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There are many reasons to homeschool your child, from concerns over educational standards and safety in a traditional school setting to the flexibility offered by an at-home education. Making the decision to keep your child home, however, is only the first step; choosing the right homeschool program for your family is essential to ensuring that your child gets the best possible education at home. This becomes even more important as your child progresses through their education, moving beyond the basics and into high school.
With expert-developed lesson plans, academic advisors, and other support for you and your child, homeschool programs are specially designed to help you and your child succeed in their education. But not all homeschool programs offer the same quality of options and education or are the right fit for every family.
If you’re just getting started, or if you’re preparing your homeschooled child to begin high school, it can be overwhelming to understand all of your options and choose the best homeschool curriculum for high school. To help, we’ve highlighted several factors to consider as you look for the right homeschooling program for your teen.
Here’s a quick breakdown of what to look for in high school homeschool curriculum. Details are all below!
Know Your State’s Homeschool Laws
Homeschool laws vary from state to state, and the specific requirements for high schoolers may be different from the requirements for elementary and middle school students. This is, in part, to ensure that your child’s progress toward graduation is accurately tracked and documented. Meeting your state’s graduation requirements—and having the documentation to prove it—is critical to secure their eligibility for future education, training programs, and employment.
The requirements for high school graduation often include tracking of credits completed, subjects taken, and time spent in the classroom. It is helpful to research these laws early so that you can develop a plan for tracking each element. If you’re unsure of the laws in your area, visit the Bridgeway Academy website to find a state-by-state breakdown of homeschooling requirements.
What to Look for in the Best High School Homeschool Curriculum
As you begin to research high school homeschool curriculum options for your student, it’s easy to become overwhelmed. While there are many options available, not all provide the same level of educational quality nor the right learning style and resources for your teen.
Choosing the right high school curriculum requires considering several key factors that set the best programs apart, including accreditation, online and offline course offerings, and opportunities for dual enrollment and college credit. Knowing what funding options are available in your state and how to use them can also help to narrow the field. Finally, it’s essential to understand your child’s learning style and goals and choose a program that fits.
Below, we break down each of these factors in more detail.
Accreditation
Educational quality is often a significant factor in deciding to keep your child home, and it only becomes more important as your teen progresses into advanced subjects. Because of this, accreditation should be top of mind, especially as your child gets closer to graduation.
Accreditation is an important way to determine if a high school homeschool program will meet the high academic standards you are looking for. It also helps to ensure that your child’s education will be recognized by colleges, universities, trade programs, and even future employers as they begin to look past high school graduation.
Agencies like Cognia, Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools (MSA), Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC), and Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI) provide independent evaluation of homeschools and their program offerings. When accreditation is awarded, it means that the program has met, or even exceeded, the agency’s rigorous standards in providing a high quality education.
As you consider your child’s options for homeschool programs, look for these agencies’ seals of approval. The best homeschool curriculum for high school will have at least one accreditation, if not more.
Online Class Options
While elementary and middle school curriculum often focuses on the basics, high schoolers typically have more opportunity and freedom to pursue their unique educational interests. Online courses often provide a wonderful opportunity for students to explore those interests, meet their educational goals, and work toward their future aspirations.
Ranging from live online classes to learn-at-your-own-pace programs, online courses offer flexibility, access to teachers with a wide range of expertise, added structure for your child’s school days, and a wealth of digital resources to enhance their learning. For some students, a complete online homeschool program can allow them to study from a custom, full-year curriculum with online classes, access to tutors, and built-in record-keeping to track their progress. For other students, taking a class or two is just enough to enhance their at-home learning.
Offline Class Options
For students who learn better without a screen, many homeschool programs offer offline curriculum and class options to help your student learn.
Offline options include self-paced textbook studies, project-based curriculum with hands-on resources, or hybrid learning that balances online or in-person courses with independent study. For many families, a full-year high school curriculum kit is the right approach, offering a flexible, customizable plan to help your high schooler curate their experience and finish their education strong.
Dual Enrollment Opportunities
Dual enrollment is a popular option for homeschooled high school students. Dually enrolled students take one or two college courses while also working through a high school level curriculum, allowing them to accelerate their educational goals, take advantage of advanced education opportunities, and progress more quickly in topics of interest. Plus, they can earn college credit that can be transferred or applied after high school—saving them time and money in future educational pursuits.
Opportunity to Earn an Associate’s Degree
While dual enrollment allows high school students to earn a few college credits at a time, some homeschool programs go even further. With the right high school homeschool curriculum, your student has the opportunity to earn a full Associate’s Degree while they finish their high school education.
In these programs, students take courses that count both for college and high school credit, typically following a set curriculum that meets both the requirements of the associate’s degree and their high school diploma. At graduation, they’re awarded both.
While this accelerated educational path is not right for everyone, some students thrive in the advanced nature of the courses. Plus, graduating high school with a college degree in hand can elevate their status as they move on to higher education or enter the workforce.
Check for State Funding Options
As homeschooling becomes more popular around the country, an increasing number of states have begun to offer direct funding, tax credits, or reimbursement for homeschool expenses, including the cost of curriculum. For many families, these funds are indispensable to make homeschool a viable educational option, but many homeschool financial aid programs come with restrictions on how the money can be used.
Understanding what funding is available and what your state will fund is one way to differentiate between homeschool providers and choose the best homeschool curriculum for high school. Some states publish lists of approved service providers, while others simply share guidelines to help you make your choice. As you evaluate your program options, they should clearly state whether they participate in state funding programs and also be able to offer guidance on how to use available resources effectively.
Know Your Child’s Learning Style
While many high school homeschool programs meet all of the requirements noted above, the best programs fit your student and how they learn best, whether that’s visual, auditory, hands-on, independent, collaborative, self-paced, or guided.
As you narrow down your educational choices, be sure to consider your student’s individual strengths, challenges, and learning preferences. Many high school programs offer resources for this purpose, assessing your student’s academic standing across all subjects, their learning style, and their short- and long-term goals. Educational assessments and one-on-one academic advisors can offer guidance to help you craft an educational plan that’s aligned with these factors, while also providing support to your teen along the way.
Choosing the Best High School Homeschool Curriculum
While the criteria above help to provide a baseline for evaluation, the “best” high school homeschool curriculum will be different for every family—and every student. Looking beyond the basics of course materials is key to understanding how each program’s flexibility, accreditation, support options, and learning style will fit the needs of your child and family.
Choosing a homeschool provider that can help you identify those needs, customize a robust curriculum, and guide your teen through their high school experience is key. At Bridgeway Academy, our accredited high school homeschool programs are designed to meet every child’s needs—whatever they may be. Plus, our one-on-one academic advisors and educational experts can help you and your child design the high school education you want and they need.
With more than 35 years of support for homeschool families, one-on-one academic advising, a 96% success rate in matching students to the right curriculum and learning plan, and robust virtual and in-person communities (including Parent Connections), Bridgeway Academy’s accredited homeschool programs meet all the criteria, including being accredited by Cognia, to help you provide a high-quality education that meets the unique needs of your child and family.
You can learn more about Bridgeway Academy’s homeschool curriculum options by calling our team of educational experts at (800) 863-1474, attending a virtual open house or contacting an advisor for personalized guidance.
