Planning to Homeschool High School - Free PDF Guide for You

 


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.

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!




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

It is designed for busy homeschool moms, like you. It is a quick read and is packed with helps and resources. And it feels 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.  

If you want more resources, after getting your PDF - How to Homeschool High School, you might like to check out my book, full of many more quick reads and resources.




Don't be put off by the title please, with the mention of college.  My book is for homeschool families who want to do high school at home, whether going to college or right into the world of work.

It does include tips for college, as getting into college as a homeschooler is really not hard to do. Christian based.

Review by Lit Pick is here: 



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.   


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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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Homeschool Your Teen Through High School with FREE Resources




Hi!  This is Betsy, a retired homeschool mom from BJ's Homeschool. Our daughter is now a homeschool grad and also a college grad, (not that everyone needs college.)

Many of us homeschoolers ponder to consider whether or not to continue through the teen years. 

Or just think it would be too hard. Or overwhelming.

But we found that homeschooling high school is really not hard to do! 

It gave us that most important special time with our teen. So many of my favorite memories came from the high school years. And you can be alongside them, too, while they are growing up into young adulthood.

Yet, the thought of dealing with transcripts and assigning credit can feel so daunting. 

But it doesn't have to be.  My mission is to provide free or frugal resources for high school families, to make the record keeping issues easier.


 HIGH SCHOOL RESOURCES:


1. VIDEO:  How to Homeschool Your Teen


This high school video gives you the basics for homeschooling your teen, and the encouragement to do it!





This VIDEO includes planning for your high school at home, along with how to assign credit, the easy way.  Plus the fun of high school electives, and more.



How to get started with high school, without the overwhelm!! Lots on planning and also how to assign credit in 3 easy ways.



LINK - High School-PDF 


NOTE: This asks for your email to sign up, but you can unsubscribe anytime. And I do no email marketing at all. 



3. MY BOOK on High School



on AMAZON


My book gives you much more on how to homeschool high school, whether your teen is headed to college, or directly into the world of work, or to a trades school.

Plus you will get downloadable planning printables:
  • homeschool transcripts
  • calculating the GPA 
  • frugal curriculum resources
  • college admissions process if desired.


My mission is to encourage homeschooling families to consider doing high school AND build up your teen in their faith and their family values.

Follow me on: Pinterest 




Thanks for stopping by BJ's Homeschool,


Betsy



Betsy is a retired O.T, a veteran homeschool blogger, and most importantly is mom to her college grad, whom she homeschooled through high school.  She blogs at BJ's Homeschool, about the early years, high school, college and 2e.  


Want to stay in touch?

I am at Pinterest



Copyright @ BJ's Homeschool 2025
All rights reserved.



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Frugal and FUN Homeschool English Resources for Your Kids and Teens - Plus Online Book Clubs


Here at BJ's Homeschool, we are all about frugal and quality resources and curriculum for your kids and teens.

Are you wanting a full language arts program that's fun!

Finding a good language arts curriculum can be tough. There are so many factors to consider: 

  • Will my child enjoy it? 

  • How much prep work is it for me,?

  • Will it teach grammar, writing, and literature?

  • And can it be fun at the same time?

Today I want to share a curriculum that checks off all the boxes for a full language arts curriculum.

That curriculum is Literary Adventures for Kids by my friend, Dachelle, who you know from Hide the Chocolate

What is Literary Adventures for Kids?

  • A full language arts curriculum - All courses include literature and age-appropriate grammar

  • and vocabulary.

  • Each course is based on a book and is approximately a month in length.

  • The book clubs include optional hands-on projects that are sprinkled like Magic Dust

  • throughout the course.

  • Every course includes Rabbit Trails - These are parallel learning experiences that take

  • deep dives into some of the subjects touched on in the book.

  • There are currently 4 different types of book clubs:

 

  • Nature Book Clubs: These guide your early elementary student through reading

  • picture books while exploring different creatures and plants in nature and leading them on

  • Outside Adventures (nature observations). These book clubs include copywork and

  • beginning grammar lessons.








  • Elementary Picture Book Clubs: These guide your early elementary student through reading

  • picture books while exploring rabbit trails. These book clubs include copywork and

  • beginning grammar lessons.








  • Family Book Clubs: These guide your elementary and middle school students through a novel for kids while exploring history, art, pop culture, geography, music, or other subjects that are parallel to the story. These book clubs include four weeks of copywork, grammar, vocabulary, and a monthly writing project.


  • High School Book Clubs: These guide your high school students through a novel while

  • exploring subjects that are parallel to the story. These book clubs include four weeks of

  • vocabulary, grammar, spelling, literary elements, critical thinking questions, freewriting,

  • and a monthly writing project.








  • And, all courses include a Party School! This is the pinnacle of the Online Book Club experience.

  • At the end of each literature study, students will celebrate the novel with a party. Invite friends or

  • family over for some literary fun! All the ideas for food, decorations, and activities are included.


That's just a quick overview of Literary Adventures for Kids online book clubs. If you want to really dig in and see what some of them are like, check out the free book clubs.n and see what some of them are like, check out the free book clubs.

Click Here for the Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs Book Club for Elementary 

Click Here for the Wonder Book Club for Elementary and Middle School

Click Here for the Call of The Wild Book Club for High School 

 

And, if you decide these might be a good fit, you can use my code, ??, for 20% off! I highly recommend that you take a look at these English resources, which are frugal and I think, very well put together.



Thanks for stopping by BJ's Homeschool,

Betsy


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



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