Homeschooling High School Resources, Curriculum, and Tips ~ The Organized Homeschooler

Homeschooling high school can feel overwhelming at first. Questions about homeschool transcripts, high school credits, graduation requirements, getting into college, and choosing the right curriculum often leave homeschool parents feeling a little flustered. I definitely felt that way when my oldest was finishing middle school!

Homeschooling high school is much more manageable than it might seem. A little planning and the right information can help you guide your teenager through all four years while creating a personalized education that prepares them for life after high school.

This page brings together everything you need in one place. You’ll find everything I wish I knew before homeschooling high school -planning tools, curriculum recommendations, homeschooling high school tips, and answers to the most common questions homeschool parents ask.

I’ve homeschooled two students all the way through high school and watched them successfully launch into adulthood. They are now full-time college students.

Use the resources below to learn how high school credits work, create free official transcripts, create a 4-year plan, explore curriculum options, understand graduation requirements, and prepare your teen for life after high school.

homeschooling high school resources, curriculum & tips written above a backpack

Homeschooling High School Resource Center

Planning High School

Four-Year High School Planning Guide

Homeschooling high school is a little bit different than homeschooling earlier grade levels. From a technical perspective, you can still choose all of your high schoolers’ classes, but from a practical perspective, you need to be intentional. Homeschooling during the high school years is all about preparing them for life after high school, and the courses taken should reflect that goal.

Not everyone will attend college, and that is okay, but I like to plan courses so that no future doors are closed. Create a plan that will meet the minimum college admission standards in your state. You can find the college admission requirements by looking at the admissions pages of potential colleges. I also like to look at the public school graduation requirements. Homeschoolers generally set their own requirements, but my goal was always to give my children a better education than they would receive in public school, and looking at the requirements enables me to exceed them.

Once you know what is required, you can make a plan for all 4 years. Planning ahead helps you make sure your student earns enough credits to graduate, completes any college entrance requirements, and has time to enjoy extracurricular activities, volunteer activities, or work a part-time job.

This post, Create a Homeschooling High School Plan, will help you organize and plan all of the potential courses. You can always change things, but it really is easier to start with a big picture plan than to take it one year at a time.

High School Plan Download

High School Credit

When you are researching college admission criteria, you will probably see the term ‘high school credit’. A student earns a high school credit at the completion of a course. One high school credit typically equals 120 – 150 hours of work. All of the following count towards the hours:

Reading
Listening to lectures, videos, or educational discussions
Writing papers – the entire writing process counts
Lab work
Projects
Field trips
Internships

You can record and tally hours spent learning each individual subject, but that isn’t the easiest way for parents to determine if work has equaled a high school credit. You can also:

Enroll your student in a course that is advertised as equivalent to one high school credit
Use a traditional high school or college textbook
Require your student to complete the equivalent of 40 – 50 minutes for each subject daily – This will enable your student to meet the 120 – 150 hour guideline in 180 school days.

Dual Enrollment

Dual enrollment is a way for high school students to earn high school credit and college credit simultaneously. The way it works is that the high school student enrolls in college classes, typically at a local community college, completes the coursework like all of the other students, and earns credit towards high school graduation and college graduation. One 3-credit college class is worth 1 high school credit. Every college will vary, but typically dual enrollment is only open to juniors and seniors.

My teens both took dual enrollment classes in our local community college system during their junior and senior years. This gave them a bit of college experience while still living at home.

This option is not right for all high school students. Read 5 Things to Know About Dual Enrollment before you help your teen sign up for the first course.

AP Classes

AP stands for Advanced Placement, a program developed by the College Board. The term is controlled by the College Board, so you cannot label a course as ‘advanced placement’ unless you have successfully passed an audit of the curriculum. AP classes are college-level work, taught in a high school setting. Students who score a high score on the AP Exam may be awarded college credit.

AP classes and AP tests are two separate things. An AP class can only be taught by an approved teacher using an approved curriculum. You may be able to find someone who has completed that process and opens the course to homeschoolers, but it is rare. Students can study for the AP tests using any curriculum or study guide.

AP tests are technically open to anyone, but the tests are administered in public and private high schools. You will have to coordinate testing directly with the school. Each specific AP test is administered on the same day across the country, so you will need to request a test seat as early as possible, ideally at the beginning of the school year.

My high schoolers did not take AP exams. Instead, they earned college credit through dual enrollment.

CLEP Tests

CLEP stands for College-Level Examination Program, another program developed by the College Board. Instead of taking a college course, students demonstrate what they already know by passing a standardized exam. If they earn a high score, participating colleges may award college credit for that subject. Not all colleges will accept CLEP tests, but if they do, it is a quick and affordable way to earn college credit.

To take a CLEP test, study however you choose, sign up at a testing center, and take the appropriate test. Your student will find out if they passed the test as soon as they are finished.

There are a few things to know before choosing to take advantage of CLEP exams:

The exams range in difficulty, with pass rates ranging from 39% to 71%. Here is a ranked list of CLEP exams.
If you use Modern States to prepare for the exam, you can take the tests for free or at a very low cost.
CLEP exams do not count as an annual standardized test if that is required by your state.
CLEP exams are offered year-round.
Anyone, regardless of age or grade, can take CLEP exams.
Anyone younger than 13 can take a CLEP exam, but parents will need to coordinate with the testing facility and register the student.
Your student is in control of the score distribution. If they pass the exam, they can share the results with any colleges they would like, but if they fail the exam, they do not have to share the results.

My daughter took a CLEP exam in 10th grade. At the time, I was unaware that the exams ranked in difficulty and unfortunately signed her up for one of the most difficult tests. That made it more stressful than it needed to be. She missed passing by just a few points. After that, she stuck with earning college credit via dual enrollment. Now that she is a student at a 4-year college, I know that the only CLEP that might have benefited her, in terms of getting credit for a course that is in her degree program requirements, was Introductory Psychology. She really enjoyed that college class though, so I am kind of glad she didn’t CLEP out of it.

One unexpected benefit of taking a CLEP exam was that it gave her experience signing up and taking a test at a test center. Her college administers most exams through their campus test center, and she arrived knowing how to schedule that on her own.

My son chose not to take any CLEP tests because they don’t benefit his 4-year college degree plans.

Graduation Requirements

In the majority of states, homeschool parents set their own high school graduation requirements. From my research, it looks like only New York and Pennsylvania have specific graduation requirements for homeschoolers. If you are enrolled in an umbrella homeschool program, that program may also have graduation requirements.

I live in North Carolina, so as the official homeschool administrator for my family, I set the graduation requirements. To set my requirements, I considered three things:

Local high school graduation requirements
Admission requirements for North Carolina public colleges in the UNC system
Things I personally felt were needed.

I decided to require:

4 English credits
4 Math credits
4 History credits
4 Science credits
2 Science lab credits
3 Foreign language credits
1 Physical education credit
1 Fine arts credit
0.5 Personal finance credit
1 Home economics or cooking credit
At least one elective every year
At least one dual enrollment class

The advantage homeschool parents have when setting graduation requirements is that we are setting requirements for specific students who we know and love. I chose to require a fairly rigorous high school program because I knew they could handle it.

Unless your state requires you to submit homeschool graduation requirements, you can always change them if needed.

Transcript vs. Diploma

A transcript and a diploma are two different documents. A transcript is the official record of your high schooler’s completed courses and grades. A diploma is a certificate that you give to your high schooler when they complete high school and graduate. If they graduate from your homeschool, they need to have both.

As the homeschool administrator, it is your job to create your student’s transcript. A high school transcript is a one-page document that summarizes your student’s high school academic record. It gives colleges, employers, scholarship committees, and other organizations a clear picture of what your student accomplished during high school. There is no requirement for the transcript to come from an accredited school in order to be considered valid. Did you know that many private schools are not accredited? No one questions their ability to give transcripts, and no one should question your ability either. If you are following your state homeschool laws correctly, the high school transcript you create is valid.

Creating a transcript does not need to be complicated. This transcript guide will help you create a free official homeschool transcript with Google Docs. My children have used their transcripts to apply to multiple colleges without any difficulty. You can also pay companies to create one for you.

I recommend starting the transcript when your student begins taking high school courses and updating it at the end of every school year. Do not wait until the end of high school to create the homeschool transcript. Your high schooler may need a transcript during the high school years if they transfer to a public or private school or dual enroll.

The high school transcript is important and needs to be protected. When my students were in high school, I gave my husband editing access through Google Docs. I also printed out a copy and put it in our fire-safe box each time I updated it. I did this so that if anything happened to my husband or to me, family would be able to access my teens’ transcripts. They wouldn’t have to try to remember the courses and final grades, potentially years later, while in a state of grief. Not a fun thought, but important. After graduation, I gave my teens viewing, not editing, access to the Google Doc so they could send a copy whenever they needed.

A homeschool high school diploma is basically just like a public school diploma. You order it and then present it to your student upon completion of high school. I wanted a diploma that looked similar to a traditional school diploma, so I chose to order both of our homeschool diplomas from HomeschoolDiploma.com. You can customize the key info, visual elements, paper, wording, and diploma cover. While a transcript is needed for college admission, a diploma is sometimes required. When I filed homeschool paperwork in Virginia and North Carolina, I had to submit a photo of my diploma.

Calculating GPA

Calculating a high school grade point average, G.P.A., is not difficult if you know the basic scale. High school credits are weighed on a 4-point scale:

A = 4.0
B = 3.0
C = 2.0
D = 1.0
F – 0.0

If a student has only taken high school-level coursework, simply assign the above appropriate points for each course grade and then divide by the number of credits. Each high school course is worth one credit. As an example, if a student finishes their freshman year with 4 As and 2 Bs, the math would be (4×4)+(2×3)=20, 20/6=3.33. In that example, the student’s GPA would be 3.33.

College-level or AP courses are weighed on a 5-point scale:

A = 5.0
B = 4.0
C = 3.0
D = 2.0
F = 0.0

Some school administrators give partial credit for a + or a -. For example, some students earn a 4.3 for a college-level course B+. I chose to use the above scale, but ultimately it doesn’t matter as long as you are consistent. The weighted (5.0 scale) and unweighted (4.0 scale) will both be listed on the high school transcript. Every college will recalculate the GPA in their preferred scale.

If you do not want to do the math yourself, you can use an online GPA calculator. Once my kids started earning college credit, I always calculated the GPA myself and then checked it with an online calculator.

High School Curriculum and Resources

English

High school English courses typically cover reading, comprehension, writing, grammar, and vocabulary. There is not a single standard course of study for high school English courses, so you have a lot of flexibility in choosing English curriculum.

I like Literary Adventures for Kids high school courses because they combine the different English learning strands.

You can also combine resources to create a complete course.

Math

Math courses follow a standard course of study. Colleges typically want to see at least one course beyond Algebra 2, but you get to set your requirements based on your specific student and their goals. Courses such as consumer math and personal finance generally count as electives, not math courses.

Algebra 1
Geometry
Algebra 2
Pre-Calculus
Calculus 1

High School Math curriculum options include:

My students used Math U See through pre-calculus. My daughter graduated after pre-calculus. My son learned pre-calculus at home and then took Calculus 1 and Calculus 2 through dual-enrollment.

Science

Typically, high school students study a few common science topics to prepare them for college-level science.

Physical science (physics, chemistry, or physical science)
Biology
Earth/environmental science

High schoolers generally need at least one high school science lab credit too. My kids used the virtual biology lab course and virtual chemistry lab course from Kristin Moon Science. My students learned so much from Dr. Moon. She gave them a more comprehensive high school lab experience than I could have given them on my own. I paired her lab courses with science textbooks. We used a mix of textbooks purchased on Amazon and free online textbooks from OpenStax.com. Kristin Moon Science is running a Summer Sale! Save 20% on one self-paced course – including the virtual biology lab or virtual chemistry lab with the code Summer20!, now through September 7, 2026.

History

The traditional high school history or social studies courses include:

United States History
World History
US Government and Civics

We used a combination of textbooks, videos, and other resources to teach high school history.

High School Electives

High school electives allow students to explore their interests, develop practical skills, and personalize their education beyond the standard core academic courses. Homeschoolers have the flexibility to choose electives that include career exploration, the arts, technology, life skills, or deeper study in a favorite subject.

Popular high school electives include:

Psychology
Painting
Digital art
Theater
Music classes
Foreign language
Coding
Graphic design
Robotics
Personal finance
Home economics
Child development
Automotive repair
Creative writing
Anatomy
Marine biology

Electives are a great way to explore potential careers.

My daughter has always known that she wants to work with children, so she took classes that supported her goal. Ultimately, she wants to be a children’s librarian. In addition to other electives, she took child development, library science, and psychology in high school. I wanted her to have exposure to those classes early to judge interest. I wanted to know that she actually enjoyed the subject, not just conceptually enjoyed it, before paying college tuition.

My son gravitates towards studying technology. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to get a college degree in computer science or engineering, so he took classes in both during his high school years. My husband has a computer science degree and experience in the field, so he taught him coding, artificial intelligence, data science, computer system design, chemical engineering, and molecular biology. He created most of the lessons himself, but he utilized the Open Courseware program from MIT for Intro to Chemical Engineering and Molecular Biology.

Simple Guide to High School Electives

Homeschool Graduation

Homeschool graduation is a special milestone that celebrates years of hard work, for both the student and the parents. Families have many options for celebrating this important event. I have many homeschool friends, and graduation looked different for each of our families. Options include:

Walk across a stage with a large number of homeschool graduates – This typically occurs during state homeschool conferences.
Graduation ceremony with a co-op
Small graduation ceremony with a few families
Graduation ceremony with just your family and friends

Regardless of which option you choose, your graduate can still have the cap and gown experience. We ordered cap and gowns from Amazon.

My kids opted to have their homeschool graduation ceremony in our living room with just family and their friends. I wrote all about my daughter’s homeschool high school graduation a few years ago. I shared how we handled senior photos, graduation announcements, the ceremony, and the party. My son did not want any extra attention and did not want anything special. We compromised by requiring him to take senior photos, wear a cap and gown, and have a short ceremony in our living room with grandparents present, but letting him skip inviting other friends and family or hosting a party.

Life After High School

Life after homeschooling high school looks different for everyone. Some teens enter the workforce, join the military, attend a trade school, or go to college.

Homeschool graduates can join the military just like students who graduate from a traditional public or private high school. A homeschool graduate who scores at least 50 on the Armed Forces Qualification Test is viewed as Tier 1, equivalent to public school high school graduates. If your homeschooler wants to join the military after graduation, they should consider talking with a recruiter as early as possible.

Trade schools, also called vocational schools or career and technical schools, focus on hands-on training that prepares students for specific careers. Programs may take less time to complete than a traditional college degree, allowing students to begin working in their chosen field sooner. Possible trade school options include:

HVAC
Electrical
Plumbing
Cosmetology
Truck driving
Medical coding

TradeColleges.org can help you find and compare trade programs.

Homeschool students who apply to college follow the same procedure as their public school peers. If they go to a community college after high school graduation, applying is typically as straightforward as confirming residency, sending official transcripts, and registering for classes.

If they want to go to a 4-year college right after high school graduation, they will likely apply through Common App. They will complete the same steps as other students: complete the application, upload essays, upload test scores (if they have them), submit a copy of their transcript, and answer questions about their extracurriculars.

You, as the homeschool administrator, have a different role than parents who utilize traditional schools. You will need to act as the official representative for your homeschool. Lisa, at Fearless Homeschoolers, has a fantastic resource about how to navigate Common App as a homeschool family.

My kids chose to continue taking classes at our local community college after high school graduation.

Homeschooling High School Tips

1. Start with the end in mind. The high school years go fast, so it is helpful to have a flexible plan before beginning.

2. Teach life skills in addition to academic skills. One of the best things I did during high school was teach my teens to cook. Once they had completed a personalized cooking course, they were responsible for planning and cooking one dinner per week.

3. Keep good records. At a minimum, you need to keep your student’s transcripts updated. Depending on their post-high school goals, you may also want to create course descriptions each year.

4. Let teens manage their schedule. Learning to effectively schedule time for classes, studying, assignments, and social activities is a skill. I gave my teens a list of their weekly assignments every Sunday night, with everything due by Friday at 4:00 pm.

5. Take a trip. Obviously, there are a lot of factors surrounding the feasability of this tip, but if you can manage to take a trip during the high school years, do it. Once students begin taking dual credit classes, a lot of the calendar flexibility that homeschool families enjoy vanishes.

Frequently Asked Questions About Homeschooling High School

Can homeschoolers get into college?

Yes, homeschool graduates are evaluated by the same criteria as their traditionally educated peers. Some colleges are not test-optional for homeschool students, but that practice seems to be becoming rarer.

Do homeschoolers receive diplomas?

Yes, homeschool students receive diplomas from their homeschool administrator. That might be from their parents or an umbrella program, depending on state laws.

Do homeschoolers need to get a GED?

No. A GED is for people who do not complete a high school program. A homeschooler who completes all of the graduation requirements and follows the homeschool laws for their state has a valid diploma.

What about prom?

Just like in a traditional high school, some students want to go to prom, and others don’t. Homeschoolers are generally unable to attend public high school prom unless they are a guest of a student. However, many homeschool co-ops host prom and other social events. In my area, near Raleigh, North Carolina, I always saw prom events advertised in local homeschool Facebook groups.

Do you need to use an accredited program?

No. Homeschooled students do not need to use an accredited program. Individual curricula are not eligible for accreditation. Accreditation is only granted to schools or complete educational programs.

How do you teach advanced subjects?

Homeschool parents teach advanced subjects by outsourcing. This might mean using a curriculum that provides plenty of parental support, enrolling your student in a class that is taught by an expert, choosing online courses, or signing your student up for a dual enrollment course.

I used a mix of those techniques while homeschooling high school:

Math U See includes videos of a math teacher teaching a class and a thorough teacher’s guide
Dr. Moon was a microbiologist before homeschooling her own children, so she was a fantastic teacher for our biology and chemistry labs
I chose a personal finance curriculum that was written by an accountant
My high schoolers took several dual enrollment courses

How do high schoolers graduate with a GPA over 4.0?

Students who graduate with a GPA over 4.0 have done very well in AP courses or dual enrollment courses.

What happens if a high school homeschooler wants to return to public school?

If a high school student meets the age and residency requirements, their local high school is legally required to accept them. However, it is up to the school administrators to determine whether they will award credit for classes taken at home. In some cases, the school will review your student’s transcript, course descriptions, grades, and any supporting documentation before deciding which credits will transfer. Some schools accept homeschool credits as documented, while others may require placement tests, additional records, or enrollment in certain courses before awarding credit.

If you think there is even a small chance your student may return to public school, contact your local school district before withdrawing or while planning your homeschool program. Understanding the district’s transfer policies ahead of time can help prevent surprises and ensure your student stays on track for graduation. If a homeschool credit is accepted, it is generally graded as ‘passed’ and will not impact the GPA of courses taken in the traditional school.

How many hours a day does it take to homeschool high school?

This question requires a bit of math. High school students generally have a minimum of 24 credits to graduate. That is a minimum of 6 credits a year. One high school credit requires 120 – 150 hours of work. Most school calendars are 180 days long. 6 x 120 = 720. 720/180 = 4. The math reveals that high schoolers need to do at least 4 hours of schoolwork for 180 days a year to graduate in 4 years.

My high schoolers had a larger course load each year, so they spent about 6 hours on schoolwork their freshman and sophomore years. They began dual enrollment their junior year and began spending about 8 hours a day studying and completing assignments.

Update on my Homeschooled High Schoolers

I have been blogging on this site for a long time. Many readers followed my children’s progress as I shared our annual homeschool plans. And then, at a certain point, I stopped sharing as much. Life was overwhelming and crazy for a while. My husband taught our son during his last two years of homeschooling, and it was hard to share plans that I didn’t create and that he couldn’t explain in a way that could be helpful for anyone else.

Now, both of my children have graduated from my homeschool. High school was challenging in ways I didn’t expect. The teaching was easy; it was the life aspects that were difficult.

For my oldest, her homeschooling high school experience was impacted first by worldwide closures in 2020. Her co-op classes were suddenly cancelled, and she had to finish the rest of the year completely at home. Shortly after, she began experiencing concerning health issues, and she was diagnosed with dysautonomia. I have never been so thankful for homeschooling as I was when she was frequently, suddenly, and randomly passing out multiple times a day. It helped both of us that the fainting spells typically happened at home near family equipped to help her instead of in a crowded school hallway. Despite the world events and health issues, she enjoyed her homeschooling high school experience. She took classes that well prepared her for her chosen career.

In her senior year, the dysautonomia was not well controlled (it took a while to figure out the best management protocol). Due to this, she decided to live at home and continue classes at our local community college. Her health continued to deteriorate, and we almost lost her when she developed another health condition. Thankfully, by the time she turned 20, her health was improving. After community college, she was accepted to a 4-year college in North Carolina. She lives in an apartment near campus and is enjoying her classes. Next year she will graduate with a bachelor’s degree in early elementary education. Then she will complete training and student teaching to obtain her elementary teaching license. She plans to go back for a master’s degree in library science after teaching in a classroom for a few years.

For my youngest, homeschooling high school was somewhat impacted by having a very ill sister. I suddenly went back to classroom teaching during his junior and senior years to make sure that she had the best health insurance possible. I think that worked out well for him, though, because my husband is the advanced math and engineering parent. He did a fantastic job homeschooling. My son took challenging courses and excelled. He took dual enrollment courses during his junior and senior years, both in person and online.

He graduated in May and will be living at home and continuing his studies at our local community college for one more year. Then he plans to transfer to a public NC college and major in mechanical engineering.

After each child graduated, I asked them if they had any homeschool regrets or things they would have changed. My daughter said that she had a great experience and she wouldn’t change anything. My son immediately said he wished he had participated in more social activities. He participated in our church youth group, a robotics class, and dual enrollment classes. I also offered additional social opportunities each year, and he wasn’t interested, but now I do wish I had forced him to participate in more. I think it is good that he was able to honestly reflect on his high school experience. If he truly wishes he had participated in social groups or clubs, he now knows that about himself and can find those opportunities in college.

I wrote and rewrote that section so many times. I want to be honest about our family homeschooling high school experience in a way that protects my teens’ privacy. I don’t know how helpful it is for anyone to read about our experience, but hopefully it shows that homeschooling high school worked out for my students.

I hope this page helps you feel confident about homeschooling high school.

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