What is an Umbrella School?

When homeschooling in TN, you essentially have three choices:

• Register directly with your county or school board

• Register with an umbrella school (Church Related School)

• Register with an online accredited school. Here is a link to the TN. gov website regarding your options. TN LEA# 510 School#9080

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When will the school year enrollment open?

Roughly mid-May we open enrollment for all new families. Link for enrollment will appear on the website under the Satellite Menu > Enrollment when it opens.

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Is The Farm School an Umbrella School?

Yes, in the state of TN. Below are the legal documents regarding us being recognized by the state as a CRS – Umbrella School. The Farm School is recognized by the Tennessee Department of Education as a Category IV Exempted School (a.k.a. Church-related school) – download the approval document. Our program operates under what is commonly referred to as the Jeter Memo (see the section under “Additional Educational Option”). When you enroll in The Farm School Satellite Campuses Program your home will be designated as a satellite (classroom or extension) of The Farm School. At least one parent/guardian will be appointed as a faculty member of The Farm School under the supervision of our administration. Your children will technically not be homeschoolers (as defined by Tennessee law) – they will be students of The Farm School, a non-public church-related school.

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Why enroll with The Farm School Satellite Campuses?

Supporting our Satellite Campuses Program by enrolling with us and/or becoming a Friend of The Farm School supports learners who “are not on target for graduation”, families that need a refuge for a short period of time, and learners with prior truancy, suspension, expulsion, and misdemeanor issues, AND MOST IMPORTANTLY pregnant learners & learners who are also parents.

• Pregnant students & students who are also parents are welcome to enroll in our program.  We understand that sometimes families may need a refuge for a few months, so we don’t impose qualifiers such as “for families intending to homeschool through graduation.”

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Do you know what your school options are in TN?

Click here for the link to TN.gov

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Do you require yearly or state testing?

No, we do not. Taking the ACT to graduate is also not a requirement. Click here to view our graduation requirements.

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How do I submit attendance and grades in the Parent Dashboard?​

Please use the following link to our tutorials for a straightforward guide!​

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What do I need a Teacher or Student ID for?

As a Teacher you can get discounts at all kinds of retailers or extra services like at some Libraries. Click here for a list we have put together. Let us know if there are some we are missing.

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Do I log attendance for the entire year?

Depends on when you enrolled with us. If you transferred in after attending any days at another school then the answer is no.  We (The Farm School) can only confirm days of attendance UNDER our program. So your logged days should not begin before your student’s official enrollment date (that means the date BOTH fees and enrollments forms are submitted to us).

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How many hours are required for instruction per day?

Four hours of instruction* is the state’s minimum to qualify as a day in attendance. (Sorry, but the state does not recognize 8 hours a day as equal to two days of attendance)

• "Instruction" has not been defined by the state. Therefore, as the parent, you decided what counts - from unschooling, to traditional teacher lecture with seat work.

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How many days are required to attend each year?

180 days are the minimum requirement by law. If you are having trouble getting them in, you may log Saturdays & Sundays as well as holidays. The school year runs from July 1 to June 30.

• Please note: As a Tennessee non-public school enrollment in our program meets the compulsory attendance laws for the state of Tennessee. We do not assert that enrollment in our program meets the compulsory attendance and/or homeschool requirements in other states. It is the parent/guardian’s responsibility to meet the requirements of the state in which the student resides if they do not reside in Tennessee.

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When do I submit grades online?

We suggest entering attendance and grades for the first semester by December 30 and the second semester by June 30.  All grades and attendance are due by June 30.

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Am I required to submit grades for my student?

Progress reporting – either narrative evaluations, portfolios or grades* – is required.

• "Grades" refers to letters (A-F), numerical grades (0-100), or worded grades (Pass/Fail, Excellent, Satisfactory, Unsatisfactory, Incomplete)

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Do homeschoolers use excused absences, etc.?

Reporting online offers additional data – “E” for excused absence, an “N” for non-attended days, an “H” for holidays, an “S” for sick days and a “V” for vacation days.

• For our records, we recommend logging sick days only IF illness prohibits your child from accruing 180 days of attendance within your planned/ scheduled school year or by June 30.

• You may utilize E, H, S, V on the Parent Dashboard if doing so assists you in chronicling your records, however, we only need to know days of attendance.

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If we do year-round schooling, how do I get all the days to count?

You will need to submit all forms and fees by July 1, which is the first day of the school year. This will enable you to count any July school session you may have.

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How do I upload my student’s vaccination record into the Parent Dashboard?

On the Parent Dashboard, click on "My Students" button. From here, click the name of the student to view the student's details, and you will see a file selection and upload button.

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We are transferring out to another school, what do we need to do?

First, make sure you have entered attendance and progress into our Parent Dashboard. Next, provide the new school with our records department email so they can request records, records@thefarmschool.community.

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What is the TN state cut off for Kindergarten?

Please visit this webpage of ours to get a full understanding of the state requirements.
Kindergarten Guidelines

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