MADE FOR FAMILIES TEACHING AT HOME
High School homeschool, planned around your child
Tell Kuraplan what your high school student is working on. It writes the lessons and printables for the week, and adjusts them for siblings at other levels.
High school homeschool curriculum: credits, transcripts and a four-year plan that gets into college
Homeschooling high school is far more doable than it looks from the outside, and colleges have been admitting homeschoolers for decades. What changes is the bookkeeping: courses become credits, work becomes a transcript, and the four years need a plan from the start so that grade 12 is not a scramble to find a missing lab science.
This guide gives you the standard credit expectations, what each subject looks like across four years, how a day and a week run for a teenager, the programs and outsourcing options families use, and the records to keep from day one.
What to cover
High School goals by subject
A checklist for the year, drawn from what most state standards and the major homeschool programs expect. Skip what your child already has; linger where they need it.
English (4 credits)
- Literature: American, British and world, with whole works and analytical essays
- Composition: thesis-driven essays, a research paper each year with citations, timed writing
- Vocabulary, grammar as style, and a speech or media component in many plans
Math (3–4 credits)
- Algebra 1, Geometry, Algebra 2 at minimum; Precalculus and Calculus for STEM-bound students
- A statistics or consumer math credit is a common fourth for non-STEM students
- SAT or ACT preparation folded into grade 11
Science (3–4 credits, lab-based)
- Biology, Chemistry, Physics is the standard sequence; earth or environmental science as a fourth
- Ten to fifteen documented labs per course and a lab notebook
- AP or dual enrollment for college credit where the student is strong
Social studies (3–4 credits)
- World history, US history, a half-credit each of government and economics; often state history or geography
- Analytical writing from sources in every course
Foreign language (2–4 credits)
- Two to four consecutive years of one language, with speaking assessed; AP or CLEP for credit
Electives and requirements
- Fine arts (1 credit), PE and health (1–2 credits), personal finance in many states
- Electives that show depth: coding, a second science, music, a business, a portfolio
- Dual enrollment, apprenticeships, volunteering and work counted and documented
A sample high school day
One family's rhythm, not a rule. Move the blocks to suit your household; the point is that formal work is short, front-loaded and finished.
- 8:00Math: lesson and problem set, self-checked (60–75 min)
- 9:15Science: reading and problems, or a lab on lab day (60–75 min)
- 10:30Break
- 10:50English: reading, annotation, essay in progress (60 min)
- 11:50Lunch
- 12:45History or government/economics: sources, notes, writing (60 min)
- 13:45Foreign language, including a weekly speaking session (45 min)
- 14:30Elective, PE, music, work, dual enrollment class or volunteering
- WeeklyParent meeting: review graded work, hours log, plan the week, discuss the book
End of year
Signs the high school year worked
- Grade 9: Algebra 1 or Geometry, Biology, a full English and history credit, a language begun, a transcript file started
- Grade 10: Geometry or Algebra 2, Chemistry, PSAT for practice, first dual-enrollment consideration
- Grade 11: Algebra 2 or Precalculus, Physics, SAT/ACT, college list, course descriptions written up
- Grade 12: capstone courses, government and economics, applications with transcript and counselor letter (written by the parent), graduation
Program picks
Curriculum families use for high school
Not the only good options, but the ones that come up most among families who finish the year. Secular and faith-based choices are noted where it matters.
Saxon, Math-U-See, AoPS, or taught courses from Mr. D Math and Derek Owens
Teaching built in; grading and a transcript grade from the online options.
Apologia (Christian), or mainstream texts with Home Science Tools kits; dual enrollment for chemistry and physics
Lab science that colleges recognise.
Excellence in Literature, IEW, Brave Writer high-school guides, or an online literature class
Analytical writing with feedback.
Notgrass, Great Courses lectures with reading lists, or AP courses through PA Homeschoolers
Sources and essays.
Dual enrollment at a community college; online providers such as PA Homeschoolers, Wilson Hill, Blue Tent, Outschool
A teacher and a grade for the subjects you would rather not teach.
One lesson. All your kids.
$49/yr flat, no per-child fees
Write one family lesson, then adjust the reading level, the practice and the response format for each child without rebuilding the day.
High School homeschool FAQ
How many credits does a homeschooler need to graduate?
Most families plan 22–26 credits across four years: 4 English, 3–4 math, 3–4 lab science, 3–4 social studies, 2–4 foreign language, 1 fine arts, 1–2 PE/health, and electives. Check your state's requirements and the admissions pages of colleges the student might apply to.
What counts as a high school credit in homeschool?
About 120–150 hours of work in a subject, or completion of a standard textbook or course. Half-credits are 60–75 hours. Keep an hours log or a completed-text record for each course.
How do I make a homeschool transcript?
List courses by year with credits and grades, a GPA, a graduation date, and the school name (your homeschool). Keep a separate document of course descriptions with texts and major assignments. Templates are free; the Kuraplan homeschool transcript template is one.
Can homeschoolers get into college?
Yes, routinely. Colleges want a clear transcript with course descriptions, test scores where required, outside validation where possible (dual enrollment, AP, a few online courses with grades), a counselor letter from the parent, and evidence of interests pursued in depth.
Should I outsource high school subjects?
Most families outsource one to three: usually a lab science, upper math or a foreign language. Dual enrollment is the cheapest way to get a real teacher, a real lab and college credit at once. Teach what you can; buy the rest.
Requirements differ by state and country. Check your state's guide before deciding what must be covered or assessed.
Your high school year, in one place
Plan lessons, make printables and keep each child's finished work together for the records you choose to keep.
Plan with Kuraplan