Don’t drop out. Rise out!
Rise Out supports teens who want to leave school
and take charge of their own education.
Are you unsatisfied in high school and seeking a way out? Are you already homeschooling and looking for new opportunities?
Rise Out is a nonprofit organization that offers classes and consulting to teenagers who have elected to leave traditional school and pursue alternative education paths. Formerly serving the Boston/New England area, Rise Out is now all-virtual and serves students all over the United States and around the world.
our CLASSES
At Rise Out we have designed a high school curriculum to meet the urgent needs of students who will be facing 21st-century challenges such as climate change, globalization, and rapid technological innovation. All of our classes — whether three weeks or a full school year — are organized thematically around subjects such as “The Cold War,” “Climate Change and Climate Justice,” “The Enlightenment Revolutions,” or “Science Fiction and Social Issues.”
Our core teachers are current or former college professors with graduate degrees in their subject matter. Non-core instructors are experts in their fields (e.g. working artists, published authors, and in one case an Olympic athlete!).
We offer a wide and ever-changing variety of classes but all of them have the following things in common, regardless of topic or instructor:
1) our passion for the subjects we teach, which we hope will be infectious!
2) a commitment to social justice
3) a commitment to creating an anxiety-free learning space
4) a commitment to making our classes available to all students, regardless of the family’s ability to pay
All courses are secular. We offer both live classes on Zoom and asynchronous/self-paced options. See below for more information.
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Full catalogue will be available June 1, 2025 — see Live Classes page for current self-paced offerings
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Members may create their own classes and take member-created classes for free. (See below for membership information)
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We know, we know. As homeschoolers there can be a fine line between a “class” and an “activity.” If I build a robot to clean my room, is that a bona fide math and physics credit, or is that merely my super nerdy hobby? If I write a novel set in 16th-century Scotland, do I file that under “creative writing” and call it an English credit, or do I label fiction-writing my extracurricular passion?
Homeschoolers applying to college — like all high schoolers in the U.S. — need BOTH challenging coursework AND a track record of extracurricular activities. At Rise Out we are happy to help students organize and facilitate virtual “afterschool” activities.
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Want more information about how our classes work and how they compare to other homeschool providers? Read about our teaching philosophy, how our classes work in practice, our approach to neurodiverse students, our input/output expectations, our payment plan and waiver options, concerns about accreditation for students who might be returning to high school, and other questions you might have.
become a MEMBER
This is the best way to take advantage of the full scope of what we offer. Join Rise Out as a member and you will get access to our full catalogue of self-paced classes, as well as a 50% discount on live classes.
More than that, though, you will become part of our community!
Teen homeschoolers taking virtual classes may feel isolated, especially if they live in a part of the country where joining a secular co-op is not an option. When you become a Rise Out member, you can take part in our study halls, join our Discord, start your own extracurricular activities, or even create your own class. During the academic year you can also sign up for free 1:1 weekly meetings with a Rise Out college intern who will help you stay on top of your goals — a great option if your parents are busy with work or teaching younger siblings.
Join at the Premium level and get all that as well as individualized guidance sessions for college and career planning.
We offer single-student memberships as well as family memberships for households with more than one sibling — and because we actually get this question quite often, YES, a “family” membership includes parents, who are welcome to enroll in our self-paced classes!
If a membership is not right for you at this time, students may sign up for classes individually.
Full Members have free access to all the classes in our self-paced catalogue -- take as many as you like! Members also receive a 50% discount on live classes (*with a few exceptions, such as SELFIE), as well as other perks listed below.
Premium Members receive all the benefits of a Full Membership PLUS quarterly guidance sessions with Laura or Michael to discuss portfolio development, college planning, dual enrollment, gap years, study abroad, and other opportunities.
Just like the "Full Membership - Student" plan, but for families who wish to enroll more than one sibling
Just like the "Premium Membership - Student" plan, but for families who wish to enroll more than one sibling
book a CONSULTATION
Questions? Both parents and students may book an initial free consultation.
Laura, Rise Out’s Executive Director, offers educational consulting for families with students over 13, as well as homeschooling coaching for parents of children of any age. In addition to homeschooling her own daughter, Laura has a Ph.D. in Education and has worked with thousands of students in her 25+ years as an educator in homeschool, afterschool, and other out-of-school environments. She recognizes there is no one-size-fits-all method of education and will work with you to discover what approach fits best for your family.
ABOUT RISE OUT
“I have never let my schooling interfere with my education.”
Rise Out is not a school. We do not receive government funding, so we are not beholden to local, state, or federal regulations regarding what we teach or how we teach it.
Rise Out is not a business. Since we are not trying to maximize profit, we don’t under-pay our teachers or over-enroll our classes. Our students’ needs come first, and that means prioritizing small classes with highly-qualified instructors.
Rise Out is a nonprofit organization! This gives us complete freedom in designing our courses and allows us the space to individualize our offerings to meet students’ unique needs. It is only through our status as a nonprofit that we are able to offer discounts and waivers to students who cannot afford our fees. When you donate to Rise Out, your tax-deductible gift helps make our program accessible to all students, regardless of ability to pay. Thank you!
Have more questions that aren’t answered here? Contact us!