Homeschoolers who wish to take advanced courses not offered in their homeschooling environment have always been able to enroll at their local public school.

To make more families aware of this opportunity, Guilford County Schools is launching a new marketing strategy to boost declining enrollment numbers. Starting this year, the district’s newly named “GCS Flex” program simplifies the process for homeschoolers to enroll in high school classes part-time at Guilford County Schools.

The school district produced a video to promote the program.

“What we learned after the pandemic is that families want choices,” said Whitney Oakley, superintendent of Guilford County Schools. “We recognize that we are part of that choice continuum, and the more flexible and available we can make those options, the better it is for everyone involved, right?”

Homeschoolers who attend public school at least part-time can participate in sports and club events, take career and technical courses and free community college courses with their high school peers, and use school district services like any other student.

“The real goal is just to raise awareness of the options available to all students in Guilford County,” Oakley said.

Oakley said about 50 students have signed up for GCS Flex for the upcoming school year and that the district will continue Accept registrations.

The marketing strategy could help increase the school district’s overall enrollment, which has declined since the pandemic. This comes as home schooling has increased across the state. The number of new registered home schools in North Carolina reached a peak during the 2020-2021 school year, and although this number has decreased, it is still higher than before the pandemic. According to the latest report from the state department of non-public education.

“We don’t know exactly how many of these are high school students, but we do know that as students get older, they want to think more about what they want to do as careers and they also want to take more specialized courses,” Oakley said.

Homeschoolers who take at least half of a full-time course also receive credit toward public school enrollment. This benefits the school because state funding for public schools is based primarily on the total number of students attending a school.

“We see it as a win-win situation for everyone involved,” Oakley said.