Indiana’s individual tax reduction program allows parents to claim tax deductions for private school expenses up to $1,000 per student each year.
Illinois is one of the few states in the U.S. with a tax credit program. For being enrolled in a private school, families in Illinois can receive up to a $250 credit per dependent each school year. Parents can receive a credit of 25% of their expenses after the first $250; the maximum credit a family can receive is $750.
South Carolina offers a unique tax option: a refundable tax credit available to parents/guardians of students with special needs. South Carolina matches the federal definition of special needs as a “child with a disability”; more can be found at 34 CFR 300.8. The parents/guardians must also believe that the public school district that the student would be attending, if not enrolled in a private school, would not meet the student’s needs.
Minnesota’s K–12 Education Credit program is a refundable tax credit for education expenses outside of tuition. For families enrolled in Enlightium Academy, this can include school supplies, books, and more. This tax credit lowers your family’s total tax liability.
Several states have K–12 private school education tax benefits, deductions, or refund programs. Please keep the following in mind:
- Enlightium Academy is legally a private school, not a homeschool.
- Enlightium Academy is accredited, an important distinction for several states in filing for tax benefits. Enlightium Academy is accredited by AdvancEd and the Association of Christian Schools International. More information can be found here.
- This article is intended to act as the first steps in preparing for filing; speak with a tax professional and/or conduct further research before filing.
- Laws are subject to change. Please note this article’s publication date.
E-learning reflects the reality of how people learn in the 21st century. As more and more parents are choosing e-learning for their children, there is a need to respond to the following questions: (1) What is e-learning? (2) What are the benefits of e-learning? (3) What are the challenges of e-learning? (4) How does my child apply his/her personal strengths to e-learning? (5) What is the future of e-learning?
Being a student can be expensive. From tuition costs to everyday items, families often find themselves looking for coupons and discounts. Thankfully, there are a myriad of businesses who want to help families just like you!
In the current world of education, teaching and learning are moving from brick-and-mortar schools to the virtual world, from 30 students in a class to serving one student at a time. Especially in the last 10 years, online education is on the rise for homeschooling parents.1 It provides students the flexibility to learn anywhere, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, as long as there is Internet availability. Homeschooled online students can take advantage of unique course offerings such as world languages, Dual Enrollment (taking college courses while in high school), Advanced Placement (AP) courses, Honors courses, Gifted courses, and AIMS intervention. Importantly, homeschooled students enrolled at Enlightium Academy can obtain an accredited diploma recognized by colleges and universities around the world.
What kind of environment provides a proper context for learning to take place? This question is often asked by educators and parents. Let’s try to answer this question in a practical way so it can benefit students and satisfy parents’ and teachers’ expectations. In regards to the environment, the best approach is to minimize distractions while a student is working on school assignments. It is important that students take breaks, get fresh air, exercise, and have nutritious meals. Lave and Wegner (1991) saw learning from non-traditional lenses, instead of asking what kinds of cognitive processes and conceptual structures are involved in learning, they ask what kinds of social engagements provide the proper context for learning to take place.
For an online private school student, temporarily losing access to the Internet is comparable to an astronaut locking his keys in the shuttle while going for a space walk. Simply put, it is not an ideal situation.
When you decide to enroll your student in an alternative to public school, whether it is enrolling him/her in an online private school such as Enlightium Academy or taking on all responsibilities yourself in homeschooling, you are cutting yourself off from the educational standard and therefore have additional steps to fulfill. It’s a tradeoff - you have more of a say in what and how your student is learning, and in return you are accountable to the state to ensure that your student is learning the basics.
Sometimes your academics may feel overwhelming. What classes should you take? What do you do if you’re strugglingstrugging in a course? How do you make friends in a virtual school?
Remember that you’re not alone! Enlightium Academy was founded in 2003 and has helped thousands of students around the world. Learn from those who came before you with these seven basic habits of a successful student.
Do you increasingly get the feeling that public school isn't right for your child? There are many reasons why students may not thrive in public school. Every child has a different learning style, and traditional schooling practices tend to ignore this truth.
Pulling a child out of school to homeschool is a tough decision, but it is one that can bring rich rewards in the quality of both your children's education and your family life. Unfortunately, there are a lot of misconceptions about homeschooling.
When I was 13 years old, a big change took place in my life: my family moved. Suddenly I had to adjust to a new home, a new city, and a new school. It soon became clear that the public school I was enrolled in was not a good fit for me. The classes were not at an appropriate level for my abilities, and I had difficulty making friends. So I came up with a plan: have my parents homeschool me for 8th grade. I devoted months to convincing my parents and it worked. At that time, the only option I considered was traditional homeschooling, as cyber school education was still a new development in education.
Interested in switching to a non-traditional environment to earn your high school diploma online? You’re not alone. In the last ten years, the number of students enrolling to earn their high school diploma online has increased tenfold. Four of the top reasons families are making the switch are:
STEM is a field that groups together the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, with the goal of integrating these areas of study with each other and with other subject areas. For more details on the importance of STEM school work, check out this post on the benefits of STEM education. Enlightium Academy STEM students have the freedom to explore new technologies and methods that enhance their learning and achievement by analyzing real-time data, integrating creativity, mapping solutions, and utilizing critical thinking and collaboration.
Sometimes, being a student athlete can feel like a mixed blessing. On the one hand, you have the opportunity to practice your God-given talent. On the other hand, the stress of coordinating your practices, competitions, and travels with the other parts of your life can be pretty intense.
In order to maintain a high level of athletic performance in any sphere of athletics (e.g., soccer, running, gymnastics, skateboarding, BMX, motocross, etc.), students need the flexibility to practice throughout the year, which involves lots of traveling, whether it be due to weather conditions or getting acclimated to a certain environment prior to the big event.
For many parents it becomes apparent over time that public, charter or private schooling is not benefitting their child, and they start to look into home schooling options. The reasons for choosing home schooling are as varied as the children who leave traditional schools to be home schooled: Parents often do not agree with the subject matter taught at traditional schools or the methods that are used to teach the subjects. They may not believe in the morals underlying the instruction in the classroom. Parents may have a child who has health issues that make it challenging for him or her to be surrounded by too many people. Maybe their child is being bullied or struggling with social pressures.
Does this sound familiar to you?
When I was 13 years old, a big change took place in my life: my family moved. Suddenly I had to adjust to a new home, a new city, and a new school. It soon became clear that the public school I was enrolled in was not a good fit for me. The classes were not at an appropriate level for my abilities, and I had difficulty making friends. So I came up with a plan and devoted months to convincing my parents. It worked, and my parents agreed to homeschool me for eighth grade. At that time, the only option I considered was traditional homeschooling, as online school education was still a new development in education.
One of the advantages that homeschooling families have is the ability to design a learning space for their students in their own home. Social media sources like Pinterest and online blogs are full of ideas for homeschool organization. These sources often emphasize the importance of designing a learning space that fits the needs of your family.
Today, I would like to take this idea one step further and suggest that the ideal learning space may not be the same for each family member. What is seen as ideal by a parent may not in fact be ideal for a student. What qualifies as an ideal learning space may even differ from child to child.