AP & Homeschool: 5(ish) Things You Need to Know to Get Started

Wondering how AP courses work for homeschoolers? Learn how to get started, register for tests, and choose the right courses for your teen.

When I began exploring AP courses for my daughter, I was overwhelmed.  Everything read as if I already understood the basics, but I couldn’t even FIND the basics. 

Do I have to use a specific textbook? 
Is an audit as scary as it sounds? 
How do we take an AP test?

So let’s talk about what you, the homeschool parent, need to know to get your homeschooler started with AP courses and exams.

What’s Advanced Placement?!

If you have a kiddo old enough to be a high schooler, you’re probably old enough to have attended high school at a time when AP classes were pretty rare. My high school offered only one (AP government), and it only started in the spring of my senior year.

Now, both public & private schools are often flush with AP classes (for better or worse). But depending on your homeschool circles, the idea of taking AP courses & tests in high school may still be a pretty rare thought.

Advanced Placement classes, offered by the omnipresent College Board, are higher-level courses and tests that often appeal to college admissions. Content and rigor are fairly standardized, so colleges have a strong understanding of what the incoming students have learned. This can be especially appealing for homeschool students since it’s one way to ‘prove’ that the grades on a transcript aren’t just ‘participation trophies’

The other appealing aspect of Advanced Placement is that the year-end tests have the potential to earn your teen both college credits and high school credits. The details will depend on the college and the test, but a score of 3 or 4 (out of 5) could potentially be enough for a student to opt out of introductory college courses, such as Calc 1 or Eng 101.

If selective schools are part of your high schooler’s long-term plans, those schools will expect a score of 4 or 5. Multiple AP courses over each of their high school years can also be appealing to admissions officers.

1. AP Courses vs. AP Tests: What’s the Difference (and Why It Matters)?

Your high schooler can take an Advanced Placement course without taking the AP test. And your high schooler can take the AP test without taking an official AP course (like using an AP study guide + their preferred curriculum).

Taking just one of them isn’t a negative in the eyes of colleges. Since the classes have a standardized level of rigor and content, colleges easily understand what your kiddo learned in the class. The AP tests show colleges how well your student can demonstrate what they learned in a high-stakes test format.

One important note: College credit can only (potentially) be earned when high school students take the AP exam and score high enough for that particular college. If college credit is part of your reasoning for taking the course, you will want to have your kiddo take the test. At a minimum, they will need to earn three out of five points. Depending on the college and the course, the minimum may be four points.

“Earning a C in an AP course — just so an AP course is on their transcripts — probbly isn’t the image you want to give to colleges. Choose wisely!”

2. Listing AP on a Transcript? Heads up!

If your teen wants to take an AP course at home & list it on their homeschool transcript, you must go through the AP course audit process with the College Board. The audit process is the way the College Board verifies that your plans for a course match the content & rigor they have established. You can use their sample syllabus, one you find on the internet, or create your own.

If you’re new to AP, make it easy on yourself and use theirs or one you find.

And if your teen takes a course through an online provider that has already completed the AP audit process, you don’t need to complete it as well.

(There are some exceptions. My son took AP Computer Science through CompuScholar. I had to complete the audit process and chose CompuScholar as the curriculum provider.)

Online AP classes are typically more spendy than other high school classes.  There’s more work to get approved & to teach the class.  As always with homeschool materials, we pay with our time or with our money.

If this is going to be an at-home course, this video from Simplify Homeschool walks you through the audit process. It’s a far simpler process than I expected. If you use a syllabus from the AP site, the audit process can be completed in fewer than 10 minutes.

3. Registering to Take the AP Test Can Be… a Journey!

AP exams are taken at approved testing sites. That could be your local schools, a private school, or, if you’re lucky, a site with a homeschool group.

But finding those sites can take a lot of investigative work on your part. Many public schools save testing seats for their students. A recent law in North Carolina requires public schools to provide a testing spot for homeschool students (if they are offering that specific test), but not all states do.

Be firm, persistent, and, most of all, kind and flexible. A little pushing may be required, but rudeness certainly won’t incentivize a school to work with you and other homeschoolers. For the less-common courses, you may have to broaden your search radius.

Registration happens in the fall.  You can’t wait until January to see how your kiddo is doing before deciding whether to test or not.  Test order date is November 15, but some schools cut off the testing registration prior to that date.

If your kiddo needs accommodations, start even earlier. Accommodation requests go through a review process at the College Board level. Be sure you have your documents in order and know what accommodations you wish to request.

What else do you need to know?

• Expect to pay the College Board a fee for the test.
• Look for approved testing locations on the official AP Course Ledger.
• Exam dates typically follow the exact same schedule each May. See the current schedule here.

4. Not Every AP Course Is a Good Fit: Ask these first!

Does your student WANT to do the workload for that particular course? 
An “average” student can do quite well, and an advanced kiddo could do poorly.  How much they buy into the class & workload is going to play a huge part in how they do.  

Will they do well in it?  Does it show off their strengths? 
If your kiddo isn’t a strong math student, enrolling them in AP Calculus is probably a bad choice, especially if they aren’t motivated to do it.

Do they have the time? 
Sit down with your teen, map out their schedule (including extracurriculars), and be honest about it. Your teen can expect 8-10 hours of coursework per week, especially when it comes to science & math classes.

If they’re taking other AP courses, how do the test dates line up?  
Taking tests back-to-back may be no problem for some students; the stress may prevent other students from doing well on either one.

Earning a C in an AP course, just so an AP course is on their transcripts, isn’t the image you want to give to colleges! 

5. Some AP Courses & Tests are Just Easier Than Others

Keep this in mind!  Easier ones include psychology & human geography.  More difficult ones include US history, biology & calculus.   

Don’t take AP biology as a 9th grader with the idea that biology is often a 9th-grade course. While it is typically taken in 9th grade, it’s usually recommended to be in 11th-12th grade when you take it.

Online Course Providers

There are many excellent online classes for homeschooled students. Check out these places to get started on your search.

• APEX Learning (self-paced)
• AIM Online Academy (live & asynchronous classes)
• Well-Trained Mind Academy
• The Potter’s School (Christian)
• Pennsylvania AP Homeschoolers (long-standing AP provider)
• Wilson Hill

Put these dates in your planner!

• AP Test Registration: September – October (check with your specific location)
• Final Registration Date: November 15
• Exam Week: The first two weeks of May (Here are this year’s dates.)
• Accommodations Deadline: Begin the process by August
• Early July: Find out your AP exam score