K12 Home School

K12 Home School is an online homeschool curriculum for Canadian families, covering kindergarten to Grade 12 in a virtual classroom. Its home page describes "Online courses and complete curriculum for K - Gr 12" and a "Virtual classroom with fully online courses that align with provincial government learning outcomes." The site is a division of Dezigned Edge, and parents register through Dezigned.io, which the pricing page calls "our curriculum provider's website." The reader it serves is the homeschooling parent who wants a ready-made year of lessons rather than one built from scratch: "No need to spend hours researching, planning, and delivering lessons," the home page says, offering instead a complete package of online courses for the school year at one price.

How the lessons work

Students log into a secure virtual classroom and work through self-paced lessons. The course library page says "All lessons are designed by certified teachers, instructional designers, and tech experts," and that "Every course is available on-demand 24/7." Each course has three parts: "lesson instruction to teach key concepts, assessment activities to test student's understanding, and off-line assignments to reinforce learning." The home page adds that lessons and schedules come pre-planned: "Daily activities are planned and organized for the student," and teachers prepare the self-paced lessons and schedules so families can open them at any time.

The curriculum follows provincial outcomes. The course library page says "All lessons are based on Canadian provincial curriculum standards and outcomes" and that courses are "created by teachers certified in Canada," and the home page's feature list labels this "Sask. Curriculum." The company says it "has spent years building thousands of lessons to ensure each Course from Kindergarten to Grade 12 meets and exceeds the provincial requirements." Some courses need books: "Additional resources such as chapter books, and textbooks may be required," with a separate reading list for K-9 and for 10-12.

What parents see

Tracking is the main tool for parents. According to the course library page, "Parents can easily track student progress in the student management area," with detailed reports showing the date and time each lesson was completed and the lesson scores. Parents can "Drill down to see what the student got right, and what the student got wrong." Offline assignments are different: the FAQ says "No we do not provide answer keys for offline assignments and it is up to the parent to decide whether to provide feedback on offline assignments." So the online assessments are scored for the family, while the offline work is the parent's to review.

Help is available on weekdays. The home page says "Homeschool support specialists are online and available Mon-Friday," and the FAQ refers to a training support team and an administrative office that families can call, for example if a credit card is declined.

The course library

Families choose one of two libraries when they sign up: "you will have access to either the K-9 course library, or the 10-12 course library." Within the chosen library, the home page says, a parent can "Register each student in as many courses as you like."

The K-9 library covers arts education, English language arts, health, math, physical education, science and social studies, plus career education for Grades 6 to 9. The 10-12 library is listed course by course. Grade 10 offers Science 10, English Language Arts A 10 and B 10, Math Foundations and Pre-Calculus 10, Math Workplace and Apprenticeship 10, History 10, Wellness 10 and Photography 10. The 20-level courses are Physical Science 20, Health Science 20, Environmental Science 20, English Language Arts 20, Math Pre-Calculus 20, Math Foundations 20 and History 20. The 30-level courses are Math Foundations 30, English Language Arts A 30 and B 30, Biology 30, History 30, Psychology 30, Food Studies 30 and Interior Design 30. The page closes with "More Courses Coming Soon."

The system requirements are modest but specific. For K-9, the FAQ lists a laptop or computer with a keyboard and mouse, internet, the Google Chrome browser, Adobe Flash, and MS Word or a PDF viewer; the 10-12 list is the same without Flash.

Pricing and registration

Pricing is per student and published. The pricing page lists two options: "Monthly Payments" at $65 a month with no contract, for 1 student with unlimited access, or a plan "Billed In 1 Installment" at $45 a month for 12 month access, also for 1 student with unlimited access. The FAQ adds that there is no admin fee: "No the one low price includes all our Administrative duties to manage your classroom account."

There is no free trial. The FAQ says: "We don't offer a free trial. However, you're free to try the program for 1 month at just $65 per student." Refunds are not offered either: "We do not offer refunds. As such, it's important to select the billing plan that is best for you." For families who are unsure, the company recommends a month on the monthly plan first, and a live virtual tour is available before paying. Payment is online through a secure payment provider, by VISA or Mastercard; cheques are not accepted, though families can ask about alternate arrangements. Cancelling is simple: reach out before the next payment date and the account and classroom are closed.

Registration takes three steps: select the course library, create a parent account on Dezigned.io, then make the payment, add student information and select courses.

What families say

The home page says families can "Join the 1000+ Students That Have Used Our Curriculum" and that students have been using it in the virtual classroom "for over 10 years." Reviews on the page come from parents, a student and an instructor. One parent of children in three elementary grades writes that "The lesson instructions in the classroom were clear to follow and explained what curricular outcome was being taught within the lesson." A high school student, Samuel C., writes: "I always felt as though I knew what to expect from course notes and assignments."

Who it suits

K12 Home School suits Canadian homeschooling families, and especially those who want lessons tied to provincial outcomes without planning them. A parent with a student in the middle grades can pick the K-9 library and let the pre-planned daily activities set the pace, while a high school student can take a full set of 10, 20 and 30-level courses. The progress reports suit parents who want to see exactly which questions a child missed. The price is easy to plan around, with no admin fee and a lower rate for paying a year ahead.

There are trade-offs to weigh. Each student gets one library, not both, so a family with one child in the K-9 range and another in high school registers each student for their own library. Parents need to review offline assignments themselves, since no answer keys are provided for them. And with no free trial and no refunds, the sensible route is the one the company suggests: a live tour, then a single paid month before committing to the annual plan.