11th Grade: STEM-Bound Kiddo’s Plans 2026-27

Every year, I share our curriculum plans over on YouTube — but I’ve never thought to share them here.

Our first two years of homeschooling, I only had one kiddo to plan for. And that’s how we’ll end our homeschool journey, too. <big feelings inserted here!>

I’m acutely aware that every kiddo’s needs & strengths are very different. Even with my three, their high school years and curriculum picks have looked really different. So….

Kiddo #3 has his eyes set on a more selective college (TBD) and then medical school. He is quick with math and science. He’d skip a foreign language entirely if colleges didn’t expect to see it. Creative writing is his preferred style, and picking up a book isn’t his favorite way to spend an evening, but he enjoys an engaging story. He craves deadlines, but not too many.

With all of that in mind, he chose to take a few AP courses this year. In the spring, he’ll take 1-2 courses at the community college. Initially, we planned to add one this fall. But with three AP courses + soccer, he’s worried that it might be too much for the fall, so we’re pushing those to the spring.

If your kiddo hasn’t taken an AP course, here are a few things to know before.

English

After using & loving Write at Home last year, Matthew felt confident enough in his writing to tackle AP Language & Composition. We’ve heard great things about the instructor at AIM Online Academy, and it fit into his schedule easily.

AP Lang focuses on literary analysis, something we haven’t done much. I’m excited to read several pieces alongside him, like “Politics and the English Language” by George Orwell and “Revelation” by Flannery O’Connor, two authors I’ve never read. (The list of readings is in the description if you need some inspiration for your own kiddo.)

History

He’s also taking AP US History (APUSH) through AIM Online Academy. The teacher has a reputation as a strong instructor who doesn’t fill the schedule with ‘busy work.’ She gave us the option to take it asynchronously during soccer season since the live class time would require him to watch it while he runs up & down the field!

The spine for the class is America: A Narrative History.

Ms. Hawkins teaches several other non-AP history courses at AIM, as well as APUSH through AP Homeschoolers.

Math

For the fourth year, Math Without Borders is our math of choice for this kiddo…but not without a possible pivot first. Pre-calculus is listed as a self-paced option over at ASU Universal Learner, but it actually wasn’t available to us. He was worried that the set deadlines in their semester-long course would be too much with his AP courses. So, it’s back to MWoB for pre-calc.

He likes that the program is self-paced. The teaching videos are easy for him to understand. We also like that this is a paper-and-pencil class rather than an online program.

His (rather ambitious) goal is to complete pre-calc this fall & take calc 1 at the community college in the spring.

Looking for new high school math curriculum? Check out this list.

Science

The last AP course this year will be AP Physics 1 through Susquehanna Valley Physics. This physics class is a more introductory level than the traditional AP Physics C, which he also teaches. The two live classes each week also meet during soccer practice, so he’ll watch the videos until soccer season is over.

For a lower-priced option, he does offer the course as a parent-graded one. It includes teaching videos, lab work & a schedule.

The spine he uses is College Physics, 10th ed. by Serway.

Check out this blog post for more high school physics curriculum.

Foreign Language

If he could, he’d drop foreign language in a heartbeat. It’s his least favorite subject. So, we’ve opted to keep it self-paced & low-pressure, mostly just a ‘check-the-box’ course. He’ll finish up German 2 this fall & then start German 3 through Family Academy.

Electives

High School electives are where I try to lighten up the workload, explore niche topics, and expose my teens to potential career fields. With a heavy load this year, a lighter workload is going to be really important for him.

• Science of Cooking & Nutrition — a co-op class that requires very little work outside of class
• Ethics in Healthcare — self-paced course to demonstrate interest in the field
• Interpersonal communication — easy course through dual enrollment
• Another science course (maybe) — through ASU or dual enrollment

Extracurriculars

Sports — This will be his fourth year playing on our local homeschool soccer team & his sixth season on a homeschool swim team. The swim team has a short season and, while the coach doesn’t go easy on them, it’s a low-pressure team. The opposite is true for soccer! So, swim is a nice follow-up winter sport to keep him busy.

Volunteer — We are on the hunt for new opportunities this year. He’d like to find a healthcare-related opportunity, but we haven’t had any luck yet.

Arts — He’s asked to resume guitar lessons, which we’ll probably wait until the end of soccer season to start. The past few years, he’s participated in musical theater through our co-op & he’s hoping to continue.