How to Find a Homeschool Co-op and What to Ask¶

The short answer: ask families who already teach at home, ask at local churches and libraries, and look at the state or regional groups that keep lists. Before you join anything, visit on a class day and ask three things: who teaches, what it costs, and what parents are expected to do.

If you are looking for your first co-op, this is written for you. It also fits families looking at a microschool, a hybrid school, a university-model school or a small learning group, because the search and the questions are close to the same.

Start with the people already doing it¶

Most co-ops are not advertised. They grow out of a few families who already know each other, so the best leads come from people.

• Families you already know who teach their kids at home. Ask them what they do on a Tuesday and who they do it with.
• Parents at the library. Libraries often have a bulletin board, and the staff know which groups use their meeting rooms.
• Churches and community halls. Many co-ops meet in a room one of them lends. Ask the office who rents or borrows the space on weekdays.
• Parks and park days. A weekly meetup is often where a co-op starts, and where it finds new families.
• Your state or regional homeschool organization. Ask whether they keep a list of local co-ops and support groups.

HSLDA describes state organizations as having "the broadest scope and farthest reach of any type of group," and says they "usually require a nominal fee to be a member" (HSLDA, What Are Homeschool Groups?). It also keeps a directory of local groups by state and, on some state pages, by county (example: Idaho). The same page notes that listing a group does not mean HSLDA endorses it, so treat any list as a place to start asking, not a recommendation.

Directories go stale. A group listed last year may have stopped meeting or changed days, so contact the person named and confirm before you drive anywhere.

Know which kind of group you are looking at¶

"Co-op" covers a lot. HSLDA separates formal co-ops, which it calls "larger and more structured" and which "usually" require registration, fees and participation agreements, from informal co-ops that "tend to be smaller and less structured." It lists learning pods, microschools and umbrella schools as separate things.

You will meet all of these under one search. Ask the first person you reach to describe the group in a sentence: how many families, how often it meets, and whether parents teach. That one answer tells you what kind of group you are talking to, and whether to keep going.

Picture what you are looking for¶

NavEd's founder was schooled in a co-op three moms built. One was good at math, one at history, one at English, and each taught what she knew. A school that fit their kids came out of parents sharing what each one knew.

That is a useful picture to carry on a visit. You are not looking for the most polished group. You are looking for a place where parents' knowledge goes into the room, where there is a job for you that you could do, and where your kids can learn from people who care how they turn out.

For the longer version of that story and a plain definition of a co-op, see what a homeschool co-op is.

How do homeschool co-ops work?¶

Each group does it differently, so the answer is whatever the group tells you. The common shape is one meeting day a week, a few blocks of classes, and parents who teach, assist or run the logistics. Some groups hire an outside teacher for a subject nobody in the group can cover. Some are a morning in someone's living room. Some rent a hall and publish a catalog.

Ask the group to walk you through a typical Tuesday, or whatever day they meet. You will learn more from that than from any website.

How much do homeschool co-ops cost?¶

It varies a great deal, so any number you read online is a number from someone else's group. Some co-ops split a room rental and supplies as they come up. Others charge a fee per family or per student, plus class or materials fees. Some charge for an outside teacher and pass that cost to the families in that class.

The money you pay is only part of the price. In a parent-taught co-op, you also pay with a class you teach or a turn as a helper. When you compare two groups, add up both.

Ask for the whole year's cost, not the first payment. Our post on co-op fee structures shows the common ways groups divide costs, which helps you read what a group tells you.

Visit before you join¶

Go on a regular class day if the group allows it. An open house shows how a group presents itself. A regular day shows how it runs.

Watch the kids between classes. Notice how the parents talk to each other and how they greet a new family by the door. Notice whether the person running things can answer a plain question plainly. If you can, bring your kids and ask them afterward what they noticed.

Some co-ops have a waiting list or a set time of year when they take new families, so ask early, even if you are not ready to decide.

Questions to ask before joining¶

These three carry the most weight. The printable list below has more.

Who teaches? Parents, outside teachers, or both? How are teachers chosen, and can a parent teach something they love but have not taught before? Ask what happens if a teacher cannot finish the semester. The answer shows how much of the group rests on a few people.

What does it cost? Ask for dues, class fees, supply fees and anything charged on top, for the year. Ask how fees are set and whether there is a lower rate for a family that needs one.

What are parents expected to do? This is the question families skip, and it shapes how your week feels. Ask what the jobs are, how many hours that adds up to, and whether a new family can start with less.

For a longer treatment of the visit, including the downsides and how to choose between two groups, see should we join a homeschool co-op.

Are homeschool co-ops worth it?¶

For many families, yes. For some, no. A co-op is worth it when it gives you something you cannot get at home, at a cost in time and money you can carry. A parent who has been teaching algebra at the kitchen table and dreading it may find a co-op class takes a weight off the house. A family that already has a full community and a rhythm that works may find a co-op adds driving and little else.

You will not know from a listing. You will know much more after one visit.

What if there is no co-op near you?¶

Then there is nothing to find, and you may be the one to start it. A few families who each take a subject and meet at someone's house are already a co-op. Our first-semester plan, how to start a homeschool co-op, walks through it.

A printable list for your first visit¶

Copy this into a document and print it.

Before you go
- ☐ Confirm the group still meets, and on what day.
- ☐ Ask whether you can visit on a regular class day.
- ☐ Ask whether there is a waiting list or a time of year they take new families.

People and teaching
- ☐ Who teaches each class, and how are teachers chosen?
- ☐ Can a parent teach something they have not taught before?
- ☐ What happens if a teacher cannot finish the semester?
- ☐ How are classes grouped: by age, by level, or both?

Cost
- ☐ What are the dues, class fees and supply fees for the whole year?
- ☐ How are fees set: per family, per student, or another way?
- ☐ Is there a payment plan or a lower rate if a family needs one?
- ☐ What is the refund policy if we leave partway through?

What parents are expected to do
- ☐ What jobs do parents do, and how many hours a week is that?
- ☐ Can a new family start with fewer duties?
- ☐ What happens in a week when someone is sick or a car breaks down?

While you are there
- ☐ Do my kids want to go back?
- ☐ Could we keep the schedule in a normal week, not only a good one?
- ☐ Did anyone make us feel behind or judged for how we do things at home?

Rules differ by state for families who teach at home, including for groups that collect fees, and they change. Check your own state's education department page before you decide how a co-op fits your records.

Where NavEd fits¶

NavEd is a free-to-start tool for the people running co-ops, microschools, hybrid schools and other small schools, and it keeps attendance, grades, records and payments in one place. The first five students are free on every plan, and that does not expire. If you are only looking for a group to join, you do not need it. Take the list above to your visit and see what you find.