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Our classes can accomodate mature pre-schoolers through seniors in high school. We make every effort to provide nursery care for parents when they are teaching.

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We currently meet at Grace Community Church in Allentown. We have weekly meetings on Fridays from 8:00 am - 3:15 pm.

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We have a Back to School Night in late August, and we start classes after Labor Day. We meet for approximately 36 weeks and assign homework for close to 180 days to meet the PA requirements. We have a closing program after Memorial Day and graduation on the first Saturday in June.

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We have a Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, and Memorial Day break.

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We offer both academic and enrichment course offerings...

Academic courses (7th-12th) are meant to provide a student with a full education on the subject. Weekly homework, projects, and tests may be assigned. Grades are issued quarterly. High school level courses count for a credit on transcipts and are considered college prep. Examples of academic courses that have been offered in the past at Excelsior are Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Geometry, Algebras, Pre-Calculus, as well as various History, English, and Foreign Language subjects.

Enrichment courses (PreK-12th) are meant to supplement a student's education on the subject. Little to no homework is assigned. In some cases, a half credit may be issued for a high school transcipt. Examples of enrichment courses that have been offered in the past at Excelsior are Art, cooking, physical education, health, book clubs, science labs, civics, and career exploration. Some of these courses are offered every other week instead of every week to encourage our oldest teens to stay involved in community, especially if they are dual-enrolled elsewhere.

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Excelsior begins the day at 8:00 with a short Chapel service, and then the classes begin at 8:30. There are five class periods lasting 70 minutes each with lunch in between 3rd and 4th periods. This schedule is modified for the PreK-2 classes to include shorter classes, recess, and longer lunchtime. Classes end for the day at 3:15. During each class the teacher teaches new material and/or reviews material from the past week as needed. If the students are in an academic course, then work is assigned and should be brought back the following week. If students are not registered for a class, but still present at co-op they remain in the study hall room.

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Parents are expected, but not required, to be present at all times for students. There are exeptions when the parent will need to briefly leave the premises. During these exeptions, the on-site supervisor needs to be informed as well as on-site supervision designated. This policy may change as needed. We are not a "drop off" program or a babysitting service. Parents are ultimately responsible for their homeschooled students at all times.

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      We believe in one God, Creator and Lord of the universe, the co-eternal Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

      We believe that Jesus Christ, God’s Son, was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, lived a sinless life, died a substitutionary death on the cross, rose bodily from the dead, and ascended to heaven where, as truly divine and truly human, He is the only Mediator between God and man. 

      We believe that the Bible is God’s authoritative and inspired Word. It is without error in all its teaching, including creation, history, its own origins, and salvation. We recognize the sovereign oversight of God in the providential preservation of the text of Scripture. Christians are called to submit to the divine authority of the Bible in all matters of faith and life.

      We believe that people are born in sin and cannot see the Kingdom of God except through the new birth. Justification before a Holy God is by grace through faith in Christ alone.

      We believe in one holy, universal, and apostolic Church. Its calling is to worship God and to witness concerning its Head, Jesus Christ, by preaching the Gospel among all nations and by demonstrating its commitment to righteousness and justice on behalf of all people.

      We believe in the necessity of the Holy Spirit for the individual’s new birth and growth, and for the church’s constant renewal in truth, wisdom, faith, holiness, love, power, and mission.

      We believe that the Christian parents have the primary responsibility to provide for and to oversee the education of their children. The task but not the responsibility may be delegated to others.

We ask each family to sign the statement of faith each year.

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We expect students to have a good attitude and a desire to do and be the best they can for God's glory. We are an academic co-op and we strive to be college preparatory. Many of our kids head to college upon graduation. Even our kids in enrichment classes are encouraged to put forth their best effort. Excelsior means ever upward, and it is our hope that our kids will shine for Christ in the world in whatever field they enter. 

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All families are required to teach in some capacity. Currently, each family is being asked to teach one academic course or participate in two enrichment courses. Some of our families joyfully do more. Everyone must also contribute by fulfilling responsibilities needed to keep the co-op running smoothly. Examples of this are weekly cleaning responsibilities (many hands make light work!) or help planning our fun social events.

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If a child is PreK age and can participate in our enrichment classes we encourage them to do so. If participation isn't age-appropriate or would cause a disruption to the class then we provide nursery care specifically for the children of parents when they are teaching a class. Currently, we do not have a full day nursery care program. 

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There is a yearly Family Fee which has varied but usually remains under $700 per family, depending on past and projected expenses. The fee amount is assessed each year and is subject to change. In addition to the family fee, there may be some lab fees or supply fees depending on the course(s) taken.

All books and materials necessary for each class must be purchased by each family, although we have an extensive lending library that helps significantly to keep material costs down. Each family must have email and daily access to the internet.

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There is a variety. Many students take classes all day, while some students take only a class or two and then leave for the day. There are study halls for students not in class each period. So some students are there all day, some for part of the day.  The amount of classes a student is signed up for does not effect the parent's amount of cooperative responsibilities. The family of a student taking one class and the family of a student taking 5 classes are considered equal parts in our community.

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We are happy to hear about your interest in Excelsior! The first step would be to fill out this form which can also be accessed from the contact us button on the website. By contacting our co-op, you will have the option to be added to the list of families with whom we communicate information about the upcoming school year. We typically do not add new families after registration and if inquiries happen after that time we look forward to meeting with you at one of our Open Houses or visitation days. Our email is excelsiorcooperativepa@gmail.com.

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Attendance at an open house is very important. Experience has shown us that the best way to see what Excelsior is all about is by attending an open house and getting a chance to talk face-to-face with our families.

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You and your students will be able to participate in chapel, classes, and attend an informational presentation to see what Excelsior is all about. If you are unable to make the open house, separate visitation days are arranged at our volunteers' discretion.

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Yes, there are forms available on our site that we can direct you to if your family decides Excelsior is a good fit fo your homeschooling journey. If you have any other additional questions we'd be happy to answer them as best as we can! Thanks for reading through our FAQs!