Overview: It's honestly not that hard to homeschool high school. Find the encouragement and resources you need to feel confident that YOU can do this!
NOTE: This post was originally published in 2015. Back then this blog had a different name, but over time, the title of this post seemed the perfect fit for my first Facebook group, and a podcast — and eventually for the website, too. It's truly not that hard to homeschool, including high school, and this website will help you create the best homeschool for YOUR kids, YOUR family, and YOU — so you can be confident! (P.S. The article itself was updated in January 2022.)
When we first started homeschooling high school back in 2012, it was pretty lonely. Most of our friends who had started homeschooling with us in the early elementary years did not continue homeschooling through the high school years. I used to wonder why, but now I think plain ‘ol fear might have been the reason they sent their teens to public or private school rather than continuing to homeschool for high school.
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You might know what I'm talking about. Maybe you've been homeschooling all along, but now your oldest is in middle school, so you see high school looming ahead — and you're terrified. Or maybe your kid has been in a public or private school all this time, but with the state of the world these days, you're wondering if homeschooling is a better idea — but high school? Yikes! That will be just too hard!
And I get that; I really do. The idea of homeschooling high school can be very intimidating. First there is the more difficult subject matter — chemistry, calculus, and classical literature, oh my! You wonder how you can possibly give your kid a good enough education to get into college.
Then there are the nitty-gritty concerns about how to make a transcript, or where to get a diploma — or even just trying to figure out how to grade a paper. What makes you qualified to do any of that?
And overall, you basically feel inadequate. You worry that you will shortchange your kid in some way, miss something important, and possibly ruin their life. ACK!
Well, after graduating five kids from our homeschool, all of whom are living not-ruined lives, LOL, I can truthfully say that it doesn't have to be as hard as you might think. Sometimes the “experts” make it sound much more difficult than it needs to be. Consider the following:
Reasons why homeschooling high school is really not that hard:
1) By the time your kid reaches high school, they will most likely have the ability to learn most things independently.
That means that they can teach themselves Chemistry (or any other “too hard for mom to teach” subject), and you won't have to. All of my kids did this. I actually had MORE time when they were in high school than I did when they were younger, because I didn't have to be as hands-on anymore.
Related: What Happens When You Use Independent Learning in Your Homeschool
Lest you see this as shirking your responsibility, I would say that instead you are actually doing them a valuable service. Education should be a continuous process; it does not end after high school or college.
You want your child to develop the habit of processing information, occasionally working through something that may be more difficult, and coming to a place of understanding by utilizing their own effort. This is how they will be prepared to continue learning through college, during continuing education at the workplace, and later in life.
Of course, if something is just plain too much for your student to figure out, you might need to seek out someone who knows more about the subject than you do. That's really not much different than finding a doctor when your child is sick or a piano teacher when they want to learn how to play music.
There's probably someone in your church, or on your street, or at your hubby's work, who would be willing to answer a question or two over the phone every now and again. And you'd be surprised how many questions can be answered just by Googling them. More on that in #3.
How do you make independent learning happen? Read this: How to Teach the Most Valuable Skill Your Child Will Ever Need.
Some of you are no doubt thinking right now, “But what if my teen is NOT ready to learn independently?” I have thoughts about that, too. Here's an article (with an included video) that should help: When You Fear Your Homeschooled Teen is Behind. I'm also going to create a new podcast episode about how to handle high school when your teen still needs a lot of your help. Stay tuned!
2) The homeschool high school experience does NOT – I repeat: NOT – have to replicate the public or private high school experience.
The state does not decide the specifics of what your homeschool looks like; you do. Obviously you will follow the requirements of your state's homeschool law, but usually there is a lot of leeway in regards to things like these:
a) You decide what high school courses are required for your student to graduate.
You do not have to follow your local school district's requirements; you can graduate your child whenever your own requirements have been met. This is a very freeing thing.
For instance, if your child has no intention of majoring in anything technical at college and does not want to take math every year, then you don't have to make them take it. (And I didn't. And guess what — they got accepted to college anyway! You can ensure yours will, too, by doing a simple exercise in this article: How to KNOW What Your Teen Needs to Get Into College.)
The “experts” will give you long lists of courses to take,
Determining your own graduation requirements is not a difficult process, especially when you understand your freedom in this area. Read What You Need to Know about Homeschool Graduation Requirements for more details.
b) You decide what to give credit for.
If your child is a violinist and you want to give them 3 credits per year for violin because they practice three hours a day, you are free to do so. (And I did.) If your child is spending a bunch of time learning to drive, you can give credit for that (and I did).
Homeschooling high school means your child's interests and activities can be counted as part of the
The Complete Guide to High School Electives for Homeschoolers is a great resource with more information about using activities and interests as high school credit. Another helpful read is Clearing Confusion About Homeschool Credits — this article helps you determine which activities to use for credit and which to consider as extra-curricular only. And if you want to their entire courseload — even core courses — to be based on interests, then take a look at 4 Keys to Unschooling High School Successfully.
Related: How to Create a High School Curriculum Plan in 4 Easy Steps
c) You decide how quickly your child must complete a given course.
There is no need to rush through to be done by the end of the semester, unless this works better for you. If your child needs to spend an extra week reviewing a particularly difficult chapter, you have the flexibility to take that time. You can even continue working into the summer, if need be. (We did this basically every year, LOL.)
This is another case where you are not shortchanging your child but actually creating a better learning environment. And knowing you can take as long as your child needs, because you are the decision-maker, definitely decreases the stress level.
Worried your teen will get “behind”? This is an unwarranted concern. Read this article (with an accompanying video) to feel better about the whole thing: When You Fear That Your Homeschooled Teen is BEHIND.
d) Guess what? No homework.
Because it's all already been done during the school day. And no getting up early, either, if you don't want to. It doesn't get much easier than that!
Related: Homeschooling High School – A Day in the Life
Having control of your family's entire day, rather than having to follow the schedule of the public or private school, is a HUGE stress-reducer. You can even take the day off, or travel, or do school in your jammies — whenever you want!
Related: 10 Reasons Why You Will LOVE Homeschooling High School
3) There are more resources now for homeschooling high school than ever before.
Especially because of the internet. There are online courses, online tutors — and you can almost always find the answers that you just can't seem to locate in the textbook by doing a search. Or better yet, your teen can do the search. These online resources definitely help in the quest for getting things off of your plate and onto your teen's. (See #1 above.)
Also, homeschool co-ops abound, and there are conferences such as the Great Homeschool Conventions — at which I will be speaking in 2022! — to help you find like-minded moms to swap stories with, share ideas, and give yourself a pick-me-up.
The sheer amount of high school homeschool
Plus all the great homeschool blogs out there — I mean, of course you'd come here first, right? LOL — that will give you encouragement and information to walk the journey.
And don't forget my Facebook groups: For high school, join It's Not That Hard to Homeschool High School. For the earlier years, join It's Not That Hard to Homeschool K-8. Both have active memberships that will answer questions and give support whenever you need a helping hand. Plus now you can interact directly with
Knowing you are not alone in this thing goes a long way towards relieving those fears of messing up or being inadequate.
For a dose of audio encouragement, subscribe to my podcast! You can find all the episodes here: The It's Not That Hard to Homeschool High School Podcast.
4) And it goes without saying, that if I can do it, anyone can!
I am by no means an intellectual or a go-getter. I am just little ol' average me. My motto is “I don't do complicated,” LOL!
I was afraid, too, at the beginning; but as time went on, I realized I didn't have to be. I stopped listening to the “experts” and started using my old-fashioned common sense. And lo and behold, I graduated five kids who all got into college (although all did not finish; more about that here: Is College a Good Fit for Your Homeschooled Teen?) — and we all lived to tell about it!
All we have to do is take it one step at time, and what looked like a big scary mountain becomes something very achievable. Homeschooling high school is no different. Take the first step, and before you know it, you'll be handing your teen their diploma. And you won't regret a moment!
Helpful Resource Links:
New to homeschooling high school and need a pep talk? Click here.
Want guidance getting started? Go here: How to Homeschool High School or take a look at my book, Cure the Fear of Homeschooling High School, which walks you through all the steps of research and planning so you don't have to be afraid of missing anything. You can see it here: Cure the Fear.
Want to make sure you are doing everything to be ready for college? Check out my Ultimate Guide to Preparing for College.
Worried about transcripts? I've gotchu! See Homeschool Transcript Essentials: What You Need and Don't Need.
You'll find recent blog posts by scrolling down on the home page, and all of my
HUGS!! You've got this!
Ann has written Cure the Fear of Homeschooling High School: A Step-by-Step Manual for Research and Planning, Save Your Sanity While Homeschooling High School: Practical Principles for a Firm Foundation, and recently Taming the Transcript: The Essential Guide to Creating Your Teen's Homeschool Transcript from Scratch (without overwhelm). She also founded the popular Facebook groups It's Not that Hard to Homeschool High School and It's Not Hard to Homeschool K-8, and in addition she voices the It's Not That Hard to Homeschool High School Podcast.
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I could have written this – yes, I was the last one standing here when kids trned high school age. We had so much fun in those years! I have two more to come, but the first two were too much fun and were too successful to not repeat the performance! Thanks for getting the word out!
It’s so neat to hear you had fun with your first two, Carola! I must confess that parenting/schooling during the teen years has been my most favorite phase. Thanks for stopping by! :-)
We are told by our umbrella school whs t we HAVE to teach to get a diploma in high school
Not all states require an umbrella school for homeschoolers. We are some of the last (high school) homeschoolers standing in our local group too!! :o(. Frustrating but we’re marching on.
Yay! Keep marching! :-) :-)
Connie, I confess I know nothing about umbrella schools. I guess if your state requires one, then you’re kinda stuck…
Thank you so much for this information! I have had my 7th grade son in a very rigorous homeschool program (for 4 years) that I’m just realizing is just not a good fit for him. I actually just got online to see what some of my other friends are doing for their jr. high and high school students (and one of my friends on fb shared your article), knowing that my son follows somewhat of a different drum beat academically, and I really want to see him succeed. I thought all of the tears and arguments over his writing assignments were just attitude problems, but now I really feel like I have been trying to fit a square peg into a round hole (or whatever that saying is!). I want to tailor his learning environment to something that will grow his love of learning again. Thank you so much for this! I will share it with my husband, and we’ll come up with an exciting plan for my son. And he is going to love it!
I LOVE THIS, Erika!! I’m so glad to hear you are encouraged! I’m confident you will have a wonderful time during the high school years. There WILL be times when your child is unmotivated and you’ll wonder if it’s all worth it; but I don’t think you’ll really regret it. Have fun!! And thanks for visiting, and for your comment! :-)
Thank you for sharing this perspective. WE too found most of our homeschooling friends put their kids in school as they reached teen years. It is lonely sometimes, but I try and remember this is a season. Doing this through high school has its challenges but the Pros FAR outweigh them. What a delight to still have them share their hearts and thoughts each day. Seeing them grow and stretch their independence.
Yes, Christa! “What a delight to still have them share their hearts and thoughts each day.” That is so true! Thanks for the comment! :-)
Awesome article! We are entering the high school years this fall and already this summer he has taken a computer apart and replaced a new video card and other parts, installed and reconfigured different aspects of his computers platform and seeks out appropriate help when needed. Basically, he’s learned more about computers and how to work/build/fix them in a few months than most kids learn in a couple of years taking computer science in a school setting. It is so exciting to just see him blossom after 6 years of struggling in public school and I wouldn’t dream of giving that up at this stage for anything. ?
It sounds like you are starting off the right way, Michelle! What fun to see your son get excited about something after being frustrated for so long!! You will LOVE homeschooling high school! :-)
I am LOVING homeschooling my girls in high school!! It’s another part of the journey in their lives that I would never want to miss. And, thank you , for confirming that most people make this SO MUCH harder than it has to be. It CAN BE a blessing, and an adventure. And FUN!!
I’m so glad you’re enjoying it, Angie! Yes, let’s keep it simple, so we can focus on loving our kids and relishing what little time with them we have left!
Dear Ann, While I enjoyed your column, I’m confused when you write, “You do not have to follow your local school district’s requirements. You can graduate your child whenever your own requirements have been met.” I live in the state of FL and you are required to have 24 credits to graduate and while they offer a number of electives you can engage in, they specifically spell out how many math and what kind, how many science credits and which ones must have labs, they require 1/2 credit of economics and 1/2 credit of American Government, etc.
So, what is your take on that? Thank you for your article.
T
Hi Tina, I’m so sorry I did not see your comment before now. Every state is different, and I do not know Florida’s laws. But are you looking at Florida’s homeschool law, or just the requirements for the public schools? In many states the homeschool law is not very stringent about how many credits of each subject must be completed for graduation. Just because the local school district requires something does not mean the state requires it of homeschool students. A quick search led me to this page, which talks about the 24 credits and how they must be divided — but this is referring to PUBLIC school students… on the page for HOMESCHOOL legislation in Florida, I see no mention of requirements for graduation. This is just a cursory search, though, so I would definitely recommend you do further research for yourself. Good question!!
From what I understand the above requirements are what will prepare them best to be accepted into the university. And let’s face it, many of us do better with at least a few guidelines to follow! The thought of absolutely no boundaries turns me into a nervous wreck….
Yes, Kelly, I agree. The BEST way to find what will prepare them for college is to check the admissions requirements for a few colleges that your child might be interested in. I have a post about this called The Easy First Step for High School Curriculum Planning. You may want to check it out! :-)
Thank you for this! My two eldest daughters have always gone to public school, and I have been trying to show them the benefits of homeschooling (since I am divorced, I need their father’s permission, and he is already wary of home schooling- especially if they aren’t on board with it). They are beginning g to sound interested, and it suddenly scared me. Wait- you mean this could happen? Now what do I do?! I’m nervous enough about beginning to teach my 4 year old son preschool! This post reminded me that there are a lot of resources- I’m not alone. Thanks!
Yes, Katie, there are a LOT of resources and you are NOT alone!! I know you can do it!! :-)
Thank you for writing this. It has come at a good time for me as I have been struggling with the fact that our 3rd child is nearly high school age and we are the only homeschoolers in a remote town (Australia). Photos of my online Facebook friends putting their homeschoolers into school have been a bit hard to see. Their kids look so happy in their new school uniforms. :) We are missionaries here and committed for the long term, but at times it is tempting to think we should be moving for our kids. So I appreciate your reminder today that it can be great. :) Bless you.
My heart goes out to you, Linda! I think I know what you’re feeling; here we get bombarded with how they are missing out on opportunities for sports and other extra-curriculars… But it totally CAN be GREAT! I count our time together as a family as just as important as those things… did you see my post about 10 Reasons I’m Thankful to Homeschool High School? Maybe that will help, too. Thanks SO MUCH for your comment! :-)
We started homeschooling last year (8th grade for my son) so I’ve been pretty intimidated knowing he’s in high school already. This made me feel so much better because you’re right, he can teach himself a lot of this stuff. Thanks for the reassurance!
You’re welcome, Emily! And no worries — you can do this!! :-)
I have to admit that I’ve been thinking, nervously, about high school too. But we just did our annual evaluation. Our evaluator (certified teacher) explained a lot to me. I feel a lot better and way more confident. I dreaded the thought of placing my girls BACK into the public school system. Now I know I don’t need to.
I also live in Florida. I too got the guideline sheet about how many different credits my kids will need. But it’s a guideline.
My 12 yr old is dancer. This year she will attend conservatory (dancing from 9 am to 11am) everyday, and dancing 3 evenings a week as well. I found out that she will get “credit” for all that dancing. All of those hours will satisfy her PE, Arts, and extra credit hours.
With all the online (and other purchasable types) classes and curriculum, I feel like we can do this. I’m really looking forward to it.
YAY, Jules, how fun is that?? Sounds like you have everything covered! You will LOVE homeschooling high school! :-)
Hello, A friend told me about the FB page entitled the same as your website. I requested access since I have a boy in his Sophomore year and we are homeschooling. Would love to have access to the group and learn all that I can to get him through HS. Can you grant me access?
Hi Debbie, I just added a bunch of people but I don’t know if you were on the member request list. If you have not been added, go to the group on FB (here’s the link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ItsNotThatHardtoHomeschoolHighSchool/) and click on JOIN. Then I’ll be able to approve you. It’s a great group; I think you’ll find lots of encouragement there! :-)
Hi, I am currently a junior in high school and am about to start the school year, however I am trying to convince my parents to let me be homeschooled. I am a very independent learner and would be teaching myself (which is what I have to do in school anyway because they do not adequately cover the material) Part of me convincing them is to create a presentation that shows I would be fully covered for Junior and Senior year. The only trouble is, I feel that I can’t find the right cirriculum! I’ve searched plenty of websites that all tell me the same thing, and it’s becoming overwhelming. So much so that I just want to stop the process, but then I think about how much I dislike traditional school and start researching again. I guess my question is, is there a blog post that you have about high school curriculum and what you use? Or do you know of any good websites that I could check out that might be more helpful? This would be a great help to me! Thank you!
Hi Kitt, great question, and I am so impressed that you are willing to do the research and make this happen for yourself! I do have a post that will get you started on how to know which curriculum to use. You can read it here: How to KNOW What Your Teen Needs to Get Into College. It was originally designed as the first post in a four-part series to help you through all the steps of planning curriculum. That series is what I used as the foundation for my book, which fills in with a lot more info and how-to videos and printable charts to fill out. I think that might actually help you the most, so that you can confidently show your parents a plan that will check all the boxes to satisfy them. :-) You can read more about the book here: Cure the Fear of Homeschooling High School: How to Be Sure You’re Not Missing Anything. Feel free to email me if you have any more questions: ann (at) annieandeverything (dot) com. You go, girl!! :-)
We have never homeschooled our children. Last son is going into high school fall of 2018. He is a good student. We want to travel and school him. We (his parents) are retired. Is that unfair to him? Also no idea how to homeschool.
Hi Holly, of course it’s fair to him! You are the parents, and you have a wider experience and can see a bigger picture than he can. It sounds to me like he would learn LOTS by travelling, things that he could never learn in a public school. As far as how to homeschool high school, I wrote a book about it which will help. It’s called Cure the Fear of Homeschooling High School: How to Make Sure You’re Not Missing Anything — and you can see it here: https://www.notthathardtohomeschool.com/homeschooling-high-school-ebook/
It’s so funny because many of the arguments or questions about homeschooling high school are the same ones people have about homeschooling to begin with and the answers are still the same. It’s not that hard! :)
So true! And yet for some reason we start to think it’s gonna be completely different — but it’s really not! Thanks for the comment! :-)
I totally agree that homeschooling high school doesn’t have to be hard and you can prepare your kids for the future they were created for!
Cathy Posey
Yay, Cathy! Thanks!
Ann,
(insert BIG sigh of relief) Where do I start? I have been homeschooling my children for an “eternity.” When I began I always knew, in the back of mind, that eventually high school would come. However, at the time it seemed like high school was far from my radar and I just knew I would conquer it when the time came. Well…. the time came and it came sooner than I anticipated. Here I sit, staring at my computer screen in complete wonderment and awe because I do not know where to start. I am ashamed to admit that it all snuck up on me. I have been so busy working, getting my eldest child (who is entering his freshman year) to and from work and activities that now I have to figure out curriculum. In all actuality, I should’ve been doing this the last several months. I felt defeated, I felt like I had failed before I even started. You just delivered me a big helping of relief, encouragement, and HOPE! Thank you! I can do this! I am going to do this. Thank you, Ann!
HOPE is a great thing! I’m glad to have helped! You can do this!! :-)
Thank you Anne, I was so worried about homeschooling high school I almost had a nervous breakdown :). Now I can see that it really doesn’t have to be that hard. I look forward to reading more of your posts and enjoying the encouragement you offer to other homeschooling mamas. You are awesome!
Ann,
Thank you so much for your podcast! I have five children, three are young adults, two of which have very successfully graduated from universities and are pursuing higher degrees. That being said, some of my kids have learning challenges and are pursuing different paths. I went through a time of serious doubt and questioning if I homeschooled the “right way” or did “enough.” I knew that I used to enjoy homeschooling and was very positive and motivated but I had definitely lost my energy and enthusiasm. I started listening to your podcast and we definitely share the same values and styles. It reinforced the positive outlook that I used to have, encouraged me to keep going, and reminded me that there are different ways to school depending on your child’s needs and abilities. I also realized I was comparing my style to other, much younger mothers! I am starting to give myself credit and keep on the path. I absolutely value relationship over learning. Right now, I’m in the process of helping one young adult find her way in terms of community college/trade school/work. It can be very challenging but I am energized and encouraged by what you have communicated. I also appreciate that you have shared that homeschool/life can be messy at times. Thank you so much!