How to Graduate a Homeschooled Student?4 min read

Introduction

You may be asking how to graduate as a home-schooled kid when your child approaches high school age. It’s fantastic! It doesn’t have to be tough or frightening, as the following article will demonstrate.

The Homeschool Inquisition frequently switches from the age-old socializing concern to questions like “how are they going to graduate high school?” and “what about college?” after your kids reach middle school or so.

The main difference is that while socializing is usually unimportant, graduation and secondary education are critical factors for families who homeschool their children through high school. So, as a home-schooled student, what do you need to know about graduating? Based on my personal experience, I’ve compiled a list of essentials.

1. Know the Home-schooling Law

Most states do not have policies in place to ensure that a home-schooled student receives a diploma. In most cases, the home-schooling parent determines your child’s graduation requirements. You give your graduate a high school diploma after they have completed those requirements.

Pennsylvania, New York, and North Dakota are obvious exceptions. There are specific course requirements in these states. Make sure you are familiar with your state’s laws so that you and your student are not caught off guard.

2. Consider Your High School Student’s Plans

Consider your child’s post-graduate plans and choose courses accordingly, according to one wise piece of advice for parents planning to homeschool through high school. If your child has a particular school in mind, check the admission standards for that school before your student’s ninth-grade year to ensure that she is on track to meet them.

Most universities and colleges require four years of English and math, three to five weeks of science, three years of social research findings, and two years of foreign language, as well as several elective credits.

Even if your child has no plans to attend college, he should receive a college prep high school education. Teenagers’ opinions change. And, if your student does not change his attitude, the high school education you provide will be his highest level of education. Even if your child’s plans include a college alternate solution, such as trade or vocational school, an apprenticeship, or entering the workforce, you should ensure that he receives a solid high school education.

However, it is crucial to acknowledge that a college prep education should still be tailored to your student. You have the option of providing alternatives to conventional high school courses.

3. Keep High School Transcripts

For college-bound teenagers, keeping transcripts is a must. You might be surprised to learn that other post-secondary education options require transcripts. Transcripts are stored for an indefinite period of time! Most states require that those records be kept indefinitely. Others require them to be kept for a set period of time.

4. Complete Standardized Testing

If your high school senior intends to attend college after graduation, he will almost certainly need to take the ACT or SAT. At the very least, he’ll have to take an admissions test for the school he’ll be attending.

But what about children who will enter the labor force, an unpaid internship, or a technical college?
Some students outperform on the SAT, while others outperform on the ACT. Depending on your student’s plans, it may be best to have her take both tests and choose the one with the higher score.

Furthermore, some schools accept the top grade in each ACT category, not just the composite score. Check with the schools your child attends to see if it is worthwhile for her to take the test more than once.

5. Apply for Scholarships for Home-schoolers

You guessed it. Homeschooled students, like public and private schooled students, are eligible for college scholarships. Homeschoolers, for example, are eligible for the National Merit Scholarship based on PSAT and NMSQT scores if they take the qualification test at an approved testing site.

Athletes who are homeschooled should look into scholarships from the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) (NCIA).

Other scholarships for which your little ones are eligible include

• Employee Scholarships at Chick-fil-A
• Sonlight scholarships are available to homeschoolers who use their curriculum.
• RiSE Scholarship Foundation provides financial assistance to students with ADD, ADHD, or other documented learning disabilities.
• The Society of Women Engineers is a professional organization for female students studying engineering, computer science, or engineering technology.

For many seasoned homeschool parents, such as yourselves, the high school years resurrect all of the anxiety and apprehension that accompanied the first year of homeschooling. You can, however, effectively manage the high school days with your home-schooled student if you educate yourself and develop a plan.