Enlightium’s team can generally work within your desired timeline. However, schools desiring to partner with Enlightium at the beginning of the school year should generally begin the process in late spring or early summer.

Enlightium has experience partnering with and establishing schools both within and outside of the United States. We can guide you through all of the steps to establish a new school in your country.

Determining whether or not to apply for 501(c)(3) status for your school involves evaluating your goals for your school, evaluating your preparedness to accommodate the additional requirements to qualify for 501(c)(3), and assessing if your school meets the IRS requirements for tax-exempt status. Consider the potential benefits for your school, including tax exemptions, eligibility for grants, and donations being tax-deductible for donors. Consulting with a local CPA can provide further guidance to your specific situation. Enlightium Academy can provide guidance when preparing your discussions with your CPA, as well as the forms you may need to file under a 501(c)(3).

Enlightium recommends a minimum of ten students to pursue a partnership. If a partner school has fewer than ten students, they are encouraged to enroll each student individually as a standard student. Member schools are encouraged to have at least 20 students, and Member+Affiliate schools are encouraged to have at least 50 students.

Both of these options are granted full membership. Enlightium Affiliates benefit from the Enlightium branding and marketing support. Enlightium Affiliates may also adopt “Enlightium” as a part of their school name.

We recommend that you keep your school name. Depending on the membership option that works best, documents may say “Your School Name powered by Enlightium”.

Yes. Enlightium is experienced in working with local communities to launch a private, Christian school.

Yes. Enlightium facilitates regular opportunities for our partners and members to meet and share best practices and support.

Member schools are invited to participate in multiple annual in-services as well as monthly employee chapels that are designed to nurture and develop best practices in Christian education and that provide Bible CEUs required for ACSI recertifications.

Partner and member schools are responsible for meeting the state requirements for the state in which they are located. Enlightium can provide support and guidance to meet those requirements.

No. While students would be allowed to transfer between schools, families, and students should only visit other members' schools if they are considering transferring.

The school choice fund landscape changes often. We encourage you to reach out to our team of experts for more information and to evaluate your eligibility.

Enrollment fees help cover Enlightium’s cost to onboard students, collect and process records, create course plans, and assign courses. Partner and Member schools who are using the Ignitia curriculum powered by Enlightium Academy should plan to pay an enrollment fee for students enrolled in online classes.

Member and Member + Affiliate schools pay a member fee that is a percentage of their per-student tuition regardless of their intent to use Enlightium Academy online classes and teacher support. Partner schools do not pay the member fee for students.

The Cognia Accreditation Fee is an annual fee paid to ESSA and remitted directly to Cognia for Member and Member + Affiliate schools.

This fee is paid once in your first year of membership and every 5-6 years based on your accreditation cycle. It covers all the necessary components for beginning the accreditation journey for your school to ensure that you are meeting requirements. Our team also works with you to create a growth plan for areas that need improvement.

Payments completed via credit card require an additional 3% (or the maximum amount allowed by the transaction governing body, up to 3%) to cover credit card processing fees. There is no additional fee for ACH transactions.

It is the responsibility of your school to collect payment from your parents and fulfill your payment responsibilities to Enlightium. Enlightium can provide guidance to your school administrators on how to best navigate payment issues with your parents.

Partners and members are encouraged to contact our team if they believe that they may miss or need to reschedule a payment. If a school fails to contact ESSA Alliance Billing Department and they default on their payment, services to that school may be suspended until the balance is paid.

We can accept payment via credit card, check/e-check, or bank wire. Schools operating outside of the United States can utilize our international payment options with Convera, or can reach out to the Alliance billing team for other international payment options and wire information.

All travel expenses for the initial site visit, which is required to achieve membership, are the responsibility of your school; schedule a meeting with a consultant for an estimate of the site visit cost. Site visits are scheduled during the first year of membership, and at least once every 5-6 years based on your accreditation cycle. You may schedule visits more frequently for the additional cost per visit determined when you begin membership.

Enlightium offers various options for partnership or membership, and the cost is based on a combination of the school size and type of membership/partnership. Please contact one of our representatives to learn more.

As a private school district, Enlightium does not write or service IEPs. However, we can work with partner and member schools to offer academic intervention, executive functioning coaching, and to provide accommodations and modifications.

Enlightium works with brick-and-mortar and virtual schools, some of which do not require in-person learning. Each school is required to meet the minimum requirements established by their state.

We have negotiated contracts with Alpha Omega Publications and BJU Press. We are able to pass on discounts to your students that are greater than if you were to order from the publisher directly. If you have another print-based curriculum you prefer, please submit it to our team for review. Some curriculums are all-inclusive and others require more supplemental work and scaffolding to ensure that your students are meeting or exceeding their grade-level expectations. After review, we will let you know our recommendations for supplementation, if any.