Griggs International Academy

Griggs is the distance-education arm of Andrews University, a Seventh-day Adventist institution in Berrien Springs, Michigan, and it has run correspondence and distance programs continuously for more than a century. Among accredited K-12 homeschool options for Adventist families it is effectively the denominational option; for non-Adventists it is a usable accredited distance school with a specific theological frame baked in.

Last updated: 2026-04-24 · Every Homeschool Editorial Team

At a glance

Method	Traditional / textbook-based / distance learning
Worldview	Christian (Seventh-day Adventist; young-earth creationist; Adventist health principles)
Grades	K-12 (elementary, middle, high school diploma track, dual-enrollment through Andrews University)
Formats	Digital and print courses; parent-supported at elementary grades, instructor-supported at secondary
Cost tier	Standard (course-based pricing, not a flat tuition)
Parent intensity	2 (secondary instructor-supported) to 4 (elementary parent-led)
ESA-common	Varies by state (accredited private-school status accepted in most ESAs that cover accredited schools)
Accredited	Yes (Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools and Accrediting Association of Seventh-day Adventist Schools)
Established	1909 (as Home Study Institute)
Website	griggs.edu

Our scoreboard (1-5)

Criterion	Score	One-line reason
Academic rigor	3	Solid standard course sequence through high school; dual-enrollment extends capable students
Ease of teaching	4	Graded work, teacher support, and transcripts reduce parent load at secondary level
Content quality	3	Conventional materials with Adventist framing integrated throughout
Flexibility	4	Open enrollment, pacing flexibility, dual-enrollment, supplemental course purchase
Value for money	3	Course-based pricing scales reasonably; elementary is inexpensive, high school adds up
Worldview scope	2	Adventist frame runs through Bible, health, and some history content; not used outside the tradition as a primary school
Visual/design	3	Functional; the look of an accredited distance school rather than a consumer product
Support resources	4	Teacher support, counselor contact, transcripts, diploma issuance all direct from the school

Who the publisher is

Griggs International Academy traces to 1909, when it was established as the Fireside Correspondence School, later the Home Study Institute, then Griggs University, and now Griggs International Academy operating under Andrews University in Berrien Springs, Michigan. The organization is one of the oldest continuously operating correspondence schools in the United States and the oldest K-12 distance program affiliated with the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Andrews University is the flagship academic institution of the SDA denomination in North America, and Griggs functions as its K-12 distance arm.

The school holds two accreditations: Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools (MSA-CESS), a regional accreditor recognized for conventional college-preparatory transcripts, and the Accrediting Association of Seventh-day Adventist Schools (AAA), the denomination's own school accreditor. It is also recognized as a non-public school by Maryland's State Board of Education. The dual accreditation matters for families whose state laws require a non-public school designation, and for transcripts accepted by both Adventist and non-Adventist colleges.

Theologically, Griggs is explicitly Adventist. Course content at all grade levels reflects Adventist positions, a young-earth creationist posture in science, Adventist Bible doctrine, Adventist health principles woven through health and nutrition material, and a Sabbath-observance assumption in scheduling. The Adventist frame is visible but not hidden; the About pages and course materials state the position plainly. For families outside the Adventist tradition, this is a program in which the theological context runs through more than one subject; it is not a neutral distance school. For Adventist families who want accredited K-12 coursework aligned with their denomination's teaching, it is effectively the only denominational option at that scale.

The core pedagogy

Griggs is a traditional distance school in the long correspondence-school lineage: a teacher on the other end of a course, a student working through structured materials with assignments submitted for grading, and a transcript at the end. The elementary program (K-8) leans on parent guidance with step-by-step course materials; parents supervise daily work, submit assessments, and receive graded feedback. High school is more directly instructor-supported, with courses structured for either full diploma completion or supplemental single-course enrollment. Students can also take dual-enrollment courses through Andrews University for college credit during high school.

Scope and sequence follows conventional American K-12 grade-level expectations with Adventist content where relevant. Mathematics, English, social studies, and foreign languages track roughly what an Adventist parochial school would teach; science texts reflect a young-earth creationist framework; Bible is a required subject at each grade level, drawing from Adventist doctrinal emphases. The school's stated approach is that "all of our online and hybrid courses are enriched with scripture that points to Jesus," and that posture is visible in the materials.

Signature mechanics: (1) Course-based enrollment rather than flat tuition, families pay per course per semester, which allows flexible combinations including supplemental single courses alongside other homeschool materials. (2) Accredited transcripts and diploma, students completing the high school program receive a diploma and transcript accepted by most colleges including non-Adventist institutions. (3) Dual-enrollment through Andrews, qualified high school students can take university-level coursework and earn college credit before graduation. (4) Open-enrollment and flexible pacing, students can begin courses on their own schedule and work through materials at their own pace within stated limits.

A day in the life

A fourth-grader enrolled in Griggs elementary starts the morning with parent-directed work from the course materials. A typical day opens with Bible (20-30 minutes, reading, memory verse, parent-led discussion drawing on the supplied lesson plan), then Mathematics (40-45 minutes, parent presents the concept, student works problems, parent checks), Language Arts (grammar, spelling, reading, 45 minutes), and a shorter Science or Social Studies block after a midmorning break. Afternoon blocks are typically lighter, art, music, reading, optional handicraft or health material, and physical activity. The parent submits graded work periodically to Griggs for teacher review. Total instructional time at this grade: roughly three to four hours of focused work per day.

A tenth-grader enrolled full-time runs differently. The student logs into course content, for instance, Algebra II, English 10, World History, Biology, and Bible, works through scheduled lessons and assignments, submits work directly to the Griggs teacher, and receives graded feedback. The parent is present but no longer presenting; the teaching is delivered through the course materials and the assigned instructor. A student taking six high-school courses across two semesters should expect four to five hours of academic work per day, with full-time cost estimated at $3,715 for grades 9-12 per the school's published schedule for 2025-26.

What they do exceptionally well

A genuinely accredited K-12 diploma. For families who want a transcript and diploma issued by an accredited school rather than a parent-generated transcript, Griggs delivers both through a school with a century of continuous operation and dual accreditation. Graduates have a transcript accepted by Adventist colleges, non-Adventist private institutions, and state universities without special accommodation.

Course-based pricing flexibility. Unlike flat-tuition online schools, Griggs lets families enroll in a single course as a supplement to an otherwise parent-directed homeschool. A family running a different primary program that wants, for example, a graded high school chemistry course with teacher support and a transcript entry can buy that one course without full-time enrollment. Per-course secondary pricing runs $300 per semester as of 2025-26.

Dual-enrollment pathway. The affiliation with Andrews University creates a real dual-enrollment option with college credits that transfer within the Adventist system and often outside it. For capable high school students, this is a structured on-ramp to college without leaving the homeschool context.

Long operational history. A distance school that has run continuously since 1909 has worked out the logistics of transcript issuance, standardized testing, parent communication, and graduation requirements in ways newer programs have not. Families value the operational reliability.

What they do poorly

Denominational content is integrated, not bracketed. Adventist teaching is not confined to Bible class. The science materials hold a young-earth creationist position, the health and nutrition content reflects Adventist dietary emphases, and the scheduling assumes Sabbath observance. Non-Adventist families using Griggs will find themselves either working around or working with these frames, not past them.

Price scales up sharply at high school. Elementary enrollment is inexpensive, $755 for a full kindergarten year per the school's published estimate. High school is materially more expensive because per-course rates rise. Families running six courses per semester through the high school years should budget in the $3,500-$4,000 range per year per student, which is not unreasonable for accredited distance schooling but is not in the budget tier.

Interface and materials are functional, not polished. Families coming from consumer-oriented online schools with video-rich instruction will find Griggs closer to a traditional correspondence school in presentation. This is a matter of taste; some families prefer the unflashy approach and others experience it as dated.

Worldview scope is narrow if you are not Adventist. Griggs is entirely usable by Protestant or Catholic families who accept a young-earth science posture and are comfortable with Adventist-framed Bible content, but it is not a faith-neutral distance school. Families wanting a more denominationally broad Christian distance option will find Bridgeway Academy, Sevenstar Academy, or similar providers a better structural fit.

Who it fits / who it doesn't

• Pick Griggs if: you are a Seventh-day Adventist family and want an accredited K-12 distance school aligned with your denomination; you want an accredited diploma and transcript for a homeschool student; you want flexible per-course enrollment as a supplement to another primary curriculum; you are pursuing dual-enrollment through Andrews University; you value a long-operational-history school over a newer platform.

• Skip Griggs if: you want faith-neutral or secular accredited distance schooling; you disagree with young-earth creationist science and prefer that your child's biology and earth-science texts take mainstream scientific consensus as their starting point; you want a flat annual tuition rather than course-by-course billing; you want a polished video-rich consumer interface; you want maximum flexibility with no teacher contact and no graded submission.

Cost honest assessment

Per Griggs's published tuition schedule for 2025-26, enrollment fees are $55 for K-5, $95 for grades 6-8, and $115 for grades 9-12. Per-course tuition runs $70 per semester for K-5, $110 per semester for grades 6-8, and $300 per semester for grades 9-12. The school's own estimate for full-time enrollment is $755 annually for kindergarten (five courses) up to approximately $3,715 for grades 9-12 (six courses across two semesters). Sibling discounts apply; payment plans run up to eight months.

Compared to other accredited Christian distance schools, Griggs sits in the middle of the market. Bridgeway Academy's full-service enrollment runs several thousand dollars per year for similar accredited service; Sevenstar Academy prices individual courses at comparable rates to Griggs's high school tier; Abeka Academy's accredited online high school is priced substantially higher once full video enrollment is included. What Griggs offers for the spend is accreditation depth (dual regional and denominational accreditation), direct parent-teacher contact, and an Andrews University affiliation that few competitors match.

A realistic all-in family budget for one student in full-time Griggs enrollment: K-5, roughly $800-$1,000 annually including materials and assessments; middle school, $1,200-$1,700; high school, $3,500-$4,200.

ESA eligibility notes

Griggs is an accredited private school rather than a curriculum publisher. In states whose ESA programs cover accredited private-school tuition (Arizona's ESA, Florida's Step Up For Students, West Virginia's Hope Scholarship, Iowa's Student First Scholarship, Utah's Utah Fits All, and others), enrollment in Griggs is generally treated as a private-school tuition expense and is therefore eligible in most of them, though specific rules vary by state. Families in states whose ESAs restrict religious-school tuition should verify Adventist-school eligibility explicitly before enrolling, as the school's explicit denominational framing can trigger state-specific restrictions. Griggs does not operate as a vendor on consumer ESA marketplaces the way curriculum publishers do; payment is handled as private-school tuition, and families typically arrange ESA payment through their state administrator with a tuition invoice from Griggs.

Alternatives

• Bridgeway Academy, a family would choose Bridgeway over Griggs because Bridgeway offers broader Christian denominational positioning without a young-earth requirement and more extensive parent-coaching support for families new to homeschooling.
• Sevenstar Academy, a family would choose Sevenstar over Griggs because Sevenstar focuses specifically on supplemental high school courses for students attending Christian schools or homeschools, with a broader evangelical rather than specifically Adventist frame.
• Abeka Academy, a family would choose Abeka over Griggs because Abeka's accredited online high school ships with more robust video instruction and a Baptist-evangelical framework rather than an Adventist one.

How we verified this

Our editorial team reviewed Griggs International Academy's published materials at griggs.edu, including the enrollment and tuition pages, the K-12 program descriptions, the accreditation disclosures, the FAQ, and the public statements on Adventist identity and curricular posture. We cross-referenced against Andrews University's institutional information, the Middle States Association accreditation registry, and industry-standard reviews of Adventist homeschool resources. Tuition and program details verified April 2026.