Anon Experiences with Bridgeway Academy or similar? (homeschool)

[Anonymous Post]

I'm interested in hearing about anyone's experiences with any of their programs, how common this is in the gym homeschool community, advice you have, or alternatives to consider! Any info at all

We are trying to figure out a plan for alternative high school learning for our gymnast (we homeschool for other reasons, but the improved life balance during her gym years has been undeniable!) Up to this point we have been doing true homeschool but would like accreditation for high school. I have no interest in dealing with the hassles of trying to apply to college without it! We are open to a mix of online learning, part-time classes at the high school, independent study... whatever is flexible and accredited and provides teacher support for most classes. One of the seemingly best options I've come across so far is Bridgeway. I have read all past mentions of it on this forum and they sound positive but they are older mentions and there's not much detail. I think they've had some accreditation updates recently that make it look even more appealing. However, they describe their NCAA track as being a good fit for gifted students or for athletes. My daughter fits the athlete part but she is more of an average student so I'm not sure if that track would be a bad choice (we aren't pushing for or expecting college gym, but don't want to close any doors either.) We have eliminated Laurel Springs for that reason as I've heard it is very intense.

Anyway, I'm interested in any info at all, not only about their NCAA track. Thanks in advance!

 

[Anonymous Post]

This would probably get more feedback on an NCAA Homeschool group (there are some good ones on facebook). As you probably know, accreditation is absolutely not needed for college, or NCAA eligibility, but it can make the NCAA eligibility process easier. Bridgeway does not have that great of a reputation in the groups I belong to, and is SUPER expensive. For a tiny fraction of that cost you could could hire an advisor to help you fill out the requirements paperwork using your own homeschool curriculum. My kids use Power Homeschool as a core curriculum ($25/month), and we add additional outside classes. We plan on taking advantage of dual enrollment classes as well.

 

[Anonymous Post]

No experience with bridgeway. We did eclectic homeschooling from k-8 and like you, wanted a program for high school that would make college apps easier especially for NCAA eligibility. I agree with the use of dual enrollment, even for non-gifted students. We used an online public charter school in our state, so fully accredited curriculum and all - The colleges that our kids applied to all wanted to see some success with "in person" learning. Our plan all along was to use dual enrollment so we were prepared, thankfully.

Btw, I would not recommend a fully online program unless your child is highly motivated and capable of staying on task with distraction from being on a computer. It worked great for one of mine (my gymnast). My other kids took advantage of the flexibility and took a lot of shortcuts, which the program assured us couldn't happen when we enrolled.

 

[Anonymous Post]

Imagine Learning! They are amazing, you pick the start/end dates, and they will provide you with the best pacing calendar to stay on course. They have videos that explain everything with the option to meet with an instructor through on-demand tutoring as well as scheduling in advance with your specific teacher. They are used to high-level athletes so pacing will not be a problem. Not sure pricing wise, but we use their material frequently.