Homeschool benefits: Decorah Community School District
Decorah Community Schools' Home School Assistance Program (HSAP) gives your family a supervising teacher, a two-room resource library with year-long curriculum checkout in reading and math, enrichment classes, and an iPad or MacBook for each student. Families who live in the Decorah district or open enroll can join by filing Form A by September 15.
Who qualifies
Lives in Decorah or open enrolls
Families must live in the Decorah Community School District or open enroll to take part.
Files Form A and a plan
Submit Form A, your intent to homeschool, plus an instructional plan listing the curriculum and resources you will use. Joining HSAP counts as competent private instruction Option 1 in Iowa.
Registers in PowerSchool
New students also complete the district's PowerSchool online registration, which the program asks families to do in May.
Brings immunization records
Provide immunization records or a certificate of exemption.
What the program gives you
The terms come from the Decorah HSAP site and its program FAQ, which is dated August 6, 2021 and still linked from the site with the 2026-27 Form A.
- Reading and math curriculum
- Year-long checkout
- Resource library
- 2 rooms of books and kits
- Technology, grades K-4
- iPad
- Technology, grades 5-12
- MacBook laptop
- Required meetings each year
- 4
- Diagnostic and standardized testing
- Optional
The site does not list a fee or a cost to join, so ask the HSAP teachers whether anything is charged before you enroll.
From enrolling to keeping it
- Before you enroll
Talk with the teachers
The program asks for a phone or in-person conversation first to see whether HSAP fits your family.
- Mid-April and May
Get Form A and register
Form A goes out to HSAP families in mid-April or can be picked up at the HSAP building any time. New students complete PowerSchool registration in May.
- By Sept. 15
File Form A and your plan
Turn in Form A, the instructional plan, and immunization records or an exemption.
- Through the year
Keep the four meetings
Attend a goal-setting meeting at the start, a November check-in, a January mid-year check-in, and a spring year-end meeting.
- Each quarter
Make four contacts
At least two must be face to face. Events and classes, including Friday enrichment days, count as contacts.
What it includes
Included
- Supervising teacher
- Resource library with curriculum checkout
- Enrichment classes and field trips
- iPads for K-4 and MacBooks for grades 5-12
- Dual enrollment help
Not included
- Curriculum you choose to buy yourself
- Planning and documenting your child's progress
Families provide the curriculum and tools for their own plan, and borrow from the HSAP library to fill gaps.
Good to know
Joining after September 15 is possible
Mid-year enrollment is possible when the program has spots open. Families who move in or open enroll mid-year have 14 calendar days to enroll.
Who to contact about the program
HSAP teachers Kelly Johnson and Bonnie Johnson work from the HSAP building at 510 Winnebago St. and answer enrollment questions.
kelly.johnson@decorah.school Contact 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
- What kinds of classes does Decorah's HSAP offer?
- Past classes have included art clubs, science and nature study, STEM and STEAM, Luther College partnerships, writing and public speaking, theater, National History Day, and cooking.
- Can my high schooler take classes at Decorah High School?
- Yes. High schoolers can dual enroll as long as at least a quarter of their classes are done at home, which in Decorah means at least two classes at home.
- Who decides what my child studies?
- You do. Families set goals and plan, teach, and document their children's progress, including providing the curriculum for their plan.
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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