Homeschool benefits: Cedar Rapids Community School District
Cedar Rapids Home School Assistance Program (CRHSAP) assigns your family a certified resource teacher for at least 16 contacts a year and rents K-12 curriculum, with a Chromebook for each student. Families start with an interest form, and the director decides who is accepted after an intake meeting.
Who qualifies
Completes the interest form
You fill out the online interest survey before meeting the director. It asks where your child is enrolled now, about any IEP or 504 plan, and whether you need curriculum help.
Is accepted by the director
The director decides acceptance based on the survey, an intake meeting, and records from your child's previous schools, then tells you the result.
Follows competent private instruction rules
Enrolled students are under Iowa's competent private instruction rules, which means the required contacts with a resource teacher each year.
What the program gives you
These terms come from the CRHSAP program page and its high school FAQ.
- Resource-teacher contacts
- 16 a year
- In-person visits with parent and child
- 8 a year
- Curriculum rental
- K-12, core subjects
- Weekly enrichment classes
- Grades K-8
- Chromebook
- 1 per student
- Kirkwood internship, juniors and seniors
- 45-90 hours
Neither page lists rental fees or residency rules, so ask the office whether rentals cost anything and whether you must live in the district.
From applying to graduating
- Before you apply
Send the interest form
Complete the CRHSAP interest survey linked from the program page.
- After the form
Meet the director
The director holds an intake meeting, reviews your child's prior school records, and tells you whether your child is accepted.
- During the year
Work with your resource teacher
Your teacher helps with curriculum, goals, assessments, lesson plans, and record keeping across at least 16 contacts.
- Each April
Optional Iowa assessments
Students can take the Iowa assessments in the district's April testing window. Testing is optional for homeschoolers.
- End of May
Graduate in cap and gown
High school students who reach 40 credits graduate at a formal ceremony. Students who miss yearly requirements get a certificate of participation.
What it includes
Included
- Certified resource teacher
- K-12 curriculum rental and lending library
- Weekly K-8 enrichment classes
- Edgenuity online courses for middle and high school
- High school transcript and diploma
Not included
- District policy does not count credits from home-taught classes toward public high school graduation, though passed public or private high school courses do count toward the CRHSAP diploma.
- Credit for coursework before eighth grade
Rentals include teacher's editions and student texts where available, in reading, language arts, math, social studies, science, and other high school courses.
Good to know
You see the resource teacher at least 16 times a year
Sixteen is the yearly minimum. High school students who attend CRHSAP classes need four face-to-face meetings; otherwise eight are expected.
Who to contact about the program
The CRHSAP office at Wilson Middle School, 2301 J St SW, answers questions about enrollment, rentals, and classes.
homeschool@crschools.us 319-558-2088 Program page
Homeschool rules and statewide help in Iowa
You do not have to file a homeschool notice for independent private instruction.
Iowa sets these rules:
- Subjects: IPI must cover mathematics, reading and language arts, science, and social studies at all grade levels. CPI must provide at least 148 days of instruction annually, with attendance on at least 37 days each school quarter; its other rules depend on the option.
- Testing: No standardized testing required for independent option.
- Records: IPI must provide specified instructor, location, authority, and student information on written request; CPI reporting and record rules depend on the option.
- Teachers: Iowa does not require a teaching certificate or degree to homeschool your own child.
Read the Iowa homeschooling guide See statewide programs in Iowa
Questions parents ask
- Can my child in CRHSAP also take public school classes or sports?
- Yes. Through dual enrollment, K-12 students can attend neighborhood school classes, fine arts, athletics, activities, and clubs, and get IEP support.
- Will CRHSAP credits count at a Cedar Rapids public high school?
- Generally no.
- Can my teenager get work experience?
- Yes. Through Kirkwood's Workplace Learning Connection, sophomores through seniors can job shadow for two to six hours, and juniors and seniors can intern for 45 to 90 hours.
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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