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Homeschool laws and graduation requirements vary by state and change over time. This is what our family does, not legal advice, so check HSLDA and your state’s current requirements for your situation.

Middle school

Middle school is a great time to build independence. We break subjects down and work alongside our kids, then gradually hand over more responsibility before high school. It’s also a good time to start looking ahead at what your state requires for graduation (see below).

High school: what does my teen need to graduate?

Start at HSLDA’s homeschool laws by state. Look up your state and see if it has any high school requirements.

If it doesn’t, search for your state’s high school graduation requirements. We live in Kansas, so we searched “Kansas graduation requirements” and downloaded the state’s PDF.

Read it closely. It usually has more than one set of requirements: a general diploma, a college-bound track, and requirements for athletes, which can matter for a homeschooler who wants to play college sports.

Even if those requirements don’t apply to you, look at them anyway. Then you’re making an intentional choice about what to include or leave out, with an understanding of what’s typically required.

Then make your own list of non-negotiables. For us, logic and a biblical worldview class are required. You won’t find those in state standards, but they matter to us.

How do you give credits and grades?

Start with your state law again and see what it says a credit requires. If it doesn’t say, HSLDA’s general guideline is:

• Core academic class (English, math, history, science, foreign language): about 150 hours for 1 credit, or 75 hours for half a credit.
• Lab science: about 180 hours, including the lab work.
• Elective (PE, art, music and others): about 120 hours for 1 credit, or 60 hours for half a credit.

Source: HSLDA: 3 ways to determine your teen’s course credit.

Grading is up to you. Many curriculums do it for you: we use Apologia’s self-paced courses and Teaching Textbooks in high school, and both grade automatically.

For classes I teach myself, like government, economics, logic or speech, decide before the class starts what counts and how much. For example, tests, projects and presentations might be 40% of the grade, class participation 30% and homework 30%. Then grade from that.

How do you make a transcript?

I use the Homeschool Curriculum Planner (aff link). It builds the transcript for you as you plan and track your teen’s year. Here’s how I use it for high school.

HSLDA also has free high school transcript templates if you’d rather make your own.

Should you outsource high school classes?

Yes, I think it’s important to outsource some. Partly because some subjects are hard: I’m not the person to teach chemistry, and for that subject my role is to manage their education, not to be the instructor.

But it’s also about what teens learn from other teachers and classmates:

• Interacting with kids who have different worldviews and perspectives.
• Working with teachers who have different, stricter standards. As moms, it’s easy to push a due date because they were sick, or accept work we normally wouldn’t because we’re tired.
• Learning to communicate with outside teachers.
• Doing group projects. A presentation in front of mom and dad is very different from one in front of your peers.

It’s not about how many classes or which ones. Give them a variety of opportunities to learn, not just new content, but how other people work. Find what works best for you and your child.

How independent should a high schooler be?

It varies widely by child, especially if special needs are involved. Either way, they still need you for accountability; there’s a reason they’re not living on their own yet.

But the goal is for them to be able to live on their own, so stagger the independence. In middle school we break subjects down and work alongside them. In high school we might move from daily check-ins to weekly ones. If a teen starts slipping, adjust and give them more accountability.

More: Kids who teach themselves: steps to homeschool independence.

What life skills do they need before they graduate?

• Money. Knowing how to handle money is so important.
• Cooking. My teens each cook one night a week. They make the same meal until they’ve mastered it, then add another to their rotation, so they build a set of real meals. We start with cheap, simple ones like rice and beans or spaghetti, because money is usually tight when you first move out. If they want to get into gourmet cooking later, great.
• Communicating and advocating for themselves. Have them call to set up their own doctor’s appointments. Have them go into the bank to cash a check instead of using the app. Let them troubleshoot while you’re still close by.
• A biblical worldview, plus chances to talk with people who see the world differently while they’re still in high school, so you can have those conversations and support them. You’re not throwing them to the wolves.

What if they aren’t headed to college?

Prepare them the same way. The end game isn’t college or no college; it’s adults who are equipped to glorify God in what they’ve been called to do. A strong biblical foundation is a big part of that in our family.

Then give them lots of chances to try things. My parents did this for my siblings and me: when we found something we were interested in, especially as teens, they connected us with people to shadow and learn from, or helped us find an internship. Trade school and on-the-job training are great paths too.

The goal is a good foundation for being a good human, plus whatever skills they need to get where they’re going.

Our middle & high school curriculum

Middle school picks

High school picks

If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to me on social media or by email at lifeinthemundane@gmail.com.