BJ's Favorites for Frugal High School Curriculum

 


Summary:  Frugal homeschool high school curriculum.  This post may included affiliate links to products that we love and have used or would use in our homeschool. Please see my disclosure policy. This article has been read by over 2,000 people.


Are you starting to look around for new ideas for your high schooler for next year?

At BJ's Homeschool as you my know, we homeschooled from age 4 through high school.  We used a variety of frugal homeschool high school curricula for our daughter, as I will be sharing below.

Each year we considered continuing on with favorites, adding in something new, and always working to keep things as frugal as possible to fit into our tight budget.

We have found each of the resources to be quality and good for any teen, wherever they are headed after graduation.


Planning 

We explored around, as usual, choosing the textbooks, living books, and/or online courses that seemed to be a good fit for our teen.  We worked to meet our teen's interests and along with her college entrance requirements.  And we found that it wasn't hard to do, by making good use of electives.

My Teen's Interests

My daughter loved film making, gymnastics and political science.  Fitting gymnastics in was easy.  We just signed her up for that through our Parks Dept.

But we found out for her other two interests, that, if she wanted to study either of these in college,  the college entrance requirements would be the same.  

She needed to complete her requirements in the basic subjects (LA, social studies, math and science), for either path.

We still did not forget about her interests.  They framed her electives.  

First, I'd like to share two favorite resources that we have depended on each year.

Searching for your Curriculum 



1.  - CURRICULUM RESOURCES at Homeschool.com

This curriculum directory for high school is the most complete one I have seen. I invite you to check it out.


2.  - THE CURRICULUM CHOICE

This site is full of curriculum reviews, written by a team of authors (I am happy to be one) who have actually used the curriculum.  It includes reviews of such curriculum as Tapestry of Grace, IEW for literature and writing, a number of Charlotte Mason options, and tons of other reviews.  

This resource has many faith based curriculum reviews plus some secular options as well.


OUR CURRICULUM CHOICES


You know your teen best, and just because these were helpful for our daughter, doesn't mean that they are right for your teen.  


1. SCIENCE

We found many options for science including Oak Meadow, Apologia, A Beka, Switch-On-Schoolhouse (SOS), etc. 

We chose Switched-On-Schoolhouse (SOS), as we wanted a computer based program, and my daughter wanted  to work independently.  Plus it was all graded for me!  We used them for:

Physical Science - 9th grade
Biology - 10th grade 
Chemistry - 11th grade

Many families do two or three years of science.  Most college just require two, Biology and Chemistry with labs, unless your student is heading to a science oriented major in college.

Then they would likely look for another as well.  Amazon offers some used SOS curriculum here.

We also used Home Science Tools for our high school lab kits.

Other Science Options we considered:



 2.  MATH

We found that SOS met our daughter's needs for math.  It had the structured and depth to help my daughter retain what she had learned.  We used it for:


Prealgebra - 8th grade
Algebra 1- 9th grade
Geometry - 10th grade
Algebra 2 - 11th grade

We looked at LifePacs, Switch-On-Schoolhouse, Math-You-See,  

A Beka, etc.  We also considered Teaching Textbooks, but found that, for us, it did not provide enough depth for good retention. It's all about what fits your student.  

Amy from Orison Orchards offers help in choosing your homeschool math curriculum, including Saxon Math Homeschool in her Ultimate Guide to Homeschool Math Curriculum Comparison Guide, where she shares her choices for best homeschool math curriculum.

Teens going into a computer, science, economics or math related field will need pre-cal in senior year, but I encourage you to check with the colleges, just in case there is another course required.

Others that we considered:

We check out The Curriculum Choice for a review of ALEKS, and No-Nonsense Algebra, Saxon, VideoText for Prealgebra, and more, all very strong. 


3.  ENGLISH


One option that many families do for English, is to create their own courses, and pick out the living literature yourself.  

Pairing that your own writing assignments, essays, etc can make up a complete English course for your teen.  

OAK MEADOW ENGLISH

We decided to try and Oak Meadow, which offered a number of living literature courses, from 9th to 12th grade.  

They offer used curricula for OM high school English here, called Oak Meadow Seconds.

Oak Meadow helped our daughter with her narrations!  We liked how Oak Meadow offered tons of great questions for each piece of literature, which helped my daughter to write essays about what she read.  

But Oak Meadow was not very frugal.  Even the Oak Meadow Seconds were hard on our budget.


7 SISTERS ENGLISH COURSES


Then we found 7  SISTERS HOMESCHOOL RESOURCES. 

And we loved that it came as downloadable PDF high school curriculum, that worked just as well as Oak Meadow for high school English.  And writing, too.



With theses, she learned to write a variety of essays, and also do bibliographies for her research papers, plus literary analysis papers. too.  It prepared her well for college English studies later on. 

All of the literature courses were paired with wonderful choices of living literature.  And there were many courses to choose from!

And it is made by homeschool moms themselves, who led a high school co-op for many years. I liked how it was much more frugally priced!

Here is one of our favorites on American Literature from 7 Sisters Homeschool. 


They offer many other high school 
English courses, including:

- Literature and Composition Courses 
- Literature guides to tons of books so that you can pick and choose and make your own course
- Essay writing courses at a variety of levels. 
- World Literature and more.

To check out any of these frugal offerings, please click here and go to Literature Guides and English and Writing.


WRITING COURSES

Another popular choice for English is the Institute of Excellence in Writing, IEW, which offers a structured, step by step approach to composition.  Go to here for a review of it. 



For us, IEW was not a good fit, as we found it to be too formula based too rigid for our high schooler.  We used the 7 Sister's writing programs instead. (Click this link then go to English and Writing)

They offer a variety of levels of writing instruction, including:


Plus Literature and Composition courses, at 3 different levels.

Each of these writing courses are full one year long courses which were used successfully in a well established college prep high school co-op, lead by 7 Sisters Homeschool.

Other options we considered:

We also looked at such programs as Hewitt Homeschooling: Lightning Literature & Composition  and SOS  and found them to be very strong.

For more information on what is required for High School English, click here - High School Writing Requirementss - an Authoritative Guide.


4.  SOCIAL STUDIES 

Social studies for high school can include a wide variety of subjects, such as World History, US History, Geography, Economics, Psychology, etc.  Some colleges look for specifics in this, but our college let us choose from a variety of subjects.

We decided to use Oak Meadow's history courses, and also some geography  from the Rainbow Resource catalog.  

We used Oak Meadow for: Civics - 9th grade, US History - 10th grade, World History - 11th grade.

Our colleges allowed us to do Psychology as one of my teen's social studies's requirements.  In junior year we did Introduction to Psychology, a full year course from 7 Sisters. From a Christian perspective it covers the following topics in 15 chapters:

-The brain and how it works
-Perception
-Genetics and Learning
-History of Psychology (Ancient to Modern Times
-Communication
-Personality & Theory
-Sleep/Dreams
-Abnormal psychology
-Psychological testing
and more.

It counted as one of my daughter's social studies requirements for college entrance.  (But check with your colleges, as that differs from college to college.)

Other options we considered: 
We also checked out SOS and Lifepacs, for social studies, all strong programs.  


5.  FOREIGN LANGUAGE

Most colleges require two years of the same foreign language for their incoming freshmen. 

For Spanish 2, we went with the homeschool version of Rosetta Stone (RS) @ http://www.rosettastone.com.

 I liked the homeschool version best because it included grammar, while the regular RS version did not.  Also, our college choices preferred the homeschool version. 

Other Options We Considered:

There are so many options for foreign language.  Cathy Duffy has a number of reviews of foreign language curricula.


6.  HIGH SCHOOL ELECTIVES


Electives were the most fun of all, for both my daughter and our family.  They were all chosen by my daughter and included some of her friends from co-op in many of them.  


Does your teen not yet know what they want to do in the future?  Are they struggling with deciding on a career goal, or what to study in college?

It also prepares them by offering lessons in:

- writing resumes
- drafting cover letters
- learning how to interview for a job  


Are you wanting a way to teach your teen critical thinking? 

How about a course in philosophy?

7 Sisters offers a philosophy course was written by a homeschool graduate who has an Masters in Philosophy,

They have a bunch more homeschool high school electives in such courses as:

Acting and Directing
 Fine Arts
 Speech
 Human Development
 Financial Literacy and many more options.

And they all earned high school credit!  What is your teen passionate about?

Is your teen interested in Art?  Here's a video based course in chalk art and it can be done independently by your teen.


7.  ART and FINE ARTS


It's called A Simple Start in Chalk Pastels Video Art Course  

Taught by a master artist, and offered by Tricia Hodges, mom of 5 who are all homeschooled.  This is a full one year course in art using chalk pastels.  

Get your fine arts requirement done with this fun option if you like.

No need for a long list of supplies. J

What are your favorite homeschool high school curriculum choices for your teen?  




KINDLE IS ON SALE!


Create your own unique and nurturing high school program for your teen and help them get into college, if that is where they are headed. 
 
"This book provides support, encouragement and step-by-step advice on all aspects of the homeschool high school and college application process, if your teen is heading there."

"Betsy has a wealth of understanding and knowledge to share with the parents of college bound homeschoolers."


Follow me on Pinterest here: Homeschooling High School and my best to you and your family.



Thanks for stopping by BJ's Homeschool,



 Betsy



Betsy is mom to her now college grad, whom she homeschooled through high school.  She blogs at BJ's Homeschool, about the early years, highschool, 
college, gifted/2e and wrote -Homeschooling High School with College in Mind, 2nd Edition,   She offers homeschool help through messages at BJ's Consulting,  and has had some of her articles picked up by the Huffington Post.


Want to stay in touch?

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All Rights Reserved @ BJ's Homeschool 2025
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How to Homeschool High School - Free PDF


This post may included affiliate links to products that we love and have used or would use in our  own homeschool. Please see my disclosure policy.


Are you thinking about homeschooling your teen through high school, but just don't know where to start?

Do the thoughts of assigning credit, or making a transcript for high school make you cringe?

They did for me. Once we got started, it wasn't so hard! Really. 

Now that I am a retired homeschooling mom, with my daughter already working in her chosen field (Communications), I had time to put together a free PDF for you, all about getting started with doing high school at home.

3 Ways to High School Credit: 

As homeschoolers, we look for signs of learning, and as we work with our kids, 1 on 1, we know what they are getting and what they are missing....

Assigning credit is just a way to translate what your child has accomplished into terms that the outside world can understand. 

To learn about the Three EASY Ways to Assign High School credit, just click below.  It is a FREE PDF for you, called How to Homeschool High School.

Just use your email to sign in for this, and then you get to keep your own PDF!  And feel free to unsubscribe anytime!


Click here to get yours:


Cancel anytime!
Also I do zero email marketing, so nothing to clog up your inbox from me.


Scan it or read through it, then save it in a convenient place for future reference. 

It is designed for busy homeschool moms, like you. It is a quick read and is packed with helps and resources. It reads like you and I are just sitting together, having a cup of coffee.

Homeschooling high school doesn't have to feel scary! 

We homeschooled our daughter through high school and am so glad that we did. It has built up our family in so many ways, while giving her a quality education.  

If you want more resources after getting your PDF - How to Homeschool High School, you might like to check out out book, full of my best tips for homeschooling teens.



KINDLE is on SALE!

 Our book is for families who want to do high school at home, whether preparing for college, trade school or right into the world of work.


"This book provides support, encouragement and step-by-step advice on all aspects of the homeschool high school and college application process, if your teen is heading there."

"Betsy has a wealth of understanding and knowledge to share with the parents of college bound homeschoolers."

"Homeschooling High School with College in Mind, is a well-laid-out how-to guide for setting up a high school homeschool so teens wind up having knowledge and skills that colleges expect in their students." 

Review by Lit Pick is here: 

Homeschooling High School 
Video 



Thanks for stopping by BJ's Homeschool,



Betsy



Betsy is a Christian and mom to her college grad whom she homeschooled from the early years onward.  She blogs at BJ's Homeschool, about and wrote Homeschooling High School with College in Mind, 2nd edition.   


Want to stay in touch?

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Homeschooling High School Frugally - With Confidence



Overview - Preparing to homeschool doesn't have to be hard!  This article tells you all about the keys to homeschooling high school, including assigning credit, searching for homeschool high school curriculum, making those homeschool transcripts, and some affiliate links may be included.  Please see my disclosure policy.


Is homeschooling high school really not that hard?  Have you seen that saying around on the web? 

What do you think?

Well, first I would say yes it really is not that hard.  But then I would say no, it can be hard in some ways, too.

It was harder for us than middle school, just because there were more things to think about...like college, or trade school, or entering the world of work....Where will my teen be heading?  

So what's a mama to do? 
For us, we knew that our teen wanted to go directly into college after graduating.  We wanted her to have the high school years to just be a high schooler, and decided not to go the dual credit route, except for a course or two.

Are  you nervous about continuing to homeschool all the way through high school?  

I was, when contemplating it during the middle school years...My daughter was doing so well with her homeschooling, that we wanted to continue all the way, to allow her to explore her interests and prepare for the next step in an individualized manner.  

Today I'd like to share how I became confident as a mom who was homeschooling her teen.  

There were four key pieces of information that were important to me for my high school planning....And once I got them under my belt, my confidence grew....a lot.

Once I could understand how to deal with Credits, Curriculum, Core Studies, and Transcripts....Then I was ready to take on high school with confidence.  

If you have these 4 tools under your belt, more specifically, having:

- an understanding of high school credits
- resources for choosing your curriculum
- an understanding of what core studies your teen would need
- how to's for making your teen's transcript.....

Then you will be much better equipped to take on the high school years.

First of all, let's talk start with high school credits.


1.  Assigning High School Credit


It is not that hard to assign high school credit.  Here are 3 ways to do just that.

I call them ...................1.  the Textbook method
                                         2.  the Hours method
                                         3.  the Mastery method

All of the work that your teen does earns high school credit!   This includes courses that you make yourself, volunteer and paid work hours, internships, time spent reading, etc.  

The textbook method is the traditional way.  

The hours method involves keeping track of the amount of time spent in learning activities.  

The mastery method refers to assigning credit based on demonstrated mastery of a subject or a skill. That could be video making, playing an instrument, etc.

We did a lot of different kinds of learning, and all of it counted!  I have a post on this, which you can find by searching my blog for "3 Ways to High School Credit"

It is also included in my book, mentioned below.

Secondly, let's talk curriculum.....


2.  Curriculum Search Resources

First we started with our favorites from middle school.  I wanted to keep whatever was working  best for my daughter.  For example, we used SOS from www.aop.com for math in middle school, and just continued with it for most of high school.  That was a no-brainer.  

My daughter was a big part of this process.  Together, we searched the internet, our favorite blogs and homeschool catalogs, and talked with our homeschooling friends, to find new ideas.  

Here are my favorite resources for your search:


------ There is a great CURRICULUM DIRECTORY at Let's Homeschool High School

This curriculum directory for high school is the most complete one I have ever seen!  And it includes TONS of links, too! 

------ 7 Sisters Homeschool Innovative Homeschool Help




7 Sisters Homeschool offers a variety of high school curriculum. They cover a lot of the core subjects that your teen will need, all faith based.

Their courses come as PDFs and are much more frugal than any other curriculum source that I have seen. Many are around $30.00. 

Each is written by veteran homeschool moms who developed their own courses for high schoolers in their co-op.  

So all of their resources and courses are tried and true. 


Are you looking for a quality homeschool high school English course for your teen?  

Or would you prefer to put your own course together, with the help of a well put together literature guide or two? You are in luck, as they have both.

Their English courses capture a student's interest and then lead them into a solid study of literature, all while avoiding any busywork.

My book on homeschooling high school with college in mind has lots more information on choosing curriculum, and what we chose to use in our homeschool.  

You can also find more info on our favorite high school curricula, by searching my blog.



Thirdly, you want to be familiar with what core courses our student will need to complete.

3.  High School Core Studies

Core studies are just the basic high school courses, in math, english, social studies, and science.

What your choose for core studies is most often up to the individual homeschool family.  You do not need to follow the public school graduation requirements, only those laid out in your state's homeschool law.  

Most states do not lay out requirements for a homeschool diploma. It is usually left to the homeschool family to decide when to graduate their teen.  

So in most states, you can shape your teen's high school years around their needs, depending where they will be heading.

If your teens might be going to college, then you will want them to do the core studies that are outlined by the colleges, ie, the college entrance requirements.  Checking likely college websites is essential for college bound teens. I have much more on that in my book, laying out typical requirements for a different kinds of colleges, mentioned below.

If your teen is headed to community college, it is adivsable to just check in with admissions there.  In our state of WA, the incoming students just take an entrance test, which evaluates their math and english skills.  

It is usually SO much less complicated compared than going into a 4 year college, and usually the SAT/ACT is not needed.

AGAIN - You do not have to follow the public school graduation requirements....those are for public school kids!

Now that you have the resources for finding your curriculum, and you understand what core studies are, let's talk about searching for high school curricula.

Before we ordered anything, we spent time talking about my teen's special interests. 

Those influenced our choices for core studies and also became my teen's high school electives!  

What is your teen passionate about?  How do they spend their time, when they have free time?  What are their gifts?What is your teen passionate about?  

The beauty of homeschooling high school is that you get to build and nurture your teen's interests and help them to discover their strengths.  Even with preparing for college, my teen had lots of time to do electives and try out her interests in activities.

Now that we finished talking about credits, curriculum, core studies and a bit about electives, let's talk transcripts. 


4.  Making your High School Transcripts


Volunteering is a great leadership building activity and the colleges love to see this on their applications.


Compiling your teen's transcript is really not that hard!  Really! 

Transcripts are just a document that lists all of the courses that your student took, with grades, a place to put their SAT or ACT scores, with identifying information on it.  More on transcripts can be found on my blog.

My book below also has a full chapter on how to put your transcripts together, with lots of planning forms and a fillable and editable transcript form for you to just fill in. 

High School was my favorite time, of all of our homeschooling years. 

No it was not easy. Yes, it was much more complicated than the earlier years.  But having my daughter at home meant that she her individual educational needs could be met. 

She also had more time to try out new activities and develop her interests, and go to youth conferences, etc.  And watching her blossom and grow, during the teen years... priceless! 

Have you seen my frugal book yet on high school?



Homeschooling High School with College in Mind 
Kindle and Paperback are on Amazon

Get my best tips on college from a homeschool perspective.  Make your high school planning easier! 



 It includes 12 high school planning printables plus a fillable transcript form, the type that the colleges are used to seeing!


What are people saying about it:
Heidi, from Starts at Eight says:

"If you are planning on homeschooling high school then Betsy's book is the one that you want to have on the shelf"......click here to read the rest of her review."


Would you like to see a chapter of my book? 


Just click here to get your FREE PDF.
Subscribing not required.


Thanks for stopping by, and I hope that this will help both you and your teen,


Betsy



Betsy is mom to her college grad whom she homeschooled from through high school.  She blogs at BJ's Homeschool about the early years, high school, college, and is the author of "Homeschooling High School with College in Mind".  She offers homeschool help through messages at BJ's Consulting.


Want to stay in touch?  


Copyright, 2025, All Rights Reserved

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