REGISTRATION PAYMENTS
Compass charges an annual Registration fee of $45 per family, plus a facility and insurance fee of $30 per student per semester. They must be paid in order to secure the student's place in class. The registration and facility fees are NON-REFUNDABLE and will not be returned if a parent cancels or withdraws a student's registration.
Checks should be made out to Compass Community, or you can pay online at the Payment Center.
TUITION PAYMENTS
There are 16 weeks of classes in the fall semester and 16 weeks in the spring semester. Tuition is divided into 4 equal payments each semester and is to be paid on the first meeting day of each month.
WEDNESDAY CLASSES
On Wednesday Enrichment Day, teachers are considered independent tutors and are paid directly by the parents.
Parents can pay teachers using PayPal, Venmo, cash, or check. When making payments, please be sure to label the payment with the child's name and the class you are paying for. If sending cash or check, please put your payments in an envelope and drop them off at the front desk.
You will receive a payment chart before classes begin. This chart will list all of the teachers' fees and their payment information.
Teachers may charge a supply fee to cover the cost of materials used for the class. These fees should be paid before the first day of class, or with the first month's tuition at the latest. Supply fees are paid per semester and are listed on the class descriptions.
MONDAY CLASSES
Tuition for Monday Academic Program is a monthly fee paid to Compass. You may pay by check or online though the website’s Payment Center.
Parents are responsible for providing all required textbooks and materials.
All classes on Mondays are also available a la carte for families who are just looking for one or two courses.
NOTES
When you sign up for the class, you are signing up for the semester, and you are expected to pay all four tuition payments. To drop a class, please see "Making Schedule Changes."
Tuition is not prorated for classes missed while a student is absent or if a student drops a class mid-semester.
Though we are not able to offer individual tax advice, the services offered by Compass Community typically do not qualify for federal or Georgia tax deductions, and as such, we do not provide tax identification numbers for purposes of income tax documentation.
LATE PAYMENTS Teachers rely on prompt payment from students. Late tuition payments (2 weeks late or more) or unpaid tuition may result in the following consequences: students may be asked not to participate in Compass-sponsored activities, students may be asked not to return to classes until tuition is paid, or students may not be allowed to register for new classes. Consistently late payments may result in additional consequences.
If you have a situation where you need extra time to pay for classes, please contact your children's teachers early to explain the situation and work out arrangements. Many of the teachers are happy to work with parents, knowing that life can happen. However, communication is key.
As stated above, our teachers rely on prompt payment from families. Although it does not happen often, we occasionally have families who have been consistently or excessively late with payments. We want your students to be able to attend classes at Compass, but we also need to protect the interests of the teachers. If a family's payment history or anticipated class load causes concerns for the directors or teachers, we will contact you. Arrangements may include limiting your student(s)' class load, requiring two months' non-refundable deposit paid in advance, or developing another plan of action.
When students are dropped off for the classes, you will sign them in using the iPad kiosk located outside the registration area or using the student check in app. All students should be signed in when on campus. You will drop them off at the reception area of the fellowship hall (located on the back of the building) or the sanctuary building, depending on the location of their first class. More information about drop off and pick up will be provided in an orientation video sent out before the first day of class.
On the first day of class, students will receive a clip-on laminated name tag with their schedule and room numbers on the back. This will help students know where to go for each period. They should bring it back each week, clipped to their clothes or backpack.
Your children will be picked up from the reception area of the Fellowship Hall. When you pick them up, you will notify the volunteer in the office and also use the app/kiosk to check them out of the system. We do not allow children in grades K4-8 to be dismissed outside until their parents have picked them up.
High school students are allowed to sign themselves in and out if a waiver has been signed.
For parents who want to stay on campus while students are in class, you are welcome to stay in your cars or in the playground area behind the sanctuary. We do not have designated indoor space for parents.
At Compass, students should be picked up as soon as their last class ends. Because classes are ending throughout the day, it is important parents know when their children's classes finish. Here are the end times for each period:
9:45
10:35
11:25
12:15
12:45
1:35
2:25 (last pick up for Mondays)
3:15 (last pick up for Wednesdays)
Parents who are running late due to an emergency must contact Compass at 706-372-8273.
We understand that emergencies can happen, but chronic or excessive tardiness affects students, staff, teachers, and admin. For the sake of our community, we have implemented the following policies:
Chronic Tardiness
1st and 2nd late pick up (within 15 minutes of pick up window): warning
Subsequent late pick ups: 10-15 Minutes after pick up time = $5
16-20 Minutes after pick up time= $10
21-25 Minutes after pick up time= $15
More than 25 minutes after pick up time = $25 plus $5 each additional minute.
Excessive Tardiness
Any pick up more than 25 minutes after the pick up time for your child’s last class will result in a fee of $25 plus $5 for each additional minute.
SICK POLICY
While we hate for your child to miss classes, for the health and safety of all, please keep your child at home if he/she exhibits any of the following symptoms:
Fever greater than 100°F. A child needs to be fever-free for a minimum of 24 hours before coming to Compass (that means the child is fever-free without the aid of Tylenol® or any other fever reducing substance.)
Fever AND sore throat, rash, vomiting, diarrhea, earache, irritability, or confusion.
Diarrhea: runny, watery, bloody stools, or 2 or more loose stools within last 4 hours.
Vomiting: 2 or more times in a 24 hour period. Note: please do not bring your child if he/she has vomited in the night.
Breathing trouble, sore throat, swollen glands, loss of voice, hacking or continuous coughing.
Frequent scratching of body or scalp; lice; or rash resembling ringworm or other contagious childhood diseases
ATTENDANCE
We hope that your child loves coming to Compass, and we love having him/her here! We assume students will be in class unless they are sick; however, we also value the flexibility of homeschooling, and we know that sometimes families take vacations mid-semester. If you are going to be out of town, you can let the teachers know out of courtesy, although it is not necessary.
Academic Classes
Students in academic classes should plan minimal absences as it can be difficult to catch up on missed learning and work. If a student misses class, they should check the Google Classroom for instruction and assignments. If a student is sick during the week and cannot complete assignments on time, the student or parent should contact the teacher as soon as possible. If a parent knows that the student will miss multiple weeks of class, they should contact the teachers in advance to make arrangements for completing work.
Enrichment Classes
Absences will affect some classes more than others. In classes where skills and content build on the previous week's instruction, students with excessive absences may be "lost" when they come back to class and not know where or how to pick up. If you anticipate your child being absent a lot, you may want to contact the teacher to find out if the classes you are interested in work for that.
Additionally, performance classes like dance, drama, and musical theatre rely on all students being present for rehearsals since students work together as an ensemble to learn blocking, choreography, lines, etc. If your child is enrolled in a performance class and misses several class periods, his or her role in the final program may be limited or removed.
No reimbursement, prorated tuition, or credit will be provided to families for classes their children miss.
Throughout the year, Compass schedules various activities and field trips for our students and families. We love to have students and families participate with us - that's what builds our community! We ask students to sign up in advance for events so that we can have an accurate head count to be prepared with supplies, tickets, etc. If money is required for an event or field trip, it needs to be given before the stated deadline to reserve your place. All money paid for events, field trips, and activities should be considered non-refundable (if possible, we will try to work with you, but if the field trip required advanced ticket purchase or the activity required supplies to be purchased, the money will have been spent and cannot be returned).
Field Trips & Family Activities - These are open to Compass families and their immediate household (ex: a sibling who does not attend Compass may participate in a field trip or field day). Field trips are not drop off events, so a parent or designated adult will be responsible for their own children at all times.
Drop-off Events and Activities (ie: dances, movie nights, game nights, etc) - Drop-off events are only open to students who are currently attending classes at Compass Community. Siblings and friends who do not attend classes at Compass are not permitted. One exception: 12th graders may bring a date of the opposite sex to the spring formal.
Registration occurs before fall classes begin and re-registration happens before spring classes begin. For the fall, students will select brand new schedules, and the the spring, students can elect to keep their same schedule or make changes.
When you register for a class, it is considered a semester-long course, and you are committing to staying in the class and paying tuition for the full semester (4 tuition payments plus supply fees).
However, we also want to extend grace in situations where a class is not a good fit for a student. For that reason, we give a 3-week grace period at the beginning of the semester that allows you to drop a class, but we ask that you use it very sparingly.
If you wish to change classes within the first three weeks of class, you will owe the teacher the supply fee (because he or she purchased the supplies for the class with the assumption that your student would be there for the whole term) and the first month's tuition. You will NOT owe the remainder of the tuition payments for the semester.
If you wish to change or drop a class AFTER the first three weeks, you will be responsible for paying the class drop fee of $35 for a single class, $70 for a double period class, or one month's tuition for dropping the MAP full day.
To drop a class, simply go to the Payment Center page and select the Class drop form. Alternatively, if we are still within the grace period, you may simply send an email to admin@compasscommunityathens.com
2025-2026 Drop Dates
FALL: Last day to drop a class without penalty - August 8, 2025
Grace Period ends August 29
SPRING: Last day to drop a class without penalty - Jan. 9, 2026
Grace Period ends January 30, 2026
*Exceptions may be made on a case-by-case basis for situations such as loss of job, death in the family, out-of-area move, etc.
When you drop off your child at Compass, we take that responsibility very seriously. We check attendance during every class to make sure that all students are accounted for. Any student signed in on campus must either be in a class, in study hall, with a parent, or in the lunchroom (during lunchtime). Study Hall is available for $15/month/period.
Students who are waiting for their parents to pick them up must wait in the waiting area. We do not dismiss children outside until the parent has come for them.
High school students are allowed to sign themselves in and out. If a high school student has a gap in their schedule, we have provided a Waiting Area where these students can stay to read, study, or do other quiet activities in between their classes. High school students on campus must be either in their assigned class, with a parent, in the Waiting Area, or in the lunch room (during lunch time).
High school waiting area has a limit of 2 periods/day.
Study hall has a limit of 1 period at a time for students in grades K-2 (students can take more study halls, but not back to back).
Parent volunteers are essential to help Compass provide a safe environment for your children. A link to the volunteer sign up sheet will be emailed to all the parents as well as posted on our website. We have multiple volunteer opportunities including daytime and evening events, so parents can select the times that best fit their schedule. When you volunteer, you may be asked to help at the sign in table, monitor hallways or lunch, assist in a classroom, help clean up, or supervise events. We ask each family to sign up for approximately 9-10* volunteer hours/semester. The volunteer sign up page will be sent out prior to the first week of classes.
In the event that you cannot (or choose not to) meet your volunteer obligations, you can pay $55/semester.
*New in 2024-2025: If a family is only signed up for one or two classes total, the volunteer responsibilitites are 4 hours for the semester or $30 opt out fee. Examples:
If Johnny Johnson takes two classes, parents may volunteer for 4 hours.
If Johnny and his sister, Mary, take one class each, that's 2 classes for the family and parents may volunteer for 4 hours.
However, if Johnny and Mary each take 2 classes, that is now four classes total for the family, so the family will need to volunteer 9-10 hours.
We understand that some students have special needs when it comes to education, behavior, and/or diet. While we do not have a set policy on special needs, many of our teachers are happy to work with parents to figure out a plan that will best fit their child's needs, whether it is preferential seating, adjusted assignments, etc. Some classes may not be able to make sufficient accommodations for students, depending on levels of needs. We will try to keep communication open between teacher and parent to figure out the best solution for everyone.
As far as allergies go, we ask parents to provide Compass with a list of any known allergies, and we will pass this information along to the teachers within the first month of classes, so they can make accommodations for any lessons that involve food or other materials. Typically, teachers will either try to provide an allergen-free option for the child or ask the parent to provide a safe alternative. If you have any concerns, please speak with the teachers or directors. As we share a space with a church and other organizations and we have teachers and students coming and going throughout the day, we cannot guarantee that our classrooms or facility will be an allergen-free zone.
Is Compass accredited and do I need it?
Compass is not an accredited program. There are many homeschoolers who graduate from a home study program who do not have accredited diplomas. Colleges today recognize the value and strength of homeschooled students and do not deny admission to a qualified applicant.
Please review the application procedures for the university you are interested in as they vary from college to college.
What about Scholarships?
State scholarship like the Hope and Zell Miller are available to unaccredited homeschool students. Students can qualify for those scholarships using their SAT or ACT scores initially (before they start college) or retroactively (after their first year of college) depending on the strength of their test scores and college GPAs. Please review the information provided by Georgia Futures for more details.
How do I get a transcript?
Compass does not offer a transcript service. If you have a high school student, you are responsible for maintaining accurate records of your child's classes and grades. If your child is enrolled in a high school level class at Compass, you are encouraged to use that class on your transcripts, and teachers may provide you with the grade that the student received based on his or her quality of work (grades will be provided for MAP classes and some Wednesday classes). Please refer to the GHEA website and the GADOE website to know your responsibilities as a homeschool parent and standard GA graduation requirements.
All parents who homeschool their children in the state of Georgia are required to submit a Home Study Program Declaration of Intent annually. The easiest way to do that is to file online through the DOE website. Additionally, parents must keep the following records in their files: an annual attendance record, an annual assessment report for reading, language arts, mathematics, social studies, and science, and test results from standardized testing (administered every 3 years starting in 3rd grade). GHEA is a great resource for homeschooling parents.
Please note: Compass is not an authorized counsel on homeschooling in Georgia. Please refer to the GADOE for up-to-date information and requirements: https://www.gadoe.org/Curriculum-Instruction-and-Assessment/Pages/Home-Schools.aspx
Compass may cancel classes due to severe weather. We monitor the local school systems, and we may cancel classes when their schools are closed if the situation is deemed unsafe for Compass students and families.
We have a make-up day scheduled during the Spring semester. In the event that classes are cancelled earlier in the year, we will use the make-up day. If needed, we will add extra Monday or Wednesday class days to the end of the Compass calendar in order to make up for missed classes.
In the event that an individual teacher cannot make it to class, we typically arrange for a substitute to provide a relevant lesson for the class. If an emergency situation arises and no sub is available, the class may go to study hall or join a similar class for the one period.
Whether it's for a fundraiser for an extracurricular activity or personal entrepreneurship, students may not sell items at Compass. Selling during Compass can distract from classtime, and it can cause problems for teachers and fellow students. If your child is selling items for a fundraiser or handcrafted items, and you think your children's teachers or friends might be interested in purchasing, you mail privately email them to let them know about the fundraiser or sale.
Additionally, students may not post public advertisements to outside events on Compass event boards. If a student is involved in an outside program like a recital, performance, game, etc., we encourage them to invite their friends personally.