Parent FAQ

Yes. Basecamp Online is a private school registered with the California Department of Education through the annual Private School Affidavit (Education Code § 33190). Enrolled students satisfy California’s compulsory education law as private school students, on the same legal basis used by every private school in the state. (California does not “license” or “accredit” private schools; it registers them. Any school claiming state approval is misinformed.)

A PSP is a private school whose students learn partly or fully off-campus, with parents serving as satellite faculty. Basecamp files one school affidavit; your child enrolls as our student; you are the faculty. The school, not you, carries the administrative and records burden.

Enroll with us first, then send the withdrawal letter (we give you the exact template). Your child is never “between schools,” so there is no truancy gap. We issue your enrollment verification letter within two business days; it is your proof of enrollment for any district inquiry.

No. When families file their own affidavit, the school name and address they list becomes part of a public CDE dataset. With Basecamp, only the school’s administrative address is public. Your family’s names and home address stay in our confidential records.

No. California requires private school instructors to be “capable of teaching,” not credentialed. We keep a qualifications record for every faculty member, including satellite parents, as the law requires, and our records custodian keeps everyone’s file audit-ready.

Charter programs are public school programs: they come with funds, and with public-school testing, curriculum restrictions (no faith-based materials with charter money), and oversight. Basecamp Online is a private school. You choose the curriculum, we keep the records. A family cannot be enrolled in both at once, and public charter funds cannot be spent on private school tuition.

Students who learn entirely at home are exempt from California’s school immunization requirements under state law, because home-based instruction is not classroom-based. Students attending classes in person (for example, a microschool group meeting 3+ days a week, or on-campus instruction in San Diego) must meet California’s school immunization requirements (or hold a valid medical exemption issued through the state’s CAIR-ME system) before their first day, the same rule as every classroom-based school in California.

Every Basecamp administrator and staff member who works with students or student records is fingerprint background-checked through the California DOJ and FBI, TB-cleared, and trained as a mandated reporter. As the instructing parent of your own children, you are the teacher; the law does not require fingerprinting of a parent instructing only their own children, and we keep your qualification file as required.

Basecamp Online is the Family Plan: $95/mo for your first student, $50/mo per additional student (up to 5 in one household). So a two-child family is $145/mo, three is $195/mo, all the way up to $295/mo for five. TK to 8th grade, anywhere in California, annual enrollment with 30-day notice. No multi-year lock-in, cancel any time. San Diego families who want campus days can move to our Hybrid ($1,250/month × 10) or Full-Time ($1,850/month × 10) campus tiers, which are academic-year commitments with a two-month deposit.

Private school tuition is generally not tax-deductible, and public charter funds cannot be spent on private school tuition. Some families use employer education benefits or 529-adjacent strategies; ask your tax advisor.

Withdrawal is 30-day notice, any time of year. We release records per policy and send a complete transfer packet to your next school within 10 days. Leaving well is part of the product. You should never have to fight a school for your own child’s records.