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.
American School Closed Monday, September 4, 2023
American School will be closed Monday, September 4. We will reopen with regular business hours on Tuesday, September 5, and look forward to assisting you with your accredited middle school courses and accredited high school courses at that time. Thank you for making...
2023-2024 Advanced Placement Course Enrollment Ends Tomorrow
Today’s blog is a reminder that the enrollment window for our 2023-2024 Advanced Placement (AP) course ends tomorrow. Normally we would accept enrollments year-round for any of our accredited middle school courses or accredited high school courses, but because AP...
American School to Update Frequency of Facebook Posts
Today’s blog has an update on how often we plan to post to our Facebook page. Effective September 1, American School will post to Facebook only on weekdays. On weekdays when the School is open, we will post our blog entry in the morning and a homeschool or general...
Better Business Bureau Reaccredits American School
The Better Business Bureau serving Chicago and Northern Illinois recently reaccredited American School, continuing an affiliation which began in 1934. American School prides itself on ethical business practices and giving students in our accredited middle school...
Today’s Anniversary: Scientific American
It's August 28, and Scientific American magazine was first published on this date in 1845. In this age where many magazines and newspapers are shifting to online-only formats, you might be surprised to know that Scientific American is still in print. The anniversary...
Virginia Homeschool Days
Today’s blog is about homeschool days happening in the state of Virginia. As you know, we do our best in this blog to mention field trips and other experiences that can enhance your accredited middle school courses or accredited high school courses. There are so...
American School Announces New Year-End Schedule
American School has announced a new year-end schedule which will go into effect this December. Starting this year and going forward, American School will always be closed from Christmas Eve (December 24) through New Year’s Day (January 1). That means American School...
About Re-enrolling
American School's high school diploma program is designed to be completed in four years, but we know that life gets in the way sometimes and that some students have to step away from their classes. Sometimes students might not be able to work on their courses for...
Fundamentals of Accounting Discontinued
Today's blog announces that our paper-based Fundamentals of Accounting course has been discontinued. We still have Accounting 1 as one of our many online high school courses and hope that you will consider adding it to your accredited high school program or...
Monday’s Anniversary: Hawaii
Monday is August 21, and Hawaii became a state on this date in 1959. When people think of Hawaii, they sometimes think of pineapples, which are grown in large numbers on the islands. The pineapple has become a symbol of the hospitality industry, and if you’re...
Today’s Anniversary: Helium
It’s August 18, and French astronomer Jules Janssen discovered helium on this date in 1868. This discovery got us thinking about the periodic table of elements, a topic discussed in our three distinct chemistry courses. We have a Chemistry (Lab) course and a...
Testimonial Thursday
It’s a Thursday, so let’s hear another testimonial from one of our students. Brandon from Illinois writes, “It was nice to receive comments on my work. I liked getting complimented when I did well.” We thank Brandon for those complimentary words. It is true that...
American School Updates Anti-Bullying Policy for 2023-2024
American School recently updated its anti-bullying policy for the 2023-2024 academic year. You might think that as a distance learning middle school and distance learning high school we do not need an anti-bullying policy because our students don’t see each other in...
American School Updates Student Handbook for 2023-2024
American School recently updated its student handbook for the 2023-2024 academic year. All of our students, whether they are in our accredited middle school program, accredited high school program or independent study program, should read the student handbook very...
Today’s Anniversary: Social Security
It’s August 14, and the Social Security Act became law on this date in 1935. In the 88 years since, millions of Americans have benefitted from the program, especially as they get older or experience health challenges. People might view social security as a kind of...
Today’s Anniversary: Alcatraz
It’s August 11, and the first prisoners arrived at the Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary on this date in 1934. The prison would close in 1963 but remains one of the world’s most famous jails to this day. We write this blog not to celebrate Alcatraz or any other prison...
Today’s Anniversary: Missouri
It’s August 10, and Missouri became a state on this date in 1821. Missouri’s nickname is The Show-Me State, and so today’s blog contains a reminder about showing work in your math courses. When you take a math course in your accredited middle school program or...
American School Updates Course List for 2023-2024
American School recently updated its course list for the 2023-2024 academic year. Although we revise certain middle school courses and high school courses throughout the year, we update our printable list of courses on an annual basis, and you may click the link in...
Today’s Anniversary: The First Scheduled Night Game at Wrigley Field
It’s August 8, and on this date in 1988, the first night game at Wrigley Field was scheduled to be played. The home of the Chicago Cubs was famous for not having lights and playing only day games during the first 74 years of its existence, but ultimately lights were...
American School Honored by How to Homeschool
American School recently was named to How to Homeschool’s list of the Best Homeschool Curriculum and Resources of 2023-2024. We are listed in the the Best Homeschool Curriculum and Products for Middle School Kids and Best Homeschool Curriculum and Products for High...
2023-2024 Advanced Placement Course Enrollment Reminder
Today’s blog is a reminder that enrollment in our Advanced Placement (AP) course for 2023-2024 is open through September 1. That means you have four weeks from today to enroll in AP: English Literature and Composition. We are happy to offer this course among our...
Today’s Anniversary: The First Letter from North America
It’s August 3, and on this date in 1527, the first letter was sent from North America. It was sent by John Rut while he was stationed in St. John’s, Newfoundland in Canada, and the lucky recipient was King Henry VIII back home in England. We don’t know how long it...
Today’s Anniversary: The United States Census
It’s August 2, and the very first United States Census was conducted on this date in 1790. This event got us thinking about populations and numbers, and you might be interested to know that at any one moment in time, American School has approximately 15,000...
Today’s Anniversary: Colorado
It’s August 1, and Colorado became a state on this date in 1876. Colorado is known for the Rocky Mountains, and that got us thinking about the rocks and mountains that might be in the way of you getting an accredited high school diploma. If you think you’re too old,...
Tuition Increases This Week
Today’s blog is a reminder that tuition for full years of our accredited middle school program and accredited high school program increases this week, and tuition for individual middle school courses and high school courses for credit recovery or enrichment increases...