Keeping It Catholic - Catholic Home Study Reviews

Catholic Homeschool Review

Catholic Home Study Programs

This section will review Catholic home study programs, including an alphabetic listing of "The Fabulous Five."

For review purposes, very effort has been made to find families who are completely familiar with the Catholic home study program of their choice.
If you have experience with any of the programs listed above, or have extra information from which other homeschooling families would benefit, please email keepitcatholic@usa.net

Below are overall descriptions of each program, as well as contact information. Be sure to look for the link "Click Here for Keeping It Catholic Review" to preview what I call "The Fabulous Five''- the most recognized names among the Catholic home education programs.

+Kolbe Academy

1600 F Street

Napa, CA, 94559

phone (707) 255-6499

Fax (707)255-1581

E-mail: kolbe@community.net

Website: http://www.kolbe.org

Financial Aid Availability: None

Special Needs Services: Yes

Payment Plan Available: Inquire about tuition payment plans (books are purchased separately and, in most cases, must be paid in full)

Founded in 1980, Kolbe Academy operates as a day school but also offers a homeschool program for grades K-12. Their homeschool program provides a suggested list of textbooks (which are not included in the enrollment fee but are available for purchase separately through Kolbe or other companies) and week-by-week course plans. At the high school level, course plans are especially detailed to help introduce the student to the classics in history and literature, as well as the writings of the great saints and ecumenical councils in religion. Kolbe is careful to note that the course plans, syllabi and tests are offered as guides and aids, not as requirements. The staff is available for consultation via phone or email. More info on recommended books, enrollment and services at Kolbe...

+Mother of Divine Grace

PO Box 1440

Ojai, CA 93024

Phone: (608) 348-6976

Fax: 805) 646-0186

Website: www.motherofdivinegrace.org

Please Note: This section, was updated May 27, 2000 after Mother of Divine Grace contacted KIC, now reflects their current changes concerning their enrollment plans and fees.

Financial Aid: None

Special Needs Services: Yes, offered as a supplement to Basic Enrollment for those students who may require or would benefit from a highly specialized education program. There is a fee for this assistance: $50 Per Year, Per Student.

Payment Plan Available: Yes for tuition fees; books are purchased separately and independently from other sources

Mother of Divine Grace (MODG) is another "independent study program," and a welcome option in the state of California on account of the laws on homeschooling. There are two kinds of services offered - the Enrollment Program and the Teacher-Assisted Program. Non-Catholics are welcome to substitute their own religion text selections to replace MODG's religion program. More info on recommended books, enrollment and services at MODG...

+Our Lady of the Rosary School, Inc.

1010 Withrow Ct.

Bardstown, KY 40004

Phone: 502-348-1338

Fax: 502-348-1943

Email: information@olrs.com

Website: http://www.olrs.com

Financial Aid: Available to families who qualify

Special Needs Services: Yes, for both gifted and learning disabled students

Payment Plans Available: Yes, inquire about specific plans.

Our Lady of the Rosary offers curriculum ranging from grades Pre-K - 12. They also have a paper and online catalog from which to purchase materials for families not enrolled with the school.

Our Lady of the Rosary programs come under two types: curriculum and consumable.

The curriculum program includes all texts, teachers' manuals, lesson plans (which are considered leased and must be returned at the end of the school year), workbooks, and exams, as well as complete teacher services, report cards, correction of quarterly exams and creative work submitted, honor roll certificates, and diplomas awarded for completion of kindergarten, eighth grade and high school. As an additional service to those enrolled with their curriculum program, OLRS includes online tutoring available at their website. Their newest online course, Ecclesiastical Latin, is based on the Roman Missal. Enrolled families will also receive an OLRS newsletter.

The consumable program was designed for families with multiple children who will be coming into the same grades. Parents who qualify for this program must enrolled with the school in the previous year and plan to re-enroll in the following year. For those families who will be re-enrolling in OLRS with successive children, parents may retain the leased books and purchase consumable workbooks at a discount. More on Our Lady of the Rosary's curriculum and online services...

+Our Lady of Victory

421 S. Lochsa Street

Post Falls, Idaho 83854

Phone: (208) 773-7265

Fax: (208) 773-1951

E-mail: info@olvs.org

Website: http://www.olvs.org

Financial Aid Available: No

Special Needs Services: Yes

Payment Plans Available: Yes in reference to tuition; inquire about monthly or quarterly payments. In most cases, books must be prepaid.

Our Lady of Victory offers curricula for grades K-12. Families may choose full enrollment, the satellite program, or separately purchase materials.

A Special Note: OLV is unique in that any family, whether or not enrolled, can purchase all materials from the school's inventory. This includes the complete program at any grade level, or individual texts, and/or an entire grade level's lesson plans (elementary years). At the high school level, individual course plans are also available. More on enrollment options and books at Our Lady of Victory...

+Seton Home Study School

1350 Progress Rd.

Front Royal, VA 22630

Phone: 540-636-9990

Fax: 540-636-1602

Email: info@setonhome.org

Website: http://www.setonhome.org

Financial Aid: Available to families who qualify.

Special Needs Services: Yes, with special needs counselors on staff.

Payment Plan Available: Yes

Seton is recognized as a Catholic school by the diocese of Arlington, Va. Offering curriculum for grades K-12, full enrollment includes books (with a requirement that most non-consumable books are returned at the end of one calendar year), detailed day-by-day lesson plans, a mini study skills course, grading and testing services (including quarterly exams), counseling services for every subject, a subscription to the monthly Seton Newsletter (currently going out to almost 20,000 families worldwide) and, if not previously enrolled, a free copy of Catholic Home Schooling: A Handbook for Parents (with over 400 pages). More on enrollment options and books at Seton Home Study...

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