Homeschool benefits and savings in Hillsboro
Hillsboro Parks and Recreation pays up to 50% of the cost of a program, class, community garden, or affiliated youth sports league for Hillsboro residents with qualifying income, once per family member each registration period. A separate Youth Art Scholarship pays 100% of up to two classes or camps at the Walters Cultural Arts Center for children 18 and under whose household income is below the free or reduced-price meal guidelines.
Who qualifies
Lives in Hillsboro
Financial assistance is for City of Hillsboro residents with qualifying income, and the city's map tool checks whether your address is inside city limits. The Financial Assistance Guidelines and Application list the income rules.
Or attends Hillsboro schools
Hillsboro School District students outside city limits may get help only for Hillsboro Youth Basketball, Hillsboro Youth Volleyball, and the Zone after-school program.
Art scholarship: income and age
For the Youth Art Scholarship, your child must be 18 or younger, live in Hillsboro or attend Hillsboro schools, and come from a household below the federal free or reduced-price meal income guidelines.
What it is worth
Hillsboro Parks and Recreation's financial assistance page sets the share, the frequency, and the art scholarship terms.
- Share of a program's cost
- Up to 50%
- Discounts per family member each registration period
- 1
- Registration periods a year
- 3
- Youth Art Scholarship classes or camps
- 2 at 100%
- Approval length
- 1 year
The three registration periods are fall, winter and spring, and summer, so one child can use the 50% discount up to three times a year. More than two art classes depends on remaining funds.
From applying to keeping it
- Any time of year
Apply
Fill out the Financial Assistance Guidelines and Application, in English or Spanish. For art classes, take the Youth Art Scholarship application to the Walters Cultural Arts Center or email it.
- Within two weeks
Hear back
Hillsboro Parks and Recreation contacts you by phone or email once the application is processed.
- After approval
Register by phone or in person
Not with general financial assistance, which requires registering in person or by phone. Art scholarships go on your account, so you can register online or at 503-615-3485.
- A year after approval
Reapply
An approval is valid for one year from its approval date.
What it pays for
Covered
- Programs and classes
- Community gardens
- Affiliated recreational youth sports leagues
Not covered
- More than one discount per family member each registration period
- Online registration with financial assistance
Who to contact
Parks and Recreation answers questions about the financial assistance application and program.
503-681-6120 Financial assistance page
Homeschool rules and statewide help in Oregon
You must notify your local Education Service District (ESD) within 10 days of withdrawing from school, or of the school year's start if not withdrawing. You must notify the ESD if you leave your school district or stop homeschooling. After a move to a new ESD, notify the new ESD within 10 days.
Oregon sets these rules:
- Subjects: Oregon does not require specific subjects or a particular curriculum.
- Testing: Use an approved standardized test by August 15 after grades 3, 5, 8, and 10, subject to the initial 18-month testing grace period and disability-plan alternatives. Interscholastic participants meet annual testing or district-adopted alternative academic-evidence requirements, which may include an approved portfolio or work sample.
- Records: Keep test results and submit them to the Education Service District when requested. Retaining the ESD notification acknowledgment is also recommended.
- Teachers: Oregon does not require a teaching certificate or degree to homeschool your own child.
Read the Oregon homeschooling guide See statewide programs in Oregon
Questions parents ask
- Can homeschooled children get Hillsboro financial assistance?
- Yes. Financial assistance is based on living in Hillsboro and household income, not school enrollment. Homeschooled children outside city limits do not qualify through the Hillsboro School District route, which is for enrolled students.
- Does the Youth Art Scholarship require school enrollment?
- No. Living in the City of Hillsboro qualifies your child as an alternative to Hillsboro School District enrollment, as long as household income is below the free or reduced-price meal guidelines.
- Who do I ask about the art scholarship?
- Call the Walters Cultural Arts Center at 503-615-3485, or email the application to Julio.Badel@Hillsboro-Oregon.gov.
- Can I register online after approval?
- Youth Art Scholarship recipients can register online once the award is on their account.
Turn support into your child’s next lesson
Camps and local activities give your child new interests to explore. Their discoveries can shape the examples and questions they study at home.
$149/month per child after the trial.
Find benefits for your ZIP code