Homeschool benefits: West Des Moines Community School District
West Des Moines Community Schools' Home School Assistance Program (HSAP) gives your child a certified supervising teacher with monthly meetings, plus optional enrichment classes, Friday clubs, field trips, a curriculum resource library, Chromebook checkout, and state tests. About 500 homeschooled K-12 students take part; enrollment for 2026-27 opened March 2 and closed at the end of July.
Who qualifies
Lives in the district
District residents enroll online with proof of residency, such as a property tax bill, a signed lease, or a utility bill for the last or current month.
Open enrolls from another district
If you live elsewhere, your open enrollment application must be approved before you can complete the online enrollment. HSAP processes open-enrolled students in the order applications arrive.
Enrolls online each year
New and returning families complete the annual online enrollment, listing text titles and time spent per subject, plus immunization records or a waiver and proof of age.
Kindergartners turn 5 by Sept. 15
A kindergarten student must be five on or before September 15 of the year they start.
What the program gives you
The terms come from the 2026-27 HSAP Handbook and the HSAP website's class, Chromebook, and testing pages.
- Meetings with a certified supervising teacher
- Monthly
- Enrichment classes at Rex Mathes, K-12
- 1 day a week
- Classes your child can take that day
- Up to 6
- Chromebook
- Borrow until you leave
- FAST, CogAT, and ISASP tests
- Optional
- ACT for 11th graders
- Free
A lost or damaged Chromebook can cost up to its full replacement price, and the PSAT carries a fee you pay through the district's online payment system.
From enrolling to each school year
- From March 2
Enroll online
Enrollment opens March 2, but the program asks you to wait until your homeschool curriculum is final, since you list text titles and time per subject.
- By the end of July
Finish enrollment
Upload or drop off proof of residency, immunization records, and proof of age at the Registrar's Office, 3550 Mills Civic Parkway.
- Each month
Meet your supervising teacher
Monthly meetings with a certified HSAP teacher are the one required part of the program; classes, clubs, trips, and tests are optional.
- During the year
Sign up for classes and tests
Your child attends enrichment classes one day a week at Rex Mathes, 1401 Vine Street, and you sign up for clubs and tests by email.
- July 1 to March 1
Open enroll for next year
Families outside the district apply for 2027-28 between July 1, 2026 and March 1, 2027, or by September 1, 2027 for kindergarten.
What it includes
Included
- Certified supervising teacher
- Writing, science, Spanish, drama, art, and PE classes
- Lego, Book, and Drama Props clubs
- FAST, CogAT, ISASP, and a free ACT
Not included
- PSAT test fee
- Band instruments and supplies
- Repairs to a lost or damaged Chromebook
Good to know
Families outside the district can open enroll
Send the open enrollment application to both West Des Moines and your home district; the district can deny it if the requested classes are full.
Your child can take district classes or sports
HSAP students can dual-enroll in classes or activities at a district school when there is room. Contact the HSAP coordinator, who arranges placement with the school registrar.
Who to contact about the program
HSAP Coordinator Tami Prescott answers questions about enrollment, supervising teachers, classes, and dual enrollment.
prescottt@wdmcs.org 515-633-5095 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
- Who gets a Chromebook?
- Any HSAP family that chooses to take one. Your child returns it when the district asks or when they leave West Des Moines schools, and you report damage or loss right away to Sara Nichols at nicholss@wdmcs.org.
- Which tests can my child take?
- Your child can take FAST reading in grades K-3, CogAT in grades 2 and 6, ISASP in grades 3-11, the PSAT in grades 10 and 11, and the ACT in 11th grade. Carol Kramer coordinates testing at kramerc@wdmcs.org.
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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