Homeschool benefits: Elkhart Community Schools
Elkhart Community Schools (ECS) lets homeschooled students take curricular classes with district approval, though not extracurricular activities. Send your request through the Director of Student Services at 574-262-5540, as early as you can, with two documents proving your address.
Who qualifies
Is homeschooled
ECS says home school students may take curricular classes with district approval.
Gets district approval
Requests go through the Director of Student Services, and ECS decides which classes your child may take.
Proves your address
Enrollment needs two documents such as a current utility or phone bill, bank statement, lease or mortgage statement, or medical bill, showing only the parent's name and address.
What part-time enrollment gives you
The terms come from the Elkhart Community Schools Student Services page.
- Curricular classes
- With ECS approval
- Extracurricular activities
- Not available
- Proof of address
- 2 documents
- Grade placement and credit
- Set by staff review
- Request deadline
- None posted
The page does not list fees for part-time students, so ask Student Services about textbook and course fees when you call.
How to request classes
- Well before the term
Call Student Services
Request the classes through the Director of Student Services at 574-262-5540. ECS strongly encourages advance notice.
- At enrollment
Bring two address documents
Remove personal information other than the parent's name and address from each document.
- After approval
Placement review
ECS staff set grade placement and credit from your records, assessments, and their own review.
What it includes
Included
- Curricular classes approved by ECS
- Grade placement and credit decisions
Not included
- Extracurricular activities
- Classes ECS does not approve
Who to contact about homeschool classes
Student Services at the J.C. Rice Educational Services Center, 2720 California Road, handles homeschool class requests.
Homeschool rules and statewide help in Indiana
No state registration or homeschool number is required. On withdrawal, notify the school in writing. For a high-school student, a parent or guardian must also sign the Withdrawal to Non-Accredited Non-public School Located in Indiana form.
Indiana sets these rules:
- Subjects: Provide 180 days of instruction and instruction equivalent to public schools; state law does not define equivalency, and public-school curriculum rules do not apply.
- Testing: Indiana does not require standardized testing for homeschoolers.
- Records: Indiana requires you to keep attendance records.
- Teachers: Indiana does not require a teaching certificate or degree to homeschool your own child.
Indiana also has an education savings account that home-educated students can use.
- The Indiana Education Scholarship Account pays about 90% of state tuition support, for students with a qualifying disability or an eligible sibling. Once enrolled, your child is no longer an independent homeschool student, and the money stays in ClassWallet for approved costs.
Read the Indiana homeschooling guide See statewide programs in Indiana
Questions parents ask
- Can my child join Elkhart school sports or clubs?
- No. ECS allows homeschooled students to take curricular classes but not extracurricular activities.
- Do I have to register my homeschool with Elkhart Community Schools?
- No. ECS says families may register with the district or directly with the Indiana Department of Education.
- How will ECS decide my child's grade level?
- Grade placement and credit decisions are made from available documentation, assessments, and staff review, so bring your child's records and work samples.
- Does ECS charge fees for part-time homeschool students?
- The page does not say, so ask Student Services at 574-262-5540 about textbook and course fees when you call.
Turn support into your child’s next lesson
Local classes cover the subjects they offer. We teach the remaining subjects, so a local class can stay part of the year without becoming the whole curriculum.
$149/month per child after the trial.
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