Towering Pines School of Excellence
Faith Christian Academy
Central Valley Preparatory Homeschool
Grace Bible School
Adventures Academy
Determining a name for your homeschool to complete your Private School Affidavit each October can be a daunting task, but it doesn’t have to be! When the process involves your kids, not only does it take some of burden off you, but it can create a sense of ownership and pride in your school. So, how do you go about choosing a name? Why should you have a name for your homeschool? What are some important things to consider when choosing a name?
Why Name Your Homeschool
Other than the obvious need for a name for your paperwork and forms each year, there are other advantages to taking the time to name your homeschool. As already mentioned, a school name can be a source of pride for your family. Rather than telling the volunteer at the library taking your information for the summer reading program or that inquisitive fellow shopper at the grocery story that they attend “Homeschool,” your kids can share the name of their school instead!
How to Name Your Homeschool
There is no right or wrong way to select a name for your school, but here are a few ideas where you can find inspiration (this list is not exhaustive – use inspiration from wherever your family may find it).
- The Bible – Whether it’s a person from the Bible whose character you wish for your children to emulate, a Bible verse your family lives by, or a word or phrase, this is a great starting point for Christian homeschool families.
- Historical Figure – Schools are named after famous and influential people all across the world, so choosing your favorite person from history (President, missionary, author, etc.) will find you in good company when it comes to your school’s name.
- Literature – A character or quote from your favorite literary work can lead to some fun, creative and unique names.
- Landmark/Location – Do you live on a street with two pine trees flanking the entrance to your home or in the shadow of a mountain? Use natural landmarks, street names, or the location of your home to inspire your school name.
- Hobbies or Interests – Many kids, especially young ones, will want to name their school after their favorite character or interest at the time. While you want to be cautious with this inspiration, a family hobby, interest, or tradition can result in a very meaningful homeschool name.
Some Things to Consider
Someday your children will be filling out job or college applications and almost all of them will require the name of the high school they attended. Choose a name that will not be awkward on those applications or when displayed on a diploma or high school transcript.
It’s suggested to avoid using your last name when naming your school as well. Nothing screams “homeschool” than the name of the school being the same as the student’s list name. The exception to this could be if your last name was the same as a famous historical figure after which you’ve named your school.
To avoid coming up with a new name as your children age or tire of a name, select one that can grow with them. “Teddy Bear Homeschool” might be beloved by your preschool and early elementary kids, but by the time they’re ten, they won’t be sharing that name with anyone. Here in California, we have the luxury of being able to change the name of our private school from year to year, but if you think coming up with a name once is hard, imagine redoing it every year! Pick a name you can stick with for many years.
Go the Extra Mile
I attended public school as a child and every school I went to, including elementary, had a name, mascot, and school colors. I still remember each of the mascots of the schools I went to, which included a Roadrunner, Tiger (twice), Eagle, and Argonaut. Being involved in sports, much of my wardrobe in high school was red and white, the colors of the school. Why not go the extra step after selecting a name for your school and decide on a coordinating mascot, school colors, or even a logo that can be added to shirts your kids can proudly wear when you go on field trips or outings?
We would love to hear what you’ve named your school! Share in the comments your school’s name and why you chose it!
Katie Julius serves as CHEA’s Editor and is the Lead Teacher at Adventures Academy, a private school with an enrollment of one. With a name inspired by the quote from J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan, “To live would be an awfully big adventure,” the Adventures Academy Explorers don the colors of the guide used by explorers – the blue and green of a traditional map. As a graphic designer, she also created the logo for the school, pulling elements related to the inspiration from the name (note the “second star from the right” as a nod to the book).
Great article! My husband suggested naming our school after my late father, a career educator. We used his first and middle initial, last name, plus “Memorial Academy”. He had died before we married, so my children never met him, but felt as if they knew him from the many stories I told. Having his name as part of his grandchildren’s education was very meaningful to us. We never went as far as school colors, logo, or a mascot, but that would have been great fun!
What a wonderful tribute to your father! I’m sure your children appreciate that you shared so many of those memories of him.
Hello, I don’t know if anyone will read this, you can use the first 2 letters of my children’s names, it would be Roga Academy, but my question is if it can go together or would I have to separate the ro from the ga? I had heard about it around there but I have doubts.
You can name your school whatever you’d like. The CDE has no rules about it. They only ask that if you have “The” at the beginning or “School” at the end, you leave it off when filing your PSA.