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No, Firefly Homeschool Community is not a school. The key difference between a homeschool co-op and a public/private school is that in a co-op each parent is ultimately responsible for providing the primary education. FHC is a parent-directed, nonprofit organization providing enrichment classes and social events for homeschoolers from Kindergarten through high school. Our teachers are parents and community members who design their own classes and are paid directly by parents/guardians for the classes their children choose to take. Teachers pay a small fraction of this tuition to Firefly to cover rent and other costs. Teachers do not issue grades, keep track of hours, or complete transcripts for courses offered, as the responsibility for following Georgia home study requirements remains with parents/guardians.

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Firefly will serve students in Kindergarten (age 5 by the first day of class) through high school.

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Firefly offers six class periods a day, with mulitple classes offered per period. A full-day student is a child who is registering for all six periods. A partial-day student is a child who is registering for fewer than six periods. Students in grades 2-12 are free to choose whichever classes they like, whether they're registering for a full-day or partial-day. PLEASE NOTE: If you have at least one full-day child, you may register all of your children at the same time, even if the others are taking fewer than six classes. 

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We have two reasons for this change. First, this is an effort to help streamline the class day for our youngest students. Having an instructor walk the entire group to their next classroom will lessen confusion and anxiety during busy class transitions. With a set schedule, we can ensure all of these students are going to the same place at the same time and that they will have a designated adult to help them navigate this routine. Second, because we are expanding our course offerings for our upper grades, classroom space and teacher availability is limited. Our K-1 program includes a variety of our most popular class offerings for this age group.

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We are utilizing our limited space and resources to expand our course offerings for upper grades. 

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Yes, we have several neurodiverse students in attendance at Firefly and in many cases, parents are required to attend classes & events with their child. This has worked really well for our students, our instructors, and our community as a whole. Most of our instructors are homeschooling parents without formal training, so we rely on the parent of a neurodivergent student to share insight, to monitor the individual behavior of their child, and to provide direct support when needed. Parents who stay on campus as their child’s aide will need to sign a Parent Agreement and submit to a background check and are responsible for costs incurred.

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Yes. All instructors are subject to and have passed a background check.

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Classes are offered on Tuesdays and Thursdays at Princeton United Methodist Church located at 2390 S Lumpkin St in Athens.

There are 16 weeks of classes per semester.

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Please refer to the "Payment Info" tab above. 

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In order to register for classes, you must first register your family with Firefly: 

1. Click on "Join" in the upper-right-hand corner of the website 

2. Create a login and submit the registration form.

3. Once your registration is approved, you'll receive an email and you may log in and register your child(ren) for classes.

4. Pay the $45 registration fee ($65 if registering after June 15) and the $15 per child Facility Fee via Paypal.

5. Fill out the additional electronic forms linked at the bottom of the page after you submit your payment

You will not pay tuition at this time, only Registration and Facility Fees are due to secure your registration.

Please note that registration closes on July 1 for the fall semester and December 1 for the spring semester.

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Yes. If you'd like to stay in the area, please check out Molly's Coffee Company, Memorial Park, or the Bear Hollow Zoo.

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Please view our Payment Policy

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In general, classes are designed as two-semester classes, building upon skills acquired in the previous semester. However, some classes will admit new students at the start of the second semester. Mid-semester class changes will not be permitted after the third week of each semester. Please see our Payment Policy for financial responsibilities if changing or dropping a class once a semester has begun.

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Yes. Firefly is a community that values family involvement and fellowship with one another. Because we are not a school, but a non-profit parent cooperative for independent homeschoolers, we need help from all of our families throughout the school year. It is important to us that all members are actively building and investing in our community as we work together in educating our students. For information on volunteer requirements, please visit here.

Families will be notified by email when the volunteer sign-up becomes available as we near the start of each semester. 

If you are unable to fulfill this requirement, please pay the volunteer opt out fee ($65 per semester) via PayPal to [email protected]

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Please refer to our monthly calendar on the homepage or our full calender here.

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Firefly Homeschool Community follows the Clarke County School System for all class cancellations due to inclement weather or other unforeseen events. If Clarke County Schools are closed, FHC will likely close as well.

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We are committed to making FHC affordable for all families. Excess funds are earmarked for the community and tuition assistance. In conjunction with our March registration dates, we will open our Tuition Assistance application form for the following school year. Tuition Assistance is granted on a first-come, first-served basis, and is issued until the fund runs out.