Homeschool benefits: Snowline Joint Unified School District
Snowline Academy is Snowline Joint Unified School District's home-based online school, where your child works through district online courses at home 4-6 hours a day and comes to campus once a week, while keeping access to athletics, clubs, and special events. A homeschooled child joins by enrolling as a district student and signing the Snowline Academy Master Agreement; call the front office at 760-868-5400 to start.
Who qualifies
Enrolls in Snowline Joint Unified
Snowline Academy is a home school governed by the district, so your child becomes a public school student rather than an independent homeschooler. Students who do not keep up are sent back to their home school of residence.
Signs the Master Agreement
Both you and your student sign the Snowline Academy Master Agreement and the contract of expectations in the 2026-27 handbook.
Has a parent who supervises
You supervise lessons during regular school hours and may help, but may not answer questions for your child. You need a working phone and email and must reply to the school within 48 hours.
Comes to campus as required
Elementary students attend weekly on-site meetings. Students in grades 6-12 come in weekly for a small-group core lesson, take tests and finals in person, and attend intervention sessions if STAR test scores fall below grade level.
What the program asks and gives
The terms come from the 2026-27 Snowline Academy handbook and the Nontraditional Schools website.
- Daily schoolwork expected
- 4-6 hours
- Grades 6-12 campus visit
- Once a week
- Passing score on a final exam
- 60%
- Attempts at each final
- One
- District diploma
- 180 credits
- A-G college track
- 200 credits
For fall 2026, high school coursework must be finished by 3:00 p.m. on December 9 and all finals by 3:00 p.m. on December 16, and unfinished work is recorded as an F.
How to enroll and stay enrolled
- Before you enroll
Call the front office
Nontraditional Schools in Phelan handles Snowline Academy enrollment by phone at 760-868-5400.
- At enrollment
Sign the agreements
Review the handbook with your child, sign the Master Agreement and the acknowledgment form, and, for high school, choose the 180-credit diploma track or the 200-credit A-G track.
- Each week
Attend the campus session
Turn in completed work and pick up the next week's packet. Each week's packet must be finished before the next one is given out. Elementary students must complete 90% of assigned work to be counted fully present.
- During the term
Stay on track
A student who falls behind gets teacher conferences, then two lack-of-progress letters. After the second, you must meet the vice principal within one week or your child may be returned to the home school.
- End of term
Take finals in person
Every high school course ends with a comprehensive final taken at school, with one attempt.
What it includes
Included
- District online courses
- Teacher support and open lab hours
- Athletics, clubs, and special events
- A Snowline Joint Unified diploma
Not included
- Choosing your own curriculum
- Independent homeschool status while enrolled
- Online-only testing, since tests and finals are in person
Good to know
Students can join neighborhood school sports and clubs
Snowline Academy says its students learn at their own pace while staying connected to their neighborhood schools through athletics, clubs, and special events.
Who to contact about enrolling
The Nontraditional Schools front office at 9258 Malpaso Road in Phelan answers Snowline Academy enrollment questions.
760-868-5400 Snowline Academy page and handbook
Homeschool rules and statewide help in California
For the home-based private-school pathway, file the Private School Affidavit during the October 1–15 annual filing period. New schools may use the online filing system during its separate August 1–June 30 opening window. Other legal pathways have their own rules.
California sets these rules:
- Subjects: The private-school pathway must provide instruction in English in the branches of study required for public schools; the parent chooses the materials and course sequence.
- Testing: California does not impose a statewide standardized-testing requirement on private-school students.
- Records: Private schools must keep the records required by California law, including attendance and faculty information.
- Teachers: Private-school instructors must be capable of teaching; California does not issue a separate homeschool-parent credential.
Read the California homeschooling guide See statewide programs in California
Questions parents ask
- How much do I have to be involved at Snowline Academy?
- Parent participation is mandatory in academic and truancy meetings, and you supervise lessons during school hours. Skipping a required meeting with the vice principal removes your child from the program.
- Is all the work done at home?
- Most of it. Students come to campus weekly, take tests and finals in person, and attend intervention sessions when STAR test scores fall below grade level.
- Can we travel during the school year?
- Only with notice. Tell the school before any extended family trip outside normal school vacations, because schoolwork has to be completed daily.
Turn support into your child’s next lesson
Put eligible education funds toward a curriculum that teaches the courses and grades the work. Check the program’s purchasing rules before paying.
$149/month per child after the trial.
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