Welcome to the American School Blog!

Since 2006, the American School Blog has kept students, parents and school officials up to date on what’s happening at American School. Below are our most recent blog posts.  Visit the American School Blog Archive to read noteworthy blogs from over the years.

 

 

 

Arbor Day 2024

It’s April 26, and today is Arbor Day.  Arbor Day is a day to celebrate trees, realize their value to the environment and maybe even plant some trees of your own.  The Arbor Day Foundation has information about what events are happening in your state today and how you...

Contacting Us About Exam Arrivals

Today’s blog has information about exam arrivals.  Due to the large number of exams we receive from students in our middle school correspondence courses and high school correspondence courses, we cannot always reply to emails asking if exams have been received.  If...

Administrative Professionals’ Day 2024

It’s April 24, and today is Administrative Professionals’ Day.  It’s the perfect day to thank the administrative professionals here at American School who perform a variety of office tasks on a daily basis to help make our distance education middle school and distance...

Today’s Birthday: James Buchanan

It’s April 23, and James Buchanan was born on this date in 1791.  He was the 15th President of the United States and is unique among presidents because he never married.  If you’re a longtime reader of this blog, you know that we sometimes mention presidential homes...

Earth Day 2024

It’s April 22, and today is Earth Day.  It’s the perfect occasion to remind you that we offer Environmental Science among our high school correspondence courses and Environmental Science among our online high school courses.  Either one would be a great addition to...

Today’s Birthday: Hugh O’Brian

It’s April 19, and actor Hugh O’Brian was born on this date in 1925.  In entertainment, he is perhaps best known for playing the title character in The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp, but one could argue that Hugh O’Brian has had a bigger impact on teenagers.  That’s...

2024 National Week of FAFSA Action

It’s April 18, and we are in the middle of the 2024 National Week of FAFSA Action.  It’s a week dedicated to reminding students that the 2024-2025 FAFSA form is available, and now would be a great time for you to complete it!  If you are nearing the end of your...

Today’s Birthday: Thornton Wilder

It’s April 17, and author and playwright Thornton Wilder was born on this date in 1897.  Our Town is among his most popular plays, and the title of that play got us thinking about our town and your town.  Although we are based in Lansing, Illinois just south of...

Today’s Birthday: Selena

It’s April 16, and today’s blog remembers Selena on what would’ve been her 53rd birthday.  She was known as the Queen of Tejano Music but another title she had was American School Graduate.  Selena was a child prodigy in music and by the time she was ready to begin...

Jackie Robinson Day 2024

It’s April 15, and Jackie Robinson broke Major League Baseball’s color barrier on this date in 1947.  Every year on this date MLB celebrates Jackie Robinson Day in his honor, and last year two American School employees attended a MLB game on this date in which every...

Today’s Anniversary: The First Space Shuttle Launch

It’s April 12, and on this date in 1981, Columbia was launched in NASA’s first Space Shuttle mission.  This historic first got us thinking about how students might use our high school courses to get their homeschool high school diploma program off the ground.  Our...

Today’s Anniversary: The Apple I

It’s April 11, and the Apple I personal computer was released on this date in 1976.  To say that computing has changed in the 48 years since then would be a massive understatement, but you can stay on top of all the latest developments and get prepared for life after...

2024 Convention #4: THSC Called To Teach Convention Fort Worth

American School’s fourth convention appearance of 2024 will occur next week at the THSC Called to Teach Convention in Fort Worth.  Visit us in booth 203 at the Fort Worth Convention Center on Thursday, April 18, from 12 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.; on Friday, April 19, from 10...

Today’s Special Occasion: The 100th Day of 2024

It’s April 9, and today is the 100th day of 2024.  The number 100 is significant to us at American School because 100 is the highest score a student can receive when he or she submits an exam while doing our at home middle school or at home high school courses. ...

Today’s Special Occasion: The 2024 Total Solar Eclipse

It’s April 8, and today a total solar eclipse will cross North America.  The path of totality runs roughly from San Antonio, Texas in the southwest to Cleveland, Ohio in the northeast.  Many communities within that path are having special events to safely view the...

2024 Final Fours Tip Off This Weekend

It’s April 5, and this weekend the NCAA Men’s Final Four will be held in Phoenix, while the NCAA Women’s Final Four will be held in Cleveland.  Sadly, no American School students will have the opportunity to take the court in college basketball’s biggest events...

Today’s Anniversary: Microsoft

It’s April 4, and Microsoft was founded on this date in 1975.  If you read yesterday’s blog, you know that we discussed technology as it relates to our online middle school courses and online high school courses.  On the occasion of the anniversary of Microsoft, which...

Today’s Anniversary: The iPad

It’s April 3, and the first generation iPad debuted on this date in 2010.  This anniversary is a good occasion to remind you of the technical requirements for our online middle school courses and online high school courses.  They’re printed in the student handbook,...

Today’s Anniversary: The United States Mint

It’s April 2, and the Coinage Act of 1792 established the United States Mint on this date 232 years ago.  This occasion got us thinking about how much it costs to become an American School student and what forms of payment we accept.  As a non-profit institution, we...

April Fools’ Day 2024

It’s April 1, and today is April Fools’ Day.  It’s the perfect occasion to remind you not to be fooled by the claims of other institutions which might offer homeschool courses.  We realize that homeschooling families have many options for middle school at home or high...

American School Closed Friday, March 29, 2024

American School will be closed Friday, March 29.  We will reopen with regular business hours on Monday, April 1, and we look forward to assisting you with your accredited middle school courses or accredited high school courses at that time.  Thank you for your...

2024 Convention #3: MPE Conference

American School’s third convention appearance of 2024 will occur next week at the Midwest Parent Educators Conference in Kansas City, Missouri.  Visit us at the KCI Expo Center on Friday, April 5, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and on Saturday, April 6, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. ...

2024 Convention #2: Ohio Homeschool Convention

American School’s second convention appearance of 2024 will occur next week at the Ohio Homeschool Convention in Cincinnati, Ohio.  Visit us in booth 722 at the Duke Energy Center on Thursday, April 4, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.; on Friday, April 5, from 9:30 a.m. to 7:30...

New Telephone System Reminder

Today’s blog is a reminder that American School will receive a new telephone system on Monday, April 1.  Although we have taken many steps to ensure a smooth transition, please be aware that there is a chance our phone system will not be completely in operation one...

Today’s Birthday: Marcel Marceau

It’s March 22, and Marcel Marceau was born on this date in 1923.  He was a famous mime which means he did all of his on-stage communication without talking.  Not all of us can be mimes, however, and so we need to know how to speak clearly and effectively in order to...

Homeschooling has taught me a lot of new things.  It has taught me self-discipline and made me take my studies more seriously than before.  I have learned to study properly.  The books and materials were very helpful.  It is a fun experience to do homeschooling.  Many people are amazed to know that I did homeschooling.  This has opened and changed a lot of people’s minds.

– Jekah from United Arab Emirates

American School has more to offer than any public school.  Two of my children, two of my grandchildren, and one niece completed their high school education with American School, and my sister and I are enrolled at the present time.

– Marilyn from Missouri

I learned a lot, and the skills are helping me in my college classes.

The most important thing I learned was how to schedule my time and organize my work.  The study guides helped to show me how much work to do at one time.  I’m glad to be part of American School.

– Peter from Illinois

I have found the methods, instruction, textbooks, study guides and service satisfactory because they are all up-to-date and made ready for me to learn.  I am greatly thankful for this service because now I can graduate early with all my credits in.  Thank you very much, American School!

– Ada from Michigan

American School was an easy yet efficient way to earn the extra credit I needed to graduate.

– Elizabeth from Illinois

I greatly enjoyed American School.  The instructors’ comments were very helpful.  I enjoyed this method of learning.  I feel I have learned a lot more than I did in public school.  I was able to keep up with school through all the moves I made without going through the hassle of switching school systems.  I enjoyed the honesty of the

instructors and the overall program.   I will recommend American School to anyone interested.

– Enoch from Texas

Get Started Today. Choose a Program Below. 

Why you should enroll with American School…
We call these our Four C’s.

Curriculum

American School’s innovative paper-based and online curriculum offers something for everyone in grades 6-12. Students can choose from more than 100 self-paced courses in traditional subjects such as English, math, social studies and science and take electives in such subject areas as business, career and technical education, fine arts, and world languages,

Cost

As a not-for-profit institution, American School puts students’ educations first. Our tuition is affordable—much lower than many other distance education and online high schools—and all textbooks and study materials are included at no additional cost.  Monthly payment plans are available for students in full years of American School’s middle school or high school program.

Caring Student Service

When students are accepted at American School, they not only receive interesting curriculum at a reasonable cost from a pioneer in distance education; they also receive outstanding, caring student service.  Students may enroll anytime and work at their own pace.  Help is available from American School staff during business hours and around the clock in American School’s Online Student Center.

Credibility

Founded in 1897, American School later became the first correspondence school to become regionally accredited. Today we are accredited by three reputable accrediting bodies and recognized by the Illinois State Board of Education as a non-public high school.  American School’s diploma is accepted by colleges and universities, and thousands of high schools use our courses for credit recovery.

Our Affiliations
Get Started Today. See what sets us apart from other distance education high schools.