- Home/ High School Information / Curriculum /
- Absolute Beginner’s Guide To Homeschooling High School/
Absolute Beginner’s Guide To Homeschooling High School
Absolute Beginner’s Guide To Homeschooling High School
The majority of families who choose to homeschool through the high school years have been doing it for a while. They are seasoned professionals at all this “homeschooling stuff” and don’t need much guidance beyond curriculum ideas and perhaps some advice on post-graduation options. Covid-19 has resulted in a lot more parents having to take on homeschooling, some by choice and others due to school closings during the pandemic that our current society is dealing with. Homeschooling most likely has never been on these particular parents radar, ever! These families will of course be wondering how to start homeschooling today! Hopefully they will soon discover the many benefits that go along with a home education including being able to provide their student with a more customizable education plan.
For whatever reason, you have landed here because as a student or parent, you are considering the idea of homeschooling in high school. And you might just be a little overwhelmed.
As a new homeschool family you will naturally have many questions that need answered!
On this page, you’ll find answers to these questions:
- How do I start homeschooling my teen and what are the high school homeschool requirements?
- Is homeschooling a good idea for high school?
- What are the best homeschool programs for high school and is it possible to homeschool high school for free?
- What are the Homeschool High School Pros and Cons
- What about “socialization”?
- Can my homeschool student participate in sports?
- What does a typical homeschool day look like?
How do I start homeschooling my teen and what are the high school homeschool requirements?
If homeschooling is the next step in your high school student’s education then there are a few steps you will need to take to get started.
- Research your state homeschooling laws and comply with any regulations that apply to starting homeschool and homeschool record-keeping. (If you are going the route of virtual schooling, homeschool laws will not apply to you, but you will definitely want to closely follow all the guidelines of your particular charter)
- Take some time to research the different homeschooling styles and curricula. Read reviews, ask questions on the LetsHomeschoolHighschool.com forums, and pick a program or mix of programs that best suit the student. Don’t purchase anything until you feel fairly certain that the curriculum is matched well with your learning style and your budget.
- Make a plan. Use the multitude of resources available at LetsHSHS.com and other sites to chart out what you hope to accomplish in your first year of homeschooling, what types of records you will need to keep, how you will track your progress, and how to best meet your educational goals.
- Find local resources. Explore everything that your local and regional area has to offer a homeschooler: support groups, learning cooperatives, out-sourced courses and electives, homeschool athletic leagues, community service options, meet-ups, field trips, internships, and dual enrollment opportunities. And then GET INVOLVED!
- Track your progress. One of the most important things to do from the time you begin to homeschool is to keep great records of what you are accomplishing. Keep a transcript of all the coursework you complete. Give each finished course an appropriate credit. If you attend an online school, especially one that administers diplomas, then they may take care of the record-keeping for you, but otherwise, the record-keeping is completely up to the parents and student.
View all the LetsHsHs.com planning resources
Is homeschooling a good idea for high school?
Homeschooling in high school is a legal, viable and now, quite respected, educational alternative to attending a public, private, or charter school. Any student in the United States who wants to get their education at home can do just that. Parents, while ultimately responsible for all homeschooling decisions, can collaborate with their teens to create the best homeschool experience possible.
What are the best homeschool programs for high school?
Here are some of the main avenues most homeschooling high schoolers take:
Schooling at Home With a Virtual Online School
- Virtual schooling relies on the internet to provide a formal educational experience to students but without them physically attending the school. Virtual schooling can be provided by public or private schools from several different sources in ways that can be confusing.
- There are some more wrinkles to understanding virtual schools. Many of the virtual schools have supplier relationships with each other where they use each other’s materials. Of course, there is no reason as a parent that you have to understand all the supplier relationships, you just need to know that there are many choices and many of them use the same materials.
- There are also blended versions of virtual schooling. For instance, many regular schools provide courses to students using virtual courses. And some virtual schools or courses require some physical attendance at the school.
- This type of schooling is most appropriate for families where at least one parent will be available to help with planning, choosing curriculum, grading, record-keeping, and making sure that all work is completed in a timely manner. The advantage of this type of schooling is that it can be completely customized to the student and the student’s schedule. The main disadvantage is that it is not free.
- This type of schooling is a good option for students whose parents have to work a lot and would be left to school somewhat independently a good deal of the time. But this is only true if the student is responsible, focused, and determined to succeed at school. This option is NOT a good fit for students who are always needing to be prodded to finish their schoolwork, don’t have an internal motivation to learn, or are easily distracted.
- If you are interested in virtual schooling for high school, see if virtual high schooling is available in your state, and then browse our online high school directory (filter by your own state) for links and more info on each one.
Schooling at Home With A Homeschool Curriculum
- The more “traditional” homeschooling style for high school is actually overseen by the parents themselves and includes either a single curriculum or a mix of different curricula. Homeschool curricula is available in many different formats including online courses and resources, local homeschool cooperatives or classes, textbooks, workbooks, literature-based studies, and hands-on projects. Usually, parents and students will research types, styles, and prices of different curricula, and then will collaborate together to pick and purchase the best programs for the subjects needed.
- When using traditional homeschooling, another resource to look into is the possibility of dual enrollment. If you live in a state where dual enrollment is available, it can be a source of great academic instruction and overall savings because the student earns both high school AND college credit by taking eligible courses at participating institutions.
Browse our high school homeschool curriculum directory
Explore dual enrollment options in your state
Unschooling, or “Interest-Led Learning”
- A third type of homeschool approach is becoming quite popular with long-time homeschooling families, but those new to homeschooling might be daunted or confused by how different it is from traditional classroom education. It is called “unschooling” or “interest-led learning” and it is based upon the idea that students should not follow a curriculum proposed and designed for mass education, but instead should allow the student to follow their own learning path based on their personal strengths and interests.
- Made popular by authors such as John Holt and Grace Llewellyn, unschooling is based on the idea that children and teens have an innate desire to learn, and that if they are allowed to follow their natural curiosities, they can create a successful educational journey for themselves without the aid of a specific curriculum. For more information on unschooling, check out the unschooling articles at LetsHomeschoolHighschool.com or read the “Teenage Liberation Handbook” by Grace Llewellyn.
A Mix-and-Match Approach
If none of the above schooling options seems to completely “fit” your family, the good news is that you don’t have to choose just one. Many families opt for an eclectic blend of several different types of high school homeschooling. Mixing things up may be the perfect choice for your family.
- A student may use an online homeschool curriculum for math, attend a dual-enrollment course at their local community college for science, attend a homeschool co-operative for history, meet with a dedicated tutor for English, and round out their physical education options by participating in a private school athletic team which is open to homeschoolers.
- That’s the awesome benefit of a homeschool education – – it can be completely customized to fit your personality, schedule, availability, and interests. And most homeschoolers discover that they strongly benefit from a diverse blend of education options.
What are the homeschool high school pros and cons?
Most people think of the pros and cons with homeschooling in high school as things like not being able to go to prom and not being able to socialize with your friend. Of course, we seasoned homeschoolers know that’s not true. But then what are the pros and cons of homeschooling?
Pros:
- You’re able to work on your time. If you have a sports practice every afternoon at three, you can do your schoolwork in the morning and be done in time for practice. Or you can do it after practice if you want. It’s all up to you.
- You’re free from bad influences. I’m sure you’ve noticed by now that in school you’re around a lot of bad influences. I won’t delve into details, but it’s better to distance yourself from those influences.
- You can excel faster or take your time on something. In public school, you’re forced to work along with the class you’re in. If that means that you don’t understand something, they won’t stop to work on something– they’re going to continue on. And if you excel at that subject, you can’t continue on with your studies because you need to wait on the rest of the class.
Cons:
- You might not see your friends every day. I know, it sounds horrible. However, I’ve noticed that seeing your friends after a week apart seems to be more special than when you see them every day. This doesn’t mean you can’t talk on the phone with them every day. Believe me, I do that a lot.
- You can’t participate in school activities. Sometimes school districts will allow you to participate in school sports teams, but if you’re not in one of those districts, that means you can’t be on the varsity sports teams (by mayra). That’s why I quit soccer and cheer (which I still love and do in my leisurely time). There are some homeschool sports teams out there though, so look for them!
- You might not be able to find some of your activities. It’s not that likely, especially considering how much the homeschooling world has grown in the past few years, but you may not be able to find your Doctor Who fan clubs or other things you may be interested in. Make sure to look on Yahoo Groups for these types of things, or try to do an online club if possible. It’s not the end of the world!
What About “Socialization”?
You may have heard differently but keep in mind that homeschool isn’t an isolation booth. The stereotype of homeschoolers who spend all their waking hours sequestered in their homes is a myth. If anything, homeschoolers have the opportunity to be even more involved in outside events in their communities than traditionally schooled students. The trend toward hybrid homeschooling means that in today’s world a homeschooler has to actually make time to BE HOME. Homeschool co-ops, outside classes, community service opportunities, and multiple clubs and organizations open to homeschoolers are available to almost any teen who wants to be involved. If you want to be isolated as a homeschooler, you can be, but if you are open to new ways of socializing, then you might be surprised just how much interaction homeschooling offers.
Find out more about homeschooling and socialization
Can My Homeschool Student Participate in Sports?
If your homeschoolers are athletic, or interested in having a shot at any athletic scholarships, then you probably have had some experience with trying to get them involved in athletic leagues.
Homeschoolers Playing in the Public School System
- Can your homeschooler play sports with your local public school? That question isn’t as easily answered as one might think. A handful of states do have a simple yes or no answer. For instance, in Oklahoma (the only state that actually has a constitutional provision guaranteeing the right to homeschool), homeschoolers cannot play in the public school system. On the other hand, in Massachusetts (where the state is much more involved in your day-to-day homeschooling), homeschoolers can play in the public school system, provided they stay in compliance with the state’s homeschooling laws.
- The majority of states take the stance that “it’s up to each individual school district.” What that means is you pretty much have to just ask if they’ll let your homeschooler try out for any high school athletic teams.
What Happens When Public Schools Say “No?”
- This happened to us. Our state has an “up to the school district” take on sports. My son had been playing soccer in the local recreation department for 10 years. He’s very good at it, and everybody in the county knows him and how he plays. Unfortunately, none of that mattered when he aged out of the recreation department and we approached the high school to ask if they would allow him to try out. We were met with an unapologetic and emphatic “nope.”
- So, what then…what were our options? What would your options be if that happens to you? There is hope! While not all states have established homeschooling athletic leagues, many of them do. A good number of these leagues allow participation with private schools, which makes for larger teams and more options for traveling play.
Remember those scholarships I mentioned at the beginning? Well, believe it or not, college scouts DO attend some homeschool league team events, looking for athletes! Even if they don’t come out of their own volition, some (especially homeschool-friendly colleges), will send a scout out if asked.
If you’re unsure about your state laws concerning sports, or you want to find out more about these homeschool athletic leagues, you’re in luck. Let’s Homeschool Highschool has a terrific resource: High School Homeschool Athletic Info by State, your one stop directory to individual state sports laws AND links to homeschool athletic leagues in those states that have them!
What Does a Typical Homeschool Day Look Like?
If you’ve been educated in a classroom for most or all of your school life, then it is probably tough to picture what a homeschool day might look like. If that’s the case, you might enjoy meeting “Sadie.”
- Sadie is a homeschooling 10th grader, and this is her second year of homeschooling, so she is a “pro” at it by now, of course. Sadie happens to be a night owl, in a family of night owls, so homeschooling works out extremely well for her circadian rhythms. She doesn’t usually touch her toes to the floor before 10:30 a.m. on weekdays. Closer to noon on weekends. But when she does get up, she has learned that she likes to get her least favorite coursework over first. As she shovels in milk-soaked wheat puffs, she studies her previous day’s chemistry for her daily quiz. Her mom has usually printed it out the night before and left it for her on the living room coffee table. Unlike many teens, she can’t concentrate and listen to music at the same time, so she finishes her quiz and THEN turns on Pandora at full blast.
- It doesn’t take much concentration to browse her online assignment list for English and psychology, so before lunchtime, Sadie has rocked out and knocked out the better part of three subjects – – although she’s decided to save today’s chemistry reading for the evening, when she’s expected to go to the gym to watch her younger brother’s basketball game. Even chemistry is better than watching twelve sweaty middle schooler’s run up and down a court.
- After lunch, Sadie gives herself an hour to catch up on some tv she’s saved to the DVR, and then it’s time to work a while on her literature report. Plus, today is Thursday, which means she’ll be headed to homeschool art class at the community center at 3:30. Sadie is passionate about art, so Tuesdays and Thursdays afternoons at art class are something she definitely looks forward to. Especially since her good friend Kara is also in the class.
- The afternoon and evening are spent mostly taxiing between classes, errands, and the gym, but being a night owl, Sadie is used to leaving the rest of her school work until the wee hours. Some of her best work is done after 10pm at night, so she’s perfectly fine with leaving Geometry and U.S. History till then. Plus, most of her friends are on Skype by that time, so she can chat off and on as she completes her work. By 2 a.m., Sadie has finished most everything she hoped to, including a pen-and-ink she’s been working on for the last week. She drops into bed, thankful to be homeschooling because it fits her personality, her schedule, and her life!
- Sadie’s day is obviously just one example in a million. Some homeschoolers are early birds who get up early and finish their entire course-load before lunchtime in order to practice basketball the rest of the day. Some spend their mornings drawing manga and doing yoga and don’t touch their school work until the afternoon. Some are taking three dual-enrollment courses at the local community college during the week and saving most of their regular homeschool work for the weekend. The similarity that all homeschoolers share, though? They are able to be flexible with their scheduling, their curriculum, and their way of learning. Flexibility and customization are the key advantages of homeschooling.
Explore other homeschoolers’ days via our homeschool student blogroll
This guide is to get you past that point of intimidation and help get you on the road to getting started homeschooling, whatever your initial reason for starting might be. Now it’s time to sit back for a moment and let it all sink in. You are now officially a homeschooler! What are you going to do with this amazing opportunity, and how is it going to improve and enrich your life? Welcome to homeschooling! If you have more questions about homeschooling high school, we suggest checking out our FAQ, which address most of the concerns and questions that parents and students have when making this important decision.
About Kerry
Kerry Jones is a guest author at LetsHomeschoolHighschool.com and the admin of the web's largest community for secular homeschoolers, SecularHomeschool.com., She is a "homeschooling alumnus", having graduated both sons who were each homeschooled from kindergarten. You can follow Kerry on Google Plus by adding her to your circles.
February 24, 2013
Hi Cody, I'm sure that it is difficult for you to do both. Homeschooling is a great way to accomplish that, though. A self-paced course of study might be good to try. Have you checked out www.time4learning.com? It's a very easy to use high school program that is flexible, affordable, and tracks your grades. You will need to create your own homeschool transcripts and record your grades as you finish your courses. If you need help on that - we've got several pages dedicated to transcripts as well! Wish you the best of luck.
My name is Cody Blanton I am in the 11th and I'm a daddy I need to work and have school.
After struggling with ninth grade in a public school setting, I've decided to withdraw my child and homeschool instead. For a short time while we lived aboard a sailboat, I taught both kids in grade school, which seemed so easy at the time. My elder daughter flourished in the traditional high school setting after that experience, and is now heading to college in the fall. My younger daughter has had health problems this year that have seriously affected her attendance and had difficulty catching up. What's more, the traditional approach to teaching only seems to confuse and demoralize her. She feels like a complete failure, despite being extremely intelligent and testing well on standardized tests previously. I feel that homeschooling will help her build confidence and learn at her own pace, instead of, say, covering the American Revolution for the fifth time, she could be learning about world history and culture. I'm very thankful to have found this site, especially as teaching mathematics is difficult for me. The thought of getting myself organized and prepared for the fall was daunting before, but after looking through some of the sample curriculum here, I feel much more confident about handling her education myself now. :)
Thank you
Ann,
We don't have this guide in a pdf right now... but you are more than welcome to print the webpage for your personal reference.
Is this guide information in a printable format (*.pdf or Word)?
Most parents are hesitant to do homeschooling because of the time involved, the record keeping, finding lesson plans, and perhaps having to deal with school authorities. And they don't know the subjects. As you mention, students at home need to be very disciplined to stay the course. If so many things can go wrong, it's best to sign up the child with an accredited online high school that provides live classes, videos, textbooks, and downloads to keep the student interested and on a firm path/schedule. A personal mentor that the online school can provide would help the parent a lot. It also solves the record keeping problem. I wrote a few articles about this in the website I'm referencing above.
Sherri,
Thanks for your comment! Virtual schooling at home is becoming one of the fastest growing schooling options among high schoolers looking for alternative educational options. We'll be adding several new articles and even a new virtual school directory to the site in the coming months. Stay tuned!
I just want to thank you for including the option of public school online high school.... that is something that most homeschoolers will bash and criticize rather than promoting as an actual option. I do appreciate the fact that you included that as one of a series of options for high school at home.