FAQs

Is Parnassus Preparatory Academy a school? We are not a public, private, or charter school. We offer high quality classes with a focus on classical education to homeschool students. Our program supports an independent study model and is of value specifically to students homeschooling through a charter, private school affadavit, or private school satellite program. Homeschooling families are responsible for filing a Private School Affadavit (PSA) with the State of California, enrolling in a homeschool charter school, or enrolling in a Private School Satellite Program (PSA) and for reporting grades and attendance.

How does it work? Our program is designed after a University Model where your child will attend two-days of classes per week with the remaining week days free to complete studies under the guidance of the parent educator. Families purchase the suggested curriculum and together we will explore a connected core curriculum which includes multi-subject academics in Latin, math, phonics and spelling, literature and poetry, writing, classical studies, geography, science, art, and music. Families are provided with curriculum pacing through a weekly lesson plan detailing assignments to complete on the days at home for partnership within the hybrid system.

But I’ve never homeschooled before. How could I do this program? Actually, you have! You are your child’s first and best teacher. We support our home educators (that’s you) with training, support materials, and help from your child’s class teacher during home days. Our chosen curriculum has been proven to adapt to the needs of homeschool parents and can be easily implemented at home.

Where is Parnassus Preparatory Academy located? We have three convenient locations in the South Bay to serve you - Rolling Hills Estates and Point Vicente in the Palos Verdes Peninsula and Redondo Beach.

In Palos Verdes, we have rent classroom space from the First Baptist Church of Palos Verdes which sits on a beautiful 4-acre campus in Rolling Hills Estates that serves students in Junior Kindergarten through seventh grade. We offer seventh through twelfth grade classes in Redondo Beach at the Baptist Church of Redondo Hills. New in 2022 and to accommodate increasing demand for students in grades Junior Kindergarten through fifth grade, we opened a second location in Palos Verdes with an incredible ocean view at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church.

What are the days and hours? Rolling Hills Estates - Classes meet Mondays and Thursdays or Tuesdays and Fridays. Point Vicente - Classes meet Tuesdays and Thursdays. There is a 15-minute Morning Gathering that starts at 9:00 AM. Morning Gathering includes the Pledge of Allegiance, Student Pledge, Manner of the Week, and Core Virtue of the Month Lesson/Read-a-Loud and parents are invited to attend. Classes meet from 9:15-11:15 and 12:00-3:30 with a 45-minute lunch break.

Redondo Beach - Classes meet Tuesdays and Fridays. Morning Gathering starts at 8:40 with six class periods starting at 9:00 AM and the last class period ending at 3:15 PM.

How long has the program been in existence? Parnassus Preparatory Academy is opened its doors in September 2018.

Does Parnassus Prep have any religious affiliations? No. It is our desire to provide an excellent educational option to all homeschool families, regardless of religious affiliation. Students of all religions or without religion are welcome. Students who attend Parnassus Prep will come from all backgrounds, ethnicities, and socio-economic status. We believe that the inclusion of study about religion is important for students to be properly educated about history and cultures. If information about religion is presented, we make sure that is is taught objectively and neutrally and not to indoctrinate the students into any specific religious tradition.

What grades do you serve? How big are the classes? How are grade levels grouped? Parnassus Prep serves students in Junior Kindergarten through Twelfth grade. Junior Kindergarten students must be 4 by September 1 and be fully potty trained. The classes are kept to a maximum of 12-15 students. Students are grouped by age and academic ability and are placed according to the curriculum rather than age or grade level.

What curriculum does Parnassus Preparatory Academy use? We use a variety of homeschool curriculum from award winning classical education publishers including Memoria Press Core Curriculum (Public and Charter Schools Edition), Classical Academic Press’ Writing & Rhetoric (grades 4 and up), Singapore Math: Dimensions Math (grades K through 6), Saxon Math (grades 7 and up), and Centripetal Press Science.

What is the time commitment for a parent or student? Parents are expected to teach and support their children on home learning days. As students progress into harder subjects, they will spend more time on their home assignments. The benefit of parent-led learning is freedom to progress at the student’s individual pace. Time will vary greatly for each student depending on their personality. Our aim is for students to spend on average three hours a day for grades K-2, four hours a day for 3-6, and five to six hours a grade for 7-12. This amount assumes a parent will be working with multiple children at the same time, and that students will be working more independently as they mature. Weekly assignment sheet examples are available on request.

We offer a challenging curriculum but it is not our intention to overload students with excessive amount of work. Our program allows our students, who are involved with other interests and activities outside of class, time to enjoy these activities. We also understand the importance of family and leisure activities.

Are parent volunteers encouraged? Absolutely! We embrace parent engagement. We have many opportunities for parents to help throughout the year. It is suggested that parents volunteer a minimum of 20 hours per semester.

Do you offer tours or parent informational meetings? Yes. A parent information meeting is held in February. Please check the calendar for dates and times. Tours are held throughout the year. All prospective families are required a parent preview night or tour in order to determine whether our program is the right fit for your family.

How do I know if Parnassus Preparatory Academy is right for me?

Consider the following questions as parents:

  • Will our family benefit from having a curriculum organized for our children’s instruction?

  • Can we provide an environment conducive to learning within our home?

  • Are our family dynamics such that our children will respond to us as their teachers?

  • Are our family dynamics such that we can commit to the workload required at home?

  • Is this the best educational model for us? 

Contact us. If you have questions or just want to talk about what Parnassus Preparatory Academy would look like for your family, please contact us at (310) 925-5084 and we would be happy to meet with you!