Enrollment

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What grades are available at Innocademy Allegan Campus?

A: Innocademy Allegan Campus  offers Young 5s kindergarten – 8th grade.

Q: How can I learn more about the ideas, principles, and structure of day to day life at Innocademy Allegan Campus?

A: Please take a look at our Family Resource Guide for much more information and elaboration on specific topics.

Q: Is Innocademy Allegan Campus for my family?

A: Do you and your family….

• Believe in an emphasis in the development of the whole child through small student to teacher ratios and student directed learning?
• Support the methods of teaching that Innocademy Allegan Campus offers such as character development, community and outdoor education, just right learning, and a modified school calendar?
• Agree that parental involvement is crucial in a child’s education?
• Desire to make a difference in the world and influence students to do the same?

If you answered “yes” to any, or even ALL of these questions… then YES, Innocademy Allegan Campus is a Just Right Fit for your family!

Q: What curriculum does Innocademy Allegan Campus follow?

A: Innocademy Allegan Campus follows the Common Core State Standards and curriculum for the State of Michigan. We are allowed the flexibility to try new materials and new programs to teach the content expectations necessary in Michigan. Visit our curriculum page for more information.

Q: Is there transportation to and from Innocademy Allegan Campus?

A: Yes!  We have a 70 passenger bus.

Q: What is a “charter school” or “public school academy?”

A: A charter school is a public school meeting all of the Common Core State Standards for each grade level. In this case, instead of reporting to a traditional public school district who then reports to the Michigan Department of Education, we report to Lake Superior State University who will report to the Michigan Department of Education.

Q: Is Innocademy Allegan Campus a private school?

A: No, Innocademy Allegan Campus is a public school academy that is authorized by Lake Superior State University. Therefore, any and all families and students are welcome to enroll in our tuition-free programs!

Q: Are there requirements for volunteering at school? We work full time and wouldn’t be able to be at school very often.

A: Innocademy Allegan Campus doesn’t have any requirements for parents in terms of volunteering. Students and staff LOVE volunteers and encourage involvement from all IAC  families. We also understand that for many parents who work full time, volunteering might come in the form of helping on a committee that might meet quarterly in the evenings, taking on small home projects or, perhaps, working on an event.

Q: Is there a tuition cost to attend the school?

A: There is no tuition at Innocademy Allegan Campus. We do, however, strongly encourage each of our families to contribute time or resources as they are able.

Q: What is the school schedule at Innocademy Allegan Campus?

A: Our daily schedule begins with breakfast at 8:45am and runs through 3:30pm each day. Each day students participate in core subjects such as reading, writing, math, science and social studies.

Innocademy Allegan Campus is a school that operates on a balanced calendar, offering frequent breaks throughout the year instead of one large break during the summer months.

Our families enjoy breaks throughout the year rather than just one long summer break. In June and August, students do not attend school on Friday. Christmas and Spring Recesses are coordinated so that they align with the calendars of the districts surrounding Innocademy.

Q: What exactly does “small class size” mean?

A: Class size is determined by just right learning groups. What that means is that Innocademy Allegan Campus  might have 18 chronological sixth graders enrolled at the school, but because students may be moving up or down a level to meet their individual learning needs, their “class size” for math or ELA might be slightly bigger or smaller based on that movement. In addition, because of our philosophy of multi-aged learning and smaller classes for some chronological grade levels, students might be placed in a split-grade level classroom.

Q: What is “Just Right Learning?”

A: “Just Right Learning” at Innocademy Allegan Campus means that students are evaluated and lesson plans are developed to meet their specific learning needs. If, based on in-class, state, and national assessments, a chronological third grade student has demonstrated proficiency in third grade math and is ready for concepts in a fourth or fifth grade level math group, they are placed in that “Just Right Learning” level. This is the same for reading and writing.

Q: What is the teaching style/philosophy of Innocademy Allegan Campus teachers?

A: We want our IAC children to develop a LOVE of learning. We strive to teach using nature-enriched lessons, inquiry practice, project-based learning, critical thinking, and problem-solving opportunities.

Q: Can anyone attend Innocademy Allegan Campus?

A: Innocademy Allegan Campus is a public school academy and is open to any student. Each spring IAC will have a two week open enrollment period in which students may fill out applications for enrollment. By law, if there are more students applying for a particular grade level than seats available at that grade level, a public lottery will be held to determine admission and the waiting list.

Q: What does Innocademy Allegan Campus offer my child?

A: Innocademy Allegan Campus believes in student-directed learning with small class sizes where each staff member knows every student by name. Innocademy Allegan Campus students will have field experiences, character development education, the opportunity for nature-enriched curriculum, and a sense of community partnerships.

Q: Why was Innocademy started?

A: There was a group of local, but global, companies who started discussing the possibilities of a non-traditional school setting in 1996. Through those discussions it was determined that a school needed to offer flexibility to families, focus on critical thinking and problem solving skills, and prepare our Innocademy students for a global economy.  That vision included multiple campuses in Michigan and throughout the world. Innocademy Allegan Campus will be the third school to grow out of that vision, following in the footsteps of Innocademy (Zeeland) and iCademy Global (virtual online curriculum delivery with learning coaches).