Many kinds of families choose Prisma! Some Prisma families are experienced homeschoolers who are looking for a bit more community, or support teaching higher level academic subjects. Some Prisma families were previously enrolled in public or private schools that just weren't meeting the needs of their children: due to rigid, dry curriculum; ineffective teaching; lack of inclusion for kids who learn differently; a toxic peer culture; or some combination. Some Prisma families want to take advantage of the increased flexibility offered by learning online to travel the world, spend more time together, or pursue passions (some Prisma kids are professional actors or athletes). And some Prisma families simply realized that the old way of educating kids wasn't making sense for the 21st century and decided to join the revolution!

Our Admissions page has all the details regarding the application process and what to expect!

Yes! We have many siblings at Prisma. (Your children would need to each have access to a computer rather than sharing one, and we aren't able to offer sibling discounts, as our tuition is already as low as sustainably possible.)

Prisma is an online private school, so you are not technically homeschooling in most areas when you enroll in Prisma. Because K-12 education is regulated at the state (and even local school district) level, we aren’t able to provide a singular response for what notification you may be required to provide or what steps you may need to take where you live. We’ve found that the majority of US states simply require a family to formally withdraw their child from public school—typically by filling out a form that can be obtained either online and/or at your local public school where you state the reason for not attending public school as attending private school instead. 

A minority of US states classify students who attend an online private school not specifically based in the student’s state of residence as homeschooled. To our present knowledge, CA, LA, MA, MD, NY, PA, and WI operate this way. If you live in one of those US states, you can reach out to your local district to learn how to homeschool in your local area.

You can also read about homeschooling in your state here or in your country (if located outside of the US) here.

We have a rolling admissions process, which both means we don't have a hard application deadline and, as cohorts fill up, we don't overcrowd them. We have limited space in each cohort, and if a spot isn't available in a cohort that's a fit for your child, we'd add them to a waitlist for the launch of a new cohort that matches their needs (e.g. academic rigor, maturity, grade level, time zone, schedule, culture, interests, etc.).

We admit rising 4-8th graders (equivalent of UK Years 5-9) to our Middle School program at the start of each 6-week cycle. We admit rising 9-10th graders (equivalent of UK Years 10-11) for the full academic year and, occasionally, at the start of Winter Session. Prisma learners graduate at the end of 12th grade/year 13 with an accredited high school diploma; however, we typically don't admit rising 12th graders.

While the majority of Prisma families are based in the U.S. or Canada, we also have citizens/residents of nearly 20 other countries thriving in our program! We also have special cohorts for worldschooling families and residents of East Asia and Oceania and Europe, Africa, and Middle East time zones.

Prisma High Schoolers graduate with a COGNIA-accredited US diploma, which sets them up for success regardless of where they live. If they don't want to attend a top tier U.S.-based university, the vast majority of first rate international universities admit students with transcripts and diplomas from U.S. high schools. (Cognia is the most globally well-respected K-12 accreditor that's also approved in all 50 US states.)

There is no singular "American curriculum." Education regulation in the U.S. varies at the state level, and mainly applies to public schools. That said, many U.S. schools follow American curriculum standards for different subjects, such as Common Core for English & Math, Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) for Science & Engineering, and the International Society for Technology Education (ISTE) standards for Digital Skills. These frameworks represent decades of research, and are some of the most respected and commonly used standards worldwide. Prisma's curriculum is planned around these and other standards while also incorporating additional international standards and taking a global perspective in all of our materials. Any international student receiving an education based around these standards will be well prepared for higher education in all countries.