Homeschool? I'd like to invite you to leave a short review on the comment section - it may help another parent.