Looking for an Excelsior Classes review? After using Excelsior Classes for our core courses for elementary, middle school, and high school homeschooling, we have experiences to share with our community.

Spoiler alert- Excelsior Online Classes are phenomenal and have seriously simplified my life as a homeschooling, working mom.

For the 2020-2021 school year, my freshman and sophomore collectively took 6 classes via Excelsior Homeschool Classes, including Biology, Chemistry, Geography, World History, English 1 and World Literature. For 2021-2022, my high schoolers are enrolled in Chemistry, Anatomy, English 2, English 3, and U.S History. Additionally, my 5th grader is taking courses via their young learners program (math, English, history, and science).

Investing in an online class is certainly not cheap and knowing what to expect is incredibly helpful. Here are 5 reasons we recommend Excelsior Classes for online ala carte learning.

1. The Excelsior Classes platform is easy to navigate.

Nothing is worse than a cumbersome interface where your child cannot find their assignments or worse yet, where to log-in to live class. Excelsior Classes uses Canvas as their platform. Thus, with one log-in, students can view all their courses. One home screen displays the calendar, upcoming assignments, grade summary, and recent activity. The simplicity makes it so your child should always clearly know when assignments are due- a parent’s dream come true!

Within each specific course, the semester or year is broken down by week. Many teachers provide a weekly suggested schedule which truly helps students learn time management and again, takes the load off the parent.

2. Orientation Videos from Excelsior Class teachers start the year off right.

This may seem like it’s not that important, but Excelsior Class teachers send out orientation videos for students to watch BEFORE day 1. This means that during their first live session, they are actually learning and engaging and not bored out of their minds listening to a review of a syllabus or the course rules. It’s a way I believe Excelsior teachers go above and beyond.

3. The course availability from Excelsior Classes is expansive.

Almost every subject you may be looking for as a homeschooling parent is offered by Excelsior Classes. In our case, we schedule our days and weeks so that each child has one live course per day. For example, my 10th grader has her 90 minute English course on Mondays and the other live sessions on other days. This prevents “Zoom fatigue” and also sets her up well for a college schedule in the future. Because Excelsior Classes has a robust offering, scheduling in this manner is possible.

Many courses are available as either a semester-long or year-long options. The school calendar is much like you would expect with courses beginning in August and wrapping up in early May. Kids are given nice breaks during the fall, holidays, and spring. It’s very easy to search for options on the site by age or subject.

As previously noted, each course does include a ‘live’ online session that is typically 75-90 minutes per week and occurs via Zoom. The teachers keep these very lively and interactive with participation encouraged (extra credit is even given in some courses).

4. The platform has robust course content consistent across subjects and ages.

If I had to describe the rigor of Excelsior Classes, I would give them an A+. I am not a fan of busy work and one of the reasons we opted for homeschooling was to minimize that aspect of school. We tend to find the assignments in Excelsior Classes to be interesting, engaging, and project-based. The inclusion of discussion questions in almost every course creates an opportunity for kids to connect with their peers AND work on their writing at the same time.

Notably, the science courses my children have taken all included hands-on labs. These were done at home with lab reports required as homework- it’s just another example of how outsourcing homeschooling can sometimes be the most valuable thing you can do for your children! Instructions are always clearly laid out and my kids have enjoyed the activities.

Excelsior also offers clubs, such as a newspaper club, chess club, and other extracurricular activities that provide students a way to connect virtually. Honors courses, dual enrollment, and even independent study opportunities exist- just ask!

Finally, for us, NCAA approval was very important and Excelsior Classes has specific classes that are NCAA approved. They also offer consulting for those homeschooling families who would like extra support with the NCAA process.

5. Truly, you will find excellent Teachers With Excelsior Online Classes.

The teachers my children have had with Excelsior Classes have been phenomenal. The platform is a consortium of teachers who are experts in their subject matter. All their papers, essays, and assignments are graded with extensive feedback and clear direction. Teachers are from all across the country and clearly have a passion for education. They also add personal touches- my daughter even received a biology prize in the mail! With respect to the cost of Excelsior Classes, prices for the courses are fair and well worth the support and curriculum your children will receive. All teachers are open to discussions with parents.

What questions do you have about Excelsior Classes? Be sure to join our Facebook Group About Online School to get them answered!