Complaints

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/18/2025

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Complaint Against: Acellus Academy
  Nature of Complaint: Refusal to Refund Tuition for Unused Services  To Whom It May Concern,
  
  I am filing this complaint against Acellus Academy regarding their refusal to issue a refund for tuition that was paid but never utilized.
  
  On July 21, 2025, Acellus Academy debited $790.00 from my checking account for my son’s upcoming enrollment in their online high school program. Classes were not scheduled to begin until the end of August 2025.
  
  Prior to my sons the start date of August 25, 2025, I decided to withdraw my son and formally notified the school. On August 14, 2025, I emailed Acellus Academy requesting cancellation and a refund. Followed by today, August 18, 2025 going into the Acellus Academy, parent portal and officially withdrawing my student from the school. Which I had to Google instructions on how to do.
  
  
  The only response I received to my August 14, 2025 email was from Tia:
  
  “You can withdraw your student anytime, but if you’ve already made a payment, we will not refund it.”
  
  According to Acellus Academy’s terms, “Payments made prior to the time of cancellation are non-refundable.” However, in this case, the tuition was collected one month before services were set to be utilized. I believe retaining the full tuition payment under these circumstances is unfair and constitutes unjust enrichment.
  
  I respectfully request the BBB’s assistance in securing a refund of my tuition payment in the amount of $790.00.
  
  Thank you for your attention to this matter.
  
  Sincerely, *******

  Customer Answer

  Date: 08/23/2025

  Dear BBB,

  I am writing to provide an update regarding my recent complaint against Acellus Academy concerning their refusal to refund tuition for unused services.
  

  After further communication, I worked directly with ****** ********  at Acellus Academy and we reached an amicable resolution. The school has issued a refund of the majority of my payment, less a small prorated amount to account for minimal coursework my son accessed prior to our planned school year.

  
  I appreciate the attention given to my complaint. At this point, the matter has been resolved to my satisfaction, and no further action is needed on my case.

  
  That said, I respectfully encourage Acellus Academy to revisit and revise their refund policy. The current “no refunds under any circumstance” approach creates situations where families may be unfairly charged for services not delivered. I believe a more transparent and equitable policy would better serve students and parents while reducing the likelihood of similar disputes.

  
  Thank you for your support and for the important work you do on behalf of consumers.

  
  Sincerely,
  
  ******* ***
  *************************
  ###-###-####

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/09/2025

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  It is impossible to cancel a subscription with them, as they do not take calls, and they only send a computer procedure- well the computer and or cell phone app does not work for me, I need a LIVE person to contact me and CANCEL the subscription. Our student is now in college and no longer needs high school/home school.

  Business Response

  Date: 08/15/2025

  Our staff looked into this complaint and we were unable to locate a customer account based on the information provided. We contacted Mr. Zimmerman by phone and confirmed that his students are not enrolled in Acellus Academy. It appears that there was some confusion because his students were using Acellus curriculum through another provider. We recommended he contact the provider directly since the students have never been enrolled at Acellus Academy.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/06/2025

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I’ve paid monthly tuition to Acellus Academy for multiple school years. It’s a major investment that gives my family browser access to their private school. This is a critical feature in my home because my children move across multiple devices. For two reasons: we travel 8 hours for court-ordered visitation, and I’m a software engineer. I move across the same devices for work. That flexibility is not optional, and it was included in my purchase.
  
  Midway through the school year, Acellus Academy locked us out of the platform I pay for with no warning and switched us onto a new platform. They changed their terms of service, without parent consent or WASC approval, and blocked browser use to force all students to download an app and stay on one device. This is not what I paid for. It destroys the flexibility I rely on.
  
  Worse, they prompted my child (without my consent) to install apps on my work device and they have asked my child device information to the point that it introduces serious security risks. Now they say if I stop paying, they’ll withhold my son’s credits, even though we’re over 75% done. They offered no refund, no opt-out, no notice, just locked us out of the browser mid-year. They ignore parent complaints entirely, and have clearly baited me with one platform only to switch it for another.
  
  They broke the contract, manipulated my child, and disrupted my job. Their app is buggy, auto-selects wrong answers with a yellow highlight that the child did not select, and inflates tuition by forcing repeat lessons. They’ve turned a trusted service into a scam.
  
  I want one of three things:
  
  Restore browser access through the end of the school year to allow us to leave under the same terms
  
  Immediately award my son's credits due to the breach of contract to allow us to enroll in another school
  
  Refund at least 50% of our tuition for breaking our agreement due to the loss during times of travel and when I need to work on the devices
  
  Anything less is unacceptable.

  Business Response

  Date: 08/17/2025

  We appreciate the opportunity to respond to this complaint. Acellus Academy is committed to upholding academic integrity by ensuring that credit is awarded for original work.

  In light of rapid advancements in artificial intelligence, our school announced enhanced security measures for the 2025-2026 school year. These measures require students to access coursework by signing in through our free Acellus App, which includes state-of-the-art features designed to ensure a secure learning environment.

  A notice about these upcoming changes was emailed to all parents in July 2025. To minimize disruption, the app sign-in requirement was implemented at the start of the school year on August 1, 2025. The Acellus App is available at no cost on all major platforms, including ChromeOS, Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, and ****** Fire Tablets. The requirement to sign in using the app does not prevent students from signing in on multiple devices.

  The Acellus App is being used successfully by thousands of students and schools across the nation. We have not received evidence to support the statements that the app auto-selects wrong answers or that it inflates tuition by forcing repeat lessons. However, we encourage any customers who experience technical issues to contact our support team for assistance.

  The complaint states that the customer has paid tuition for multiple school years. Our records show that the customer enrolled in March 2025 and has paid a total of $474. This amount is substantially lower than our standard tuition rate because the student has been receiving a scholarship from our school which covers nearly 70% of the tuition costs.

  Based on the complaint, it appears that the customer is unwilling to install the free app. Without the app, the student will not be able to participate in any coursework. Eliminating the requirement to use the app is not feasible as the app is necessary for us to ensure the integrity of coursework.

  In an effort to resolve this situation amiably, we have refunded all tuition paid by the customer. We are sorry that things didn't work out and wish the customer all the best.

  Sincerely,
  Acellus Academy

  Customer Answer

  Date: 08/25/2025

  Complaint: ********

  Acellus Academy did not refund the full tuition like they said they did. They retaliated against my son after I filed internal complaints and complaints with the BBB about their platform issue.
  
  As an engineer with a Masters Degree in Software Development and Cybersecurity, I am qualified and trusted to make a complaint. I know that auto-selecting answers for the student with a yellow highlight is an intentional feature that must be programmed into the application. This is a very serious issue that the individual responding on the BBB should be taking seriously. He should have escalated it to the governing board instead of making jokes about my inability to download an application. I did download the application.

  There are many other forums and videos on the internet where multiple parents have reported that Acellus Academy and Power Homeschool are deleting student records, altering grades by selecting incorrect answers for the student, and modifying or refusing to escalate their complaints. They are targeting students and deleting records regularly. Parents do not know about it because they are operating under multiple names and the BBB complaints are deleted every three years.
  
  I tried to report this internally multiple times since May by phone, by email, and through the BBB. They are blocking access to their governing board. Their headquarters even stated that they do not talk to parents even with a serious issue such as this.
  
  Please give me the contact information for the governing board because that is who should be responding to this very serious issue. It should be public information, not hidden to deflect responsibility. 

  Sincerely,
  
  ****** *******

  Business Response

  Date: 08/29/2025

  Hello *******

  A refund of your tuition was processed on 8/17/2025 and the funds have been returned to your credit card. The refund was processed in six transactions of $79.00, totaling $474.00. Copies of the refund receipts were sent to your email address ********************.com. We encourage you to review your credit card statement for verification of the refund.

  The statement that we have intentionally programmed our app to auto-select wrong answers is not accurate. There are thousands of students successfully using our app. In our previous response, we invited you to submit any evidence supporting this claim but we haven't received any evidence. Furthermore, there would be no motivation for us to take such an action.

  While we disagree with your position, we sincerely wish you all the best.

  Sincerely,

  Acellus Academy

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/01/2025

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  My daughters transferred at the end of March 2023, as a junior and sophomore in high school. This means they should have had one year and two years to complete their education. Instead, they worked 12 months a year for over 2 years, with no summer or holidays off, and neither came close to graduation. Accelus doesn't accept public school transcripts to work towards their credits, from our experience. Their customer service is so far beyond helpful, even bordering on the verge of useless. And, that's IF you can actually contact someone. Their classes and education is supbar, at best.
  
  After spending nearly $4000 on both my daughters with Acellus they had to go to our local community college to complete their high school education.
  
  I wouldn't recommend Acellus to ANY parent or student. It's a complete waste of time, money, and effort.

  Business Response

  Date: 07/15/2025

  Our staff looked into this complaint and we have been in communication with the customer. Acellus Academy offers a flexible, self-paced learning model that allows students to study on their own schedule, with credit awarded upon completion of all required assignments and lessons in each course. In this instance, progress toward graduation was affected by extended periods of inactivity in coursework, during which no work was submitted. Our recommendation is that the students complete the remaining coursework needed to graduate. We are working the parent toward this resolution.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:05/29/2025

  Type:Customer Service Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Starting to think the school is a scam. As I have reached out to them many times to obtain my daughter’s academic records and have transferred to her new school. The new school district has also reached out to the school and has not received any response. The main number listed on their website always drops calls and disconnect you immediately. It doesn’t even ring into a representative. I have yet to receive her records after many requests to do so via email requests and their online form subbmission. At this point, my daughter is being asked by the School District to retake all her ninth grade courses because the school has yet to forward therecords of her passing that grade. Which is not fair to a child who worked so hard to complete her school work the first time around.
  If these are not received her options are redo 9th grade or not graduate. This is not acceptable!!

  Business Response

  Date: 05/29/2025

  Our staff looked into this matter and the student referenced in the complaint has never been enrolled in Acellus Academy. It appears that the student utilized Acellus curricula through another school or program. We recommended that the parent contact their school for assistance.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:05/14/2025

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I have 2 High School students currently enrolled in the Acellus Program. My daughter was enrolled in Honors courses through her previous high school, so I continued that path. My son earned mostly D’s, which are ineligible to be transferred to Acellus. As he already knew the material, I chose Honors for his classes also. While unsure exactly what to expect, I knew that if Honors proved too difficult, the courses could be reverted to standard later. This gave me the opportunity to judge the difficulty level of the program with classes that I was confident they would excel in. I knew immediately that Honors mode would be how we would proceed with all future class, given the option. I wanted them to be academically pushed, and was enthralled with the opportunity. As they approached the end of their courses, I “archived” them and we moved on to the next. The goal was simple: save the Final Exam until the end of the “school year” as one would do in a traditional school setting, also giving them the advantage of a refresher before taking the required standardized state testing. Fast forward; the first set of classes didn’t have the “Honors” distinction on their transcript. Weird. Ok, maybe because it wasn’t the final, official copy? Moving on. 7 Honors classes in, & I notice that “Honors” is now on the progress page next to their newly enrolled classes. I theorized that archiving a class removes that distinction and tested it before contacting Acellus to alert them & request correction. Here’s what they tell me: Acellus is refusing to grant them the Honors distinction for any of them, regardless of completed, archived, or active, because they were not continuously enrolled (without ever being archived), even though they completed all of the coursework in Honors. End result: 12 Honors classes, 2 Honors recognitions. 3 weeks of waiting. 0 help. NO WHERE, EVER, is it EVER been stated that consistent enrollment was required for continued enrollment in Honors mode.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 05/23/2025

  This matter has been resolved. I was contacted promptly, and the concerns regarding my children’s honors classes were thoroughly reviewed and addressed. The appropriate procedures were explained to help prevent similar issues in the future, and the staff demonstrated diligent effort to achieve the desired outcomes. I was met with respect in my interactions and am appreciative of the opportunity to have my concerns acknowledged and considered when matters arise.

  
  

  It is an honor to participate in Acellus’ continued development as they design and deploy new courses aimed at expanding the scope of student learning opportunities. I commend their commitment to maintaining a high standard of educational excellence and to safeguarding the integrity of their academic programs.

  
  

  Sincerely,

  Alycia N. Waggoner
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:04/28/2025

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I have tried to contact Acellus for close to a month to get an issue resolved regarding not giving my daughter credit from a previous school (transcript provided and already uploaded), and saying she must take two history classes with Acellus that have already been completed at a previous school and proof sent in by transcript. All I want is for her to get credit for the classes she has already taken so that I can apply for her diploma. Have even unable to reach a live person or get a responding phone call to resolve the issue. She is going to college in the fall and needs the diploma for her scholarships and to finish enrollment. She has completed all required courses. I just need to speak with someone who can help me solve the issue.

  Business Response

  Date: 05/06/2025

  Our staff contacted the customer and cleared up the misunderstanding regarding imported credits. We are happy to provide any additional assistance as needed. 
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:04/23/2025

  Type:Order Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Summary of Complaint:
  
  I enrolled my son, a senior at Asellus Academy, and paid a $100 graduation fee after being told he was eligible to graduate. We had 11 credits transferred from his prior schools, but only 5.5 credits are being reflected in his account without explanation. I have requested a full breakdown of his credit status and an explanation of what happened to the missing credits but have not received a clear response.
  
  Additionally, I paid $79 early for his tuition on April 5 (before the April 27 due date), yet Asellus is now demanding an additional $89 “reactivation fee” without clarification. I’ve already paid for graduation and tuition, and now I’m being asked for more money under unclear circumstances, with no diploma provided.
  
  I am requesting either:
  • A full explanation of the missing credits and graduation timeline, or
  • A refund of the $100 graduation fee and a halt on unjustified charges.
  
  This feels deceptive and potentially exploitative, and I am seeking a fair resolution.

  Business Response

  Date: 04/29/2025

  Thank you for forwarding this complaint. Our staff has been in communication with the customer and we were able to work toward a resolution.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:03/18/2025

  Type:Customer Service Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  My son is involved with this company.
  He is on the scholarship program and has a video to watch every week.
  Back in Nov 2024 I notified them that the proof of video class hadnt been showing up in my portal. Today march 18th I recieved an email that his scholarship is now under review as there claiming he isn't watching the videos.
  I sit with him when he watches them every week. He signs into his account ,goes to the new video and watches it. Then he asks a question and or comments on it and hits submit.
  The lady I talked to was extremely rude and kept trying to claim my son isn't watching the videos.
  I today since he had the new video to watch videoed him log in to his portal and go to the video ,he watched the video made a comment that stated that's awesome and hit submit.
  And yet again doesn't show up in my parent portal. There are 2 video proofs in my portal out of 5 months worth of weekly videos. I tried to call yet again no answer after 40 min of being on hold I left a vm and hung up and came here to file this complaint.
  I cannot afford there program without the scholarship (I paid the year all up front) to be threatened by them of him losing he scholarship for something that is a problem on there end is ridiculous. I am not the guy to play these games with. I videoed him today because if I have to take them to court I have proof of what I've been telling them since last Nov.
  I will take them to court if they pull his scholarship for no reason and I have the proof it's on there end not him not doing the fing work

  Customer Answer

  Date: 03/19/2025

  I recieved a call from ******* ** today with acellus and they need to give that man a raise.

  He took 2 and a half hrs out of his day to discuss and go over everything. Fixed the initial issue and walked me through and answered so many questions including some I didn't even know I had 

  I am withdrawing my complaint .

• Initial Complaint

  Date:03/04/2025

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  My daughter finished her classes, got the 24 credits required for graduation. I applied for her graduation, paid $100 for her diploma. 2 weeks later the academy still hasn’t sent her diploma that I paid for and added another class, a class she has already taken through the academy. I’ve called them and they are giving me the run around. My daughter has completed every course on her curriculum that the academy gave her, allowed me to pay for her graduation, and 2 weeks later throws this at me, giving me no answers. I just want my daughter’s rightfully earned diploma.

  Business Response

  Date: 03/11/2025

  Thank you for notifying us of this complaint. At Acellus Academy, we prioritize student success and family satisfaction. Upon review, we found that the student had not met graduation requirements at the time of the complaint. Our support team contacted the customer and worked out a resolution.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 03/11/2025

   
  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  
  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  
  
  ****** ******