Homeschooling high school - Finding a standard

One important principle that drives our family's high school decisions: The state requirement is the bare minimum, not a standard of excellence. Yes, we have to meet the legal requirements, but for most students, that level of accomplishment is not truly satisfactory to succeed in college or most post-high school endeavors. And, it is quite generic (thankfully), leaving lots of room in their schedule to personalize their education along the way.

This is where your high school plans might take a sharp turn away from someone else's. Freshman and sophomore years might look similar, but by junior year (or sooner) you will hopefully start refining their education for their unique post-high school path.

For example, if they are inclined toward math and science, you will beef up those classes. Maybe you will look for STEM camps or a robotics group. If animals seem to really draw their attention they might volunteer at an animal shelter or get a job at a pet store while leaning into their science classes. Opportunities are endless and as unique as your child: co-ops, speech and debate, internships, summer jobs, theater, music, church ministry, mission trips, babysitting, shadowing people, sports, classes and camps, and just about anything else you can imagine. All of that is part of their personalized path to adulthood. 

This is an area of decision making that you will revisit each year. Your child likely has some ideas as a sophomore, but their dreams might change dramatically by senior year. Each year, through prayer and research, make the best decisions you know at that time.

Employing that technique, we have had very few regrets for time spent in high school, and no two kids have walked the same path.

Most kids head to a four year college after high school, so let's examine best practice for that path first. 

Don't shortchange your student trying to double count courses. These requirements are so basic, that there is no reason to shoot for anything less or to rationalize a compromise. You want them to write, read, calculate, process, debate, research, discover, learn, experiment, speak, and analyze as much as absolutely possible during these four years. Now, there might be kids who seriously struggle with academics. I would still press to surpass the state requirements as much as possible. Their best without stressing them (or you) out is where you should prayerfully aim.


As we were talking about these items recently, a friend of mine mentioned that they had been advised to choose four core classes each year and then build their schedule from there. At first I thought that was pretty sound advice. And, it wouldn't really hurt. You have about 13-14 required core credits, so 4 a year would get it done. However, as I thought it over more, I thought, "If you start out with four, you are setting yourself up for a potential time crunch."

Reasons I think 5-7 core classes per year would be a better goal:

• Set the bar high and they will often achieve it. If they keep driving after extra credits from the beginning, they can really capitalize on the high school years. 
• I would really, really, (REALLY, really) encourage you to try for a little heavier freshman year and see how you all handle it. There is for sure no shame in trimming down the middle of September if it ends up being too much. But, you both just might be surprised at how much can be done.
• A rigorous high school schedule is excellent preparation for college. On more than one college visit, I listened to students talk about how hard freshman year was. And, the reason - because senior year of high school was so light, they were not used to working hard and budgeting their time. Make the most of every year of high school.
• The more courses and areas they study in high school, the more exposure they have to potential areas of interest. High school is prep time for real life and while they don't need to lock in their career path, the more they explore, the more they will know what they like and do not like. 

So, what classes do you take?

To determine this I looked two places - college websites and high school websites. Even if you have no idea where your child is going to college, pick a college with a solid reputation and see what their website has to say about high school graduation requirements. Again, aim high.

Three colleges that I have respect for, for various reasons, have this to say about high school coursework:

1. https://www.wheaton.edu/admissions-and-aid/undergraduate-admissions/apply-to-wheaton/undergraduate-admissions-process/high-school-curriculum-requirements/
2. https://www.cedarville.edu/Admissions/Admission-Guidelines/High-School-Courses.aspx
3. https://www.moody.edu/undergrad/chicago/admissions/requirements/ (know your school as soon as possible, Moody is not heavy on academics, but ministry involvement and goals do figure in significantly). 

Then, I checked out a local private high school that has a respected college prep program. Here was their 4 year plan for students:

Bible - 6 semesters including: Foundations, Spiritual Formation, Life of Christ, Doctrine and Apologetics

Business - 1 semester of Economics and Personal Finance

English  - 9 semesters including: Communication, English I, English II, English III, Senior English

Fine Arts - 2 semesters

General Electives - 9 semesters (Any course not required for graduation )

Mathematics - 6 semesters including: Geometry  and Four additional semesters of Math

Physical Education/Health - 5 semesters One for each year including Introduction to Health

Science - 6 semesters including: Physics, Chemistry, Biology

Social Studies - 6 semesters including: World History, U .S . History, U .S . Government 

That's a little more representative of what I expect my child to get out of a high school education.

From here, we are ready to make our individual plan.