Homeschooling the High School Student

Homeschooling might feel like all fun and games in the elementary years, but once a student reaches high school, you might wonder: what’s next?  Are you effectively preparing your son or daughter for college?  Are you even cut out for the job of preparing a transcript and meeting all the requirements for college applications? Relax. Many had gone before you and succeeded. You can do this!

In fact, homeschoolers have found great success transitioning from high school to college. Homeschooled students who go to college are more likely to score higher in exams and stay in school longer. One study showed that 67% of homeschooled students graduated from college, compared to 59% from public schools. Additionally, homeschooled students had an average ACT score of 25, with public school students receiving an average score of 14.7.

Homeschooled high schoolers are built for success! You can rest assured that homeschooled students are just as capable as students in a non-homeschool setting, if not more. However, there are a few factors to be extra conscientious about during the high school years.

Start With the Future

Start by considering what your child is most likely to do after high school. Will he or she attend college or opt for a vocational pathway? If your child knows he or she wants to be a chef, his or her plans will be different than those heading for an Ivy League university. If your child plans to go to college after graduation, their studies during the high school years aren’t quite as flexible. Most colleges have specific standards for course requirements, volunteer hours, and high school course credit hours. Are there particular universities or colleges you think your child will consider? If so, take a look at what courses those schools will require. This doesn’t mean you can’t change or adjust, but you should know about those requirements now, not during senior year.

Don’t make the mistake of immediately putting pressure on your high schooler in the ninth or tenth grade. Not everyone knows right away what they want to be or where they want to go. Help your child unfold their interests as they experience high school, and make sure you know the requirements needed for whatever fork in the road they will meet.

Craft Your Curriculum

Once you have an idea of your child’s plans, it’s time to prepare your high school curriculum for all four years. This doesn’t mean you can’t adjust, but you need a full plan, so you don’t realize you missed something during your child’s last year of high school. If you’re looking for a simple way to make sure you’ve covered all the course and credit requirements your child will need, check your state requirements. In fact, before you begin your curriculum plans, you’ll need to determine whether or not you are required to meet state requirements in your homeschool. If homeschooling is highly regulated in your state, you might be required to meet or exceed state standards for your child to receive a high school diploma.

You’ll need to cover the core subjects during your child’s high school years. Generally speaking, high school students need to take English, Math, a science each year, and history each year to cover core requirements. You can use a set curriculum to meet these needs, or you can opt to take classes from a source that will give you college or high school credit to build your transcript. Next, choose electives. Again, if there are subjects or areas your child would like to study after graduation, you can opt to add some electives that meet those interests. For example, if your child wants to study music in college, it makes sense to add music electives to his or her curriculum.

Finally, remember that many colleges and universities accept CLEP exams, which allow a student to test out of certain college courses to receive a degree more quickly. If your child is interested in CLEP exams, they can check at the CLEP website to see if the college they want to attend accepts testing.

Consider AP and Dual Enrollment Courses

One way to build an impressive transcript and get a jumpstart on earning college credits is by taking AP classes and through dual enrollment. If you’re looking for AP classes for your child, several homeschool programs allow your child to enroll in online AP classes. A quick search on Anything Academic provides a list of programs that are specifically curated for your student.

Additionally, you can have your child enroll in dual enrollment courses. This is when a high school student takes college courses at a local community college or nearby university before high school graduation.  The credits earned from dual enrollment courses will count on both the high school and college transcript. Some students have even graduated from high school, having already earned an associate degree due to dual enrollment.  There’s nothing like killing two birds with one stone.

The best part is the courses are free to the student! Yes, you read that right. Most dual enrollment classes are free for high school students while giving them full college credit. Free college, anyone?

Don’t know where to start? Fill out a profile on Anything Academic, which will show you what opportunities are out there. The college coursework will be more difficult, and it will count toward your child’s GPA for college. Make sure that your son or daughter is ready for the leap before committing. It is also a good idea to look at the courses and your child to ensure that the courses align with the high school plan of study and your son or daughter’s potential college major.

Look for Internships and Volunteer Opportunities

You should also consider whether your child might need volunteer hours or internships. Volunteer hours should be built into your high school plans. Brainstorm with your child about projects they are interested in that could count towards volunteer hours. For example, are they interested in attending medical school? Look for opportunities to volunteer at local medical facilities. Volunteering can be an amazing opportunity to enrich your child’s high school learning experience.

Summertime is a great time to look for internships. Again, consider your child’s areas of interest when choosing internships. Are they interested in a career in politics? Many political organizations offer internships for high schoolers. Not only will this add to your child’s own life experience, but it also looks great on college applications!

Build a Transcript and Curriculum Vitae

Building your child’s high school transcript isn’t nearly as intimidating as it sounds, especially if you start freshman year. Like a resume, there is a general format for transcripts: List the courses that the student studied each year, then list the general information about the school (address, school name) and the student (birthdate, anticipated graduation, SAT, and ACT scores).

Transcripts vary slightly from school to school. What’s important is to make sure that you’ve documented the information in an organized and easy-to-understand way.

It has also become popular for students to create a Curriculum Vitae (CV) listing their academic and extracurricular achievements.  These might be required for some college and scholarship applications. A curriculum vitae can help mentors to write letters of recommendation for the student since most colleges and scholarship applications require a letter of recommendation or two. The more specific the mentor can be about the students’ achievements, the more likely the application reviewer will notice.

Building a CV senior year can be quite a headache, so it’s best if your child starts to work on it during freshman year. Include information about the student’s academic interest, skills, and future goals, as well as non-academic achievements and passions.  For example, if your child attended Boy Scouts, joined a debate team, volunteered at a church or the Salvation Army, those are great additions. You can also include any foreign languages studied or known. Be creative and think of outside school activities to include.  Finally, remember, this is your child’s curriculum vitae, so he or she should be the one to create it.  Parents create the transcript; students create the CV.

The Last Step

Give yourself some credit! You’ve done a lot to bring your child to this point, and you should be incredibly proud.  Rest in the knowledge that you’re setting your child up for success and helping your child grow into a well-rounded, independent, self-starter. As you and your child begin your high school journey and think about the future, remember you can always check your students’ Anything Academic profile for our recommended college advisors and counselors. They can help walk you through the process and set you on the path to attempt to get into your top choice college or trade school!