Who are we?

Northern Discovery Academy is a private Christian homeschool organization and campus. This means for families seeking an alternative to the public school system we offer a variety of services for our families. We occupy a unique space in education empowering parents to take full responsibility for their child's education while gaining access to the unique resources here on campus. This is available for families seeking full-time attendance, hybrid options, and part-time homeschooling schedules, specialized tutoring, and more. 

We will be opening enrollment for the 2026-2027 school year starting on June 1st. We accept students of diverse backgrounds and beliefs but require that they respect Northern's Christian foundation.  

Continue Below to Discover:

• Where is the School?
• What is Your Educational Model & Philosophy?
• What Does It Cost to Attend?
• How Can I Learn More?
• How Do We Register?

Our campus is in Newaygo, a 10-acre wooded campus in the heart of Manistee National Forest, where all our students benefit from the space, access to nature, and the opportunity to investigate God's world in an active and hands-on way. Our address is 5490 E 48th St, Newaygo 49337.

Northern Discovery Academy exists to build a transformative educational and social experience. We seek to foster a culture of curiosity, where kids love waking up each day to learn more about the world around them.  They love it because they are involved with the learning hands-on, trying new skills, and enjoying educational experiences.  We are here to provide those experiences inside a Christian worldview, and in a small-group format with a low ratio of students to teachers.

Who Founded the School?

WinterPromise has been providing interactive, hands-on curriculum to charter schools and homeschoolers for over 20 years (www.winterpromise.com).  We desire to offer this educational experience to as many children as we can, and this school is a product of that vision.  The model you've learned about here on our website is an extension of what our curriculum facilitates -- an active, engaged educational process. 

The Founders?

Don (COO) and Kaeryn Brooks (CEO) founded the school in the fall of 2017. Kaeryn Brooks has worked in educational and corporate settings for 30+ years. She has written and published over 200 of her own educational resources and also has been employed delivering executive level training, coaching, and corporate curriculum. Don, has been in leadership and ministry settings for just as long. While pursuing a rich education with two masters degrees he has served as a Pastor, teacher, college campus ministry, mentor, counselor in a variety of settings across the country. He loves working with students and helping them thrive. 

Are Your Teachers Certified?

Our school follows the requirements that Michigan places on it's schools.

How do You Measure Success?

Our measurements of success are unique because they flow from the truth that God has made each child uniquely. Therefore, based on the study of multiple intelligences and our understanding of the variety of learning styles that each of us has, we created a unique blend of assessment tools. We can do this because of our high teacher-to-student ratio in which we can offer individualized feedback and assessment that is based upon where each student started, their areas of strength, their areas of weakness, and the work they put into the variety of learning experiences they are offered. Each student experiences unique challenges and a traditional-listen-memorize-regurgitate-test model rarely offers a true assessment of success for each student. 

It's so affordable!  We focus on keeping our costs low and furnishing top-quality learning experiences for your family!  Our tuition is much less than that of similar private institutions.  You can take a look at our 2025-2026 tuition costs below (2026-2027 rates will be published soon):

Family Registration Fee: $275 - This fee is for your family to enroll, secure a spot for your child, and help cover administration and curriculum costs. 

Full-time Attendance - 2025-2026 Rates

Forest School -  1st Student $4425

K-6th Grade - 1st Student $4225, 2nd Student $3925, 3rd Student - TBD based on need.

7th-12th Grade - 1st Student $4425, 2nd Student $4225

Hybrid & Homeschool Rates

Thursday-Only Rates: $849 per semester, per student (discounts for multiple)

3-Day Hybrid Options: 70% of Full-Time Tuition

4-Day Hybrid Options: 80% of Full-Time Tuition

We offer 9- and 12-month payment plans as well as flex payment options where families pay a larger amount in a Spring month (usually due to tax returns) which makes their payments through the year lower.

We have a set amount of scholarship funds available each year and want work with our families as much as possible. So, please reach out if there are challenges financially for your family.

First Step - Submit an inquiry by reaching out to michaelb@northerndiscoveryacademy.com. Once you submit the inquiry we will follow up with you as soon as possible to get to know you. Once we get into contact, you can set up a visit, meet with a teacher, and see our facilities.  

Plan a Summer Campus Visit, explore our campus, walk our trail, and more when you schedule a visit.

Read our Handbook here, or Call Us at 231-527-9683.  We'll tell you all about us!