Homeschool High School Credits: A Starter Guide

Sorting out high school credits can be confusing. Let’s break it down!

While there is a lot to learn about how to homeschool high school, much of it is pretty straightforward.  Once you break it down!

Credits fall into that category. Since it will guide your plans for each school year, it’s one of the first things you should understand as you start the journey through high school. In the simplest of definitions, a high school credit is a way to describe how much time your high schooler has spent learning a particular subject.

How is a credit earned?

Core courses (math, science, history, English, foreign language) are typically one-credit classes. Your kiddo should expect to spend 4-5 hours/week for 32-36 weeks to earn 1 credit.

• One textbook
• 120-180 hours (a “Carnegie unit”)
• One complete non-textbook-based curriculum
• One AP course
• One college course (A college course is worth 3-4 college credits, but 1 high school credit.)

Electives can be either a 0.5 or a 1-credit class, depending on the course and your student. We dig into electives here.

How do I even know what credits we need?

Always, always, always go straight to your state’s guidelines for this. Always. Don’t check out a blog or a homeschool organization’s website. YOU are on the hook for homeschooling in accordance with your state’s laws — not those sites — so you want to get your information straight from the horse’s mouth.

Important distinction: When you consult your state’s laws, make sure you’re looking at the homeschool laws rather than the high school requirements for public schools. You aren’t designated as a public school, so those aren’t the laws that you need to follow.

Homeschool graduation requirements are typically set by the homeschool parents. So… how do you know which graduation requirements to set so your student can earn a high school diploma?!  One starting point would be to consult the entrance requirements for public colleges in your area. Typically, they will align closely with local high school graduation requirements.

Schools that are selective and/or more specialized will typically have higher requirements. Certain majors or schools within a college may have different requirements, too. It’s a good idea to consult multiple college sites before you begin building your own requirements.

A Typical High School Credit Plan

At a very basic level, your four-year high school plan should include:

• 4 credits of English
• 4 credits of math
• 3-4 credits of science (with at least 1 lab class)
• 2-3 credits of social sciences (world history, US history, government, psychology, etc.)
• 2-3 credits of foreign language
• 2-3 elective classes each year (remember: these may be 0.5 credit classes)

An estimated amount of credits your student will earn is 26-30 credits over their four years of high school.

What if my student is taking harder classes?

Many homeschool students will take AP courses, honors courses, or college classes during their high school years. While your family may choose to weigh these grades on the high school transcript, they don’t count for more credits. A year-long course with a full workload is one credit regardless of difficulty.

A side note… if you don’t already know what dual or concurrent enrollment is, this is an opportunity to earn college credit while in high school. These credits count for both high school credit and, possibly, college credit.

But what does it look like to earn these? Keep reading!

English Credits (4)

English is one of the two classes you should plan to do every year. While you could technically double up one year, if your student is college-bound, colleges will still want to see a credit earned each year of high school, regardless of whether your student took two credits one year.

The focus is on literature & writing, but you can be flexible with that. A student who enjoys poetry could spend a year reading and writing poetry. A STEM-bound student could incorporate scientific writing into their year. Many parents align their literature selections with that year’s history.

On your transcript, it might look like:

• English 1
• English 2
• English 3
• English 4

If you have a specific focus for the year, you can alter the transcript title to reflect that.

Math Credits (4)

Math is the other class that you should plan to do every year. Like English, if your student is college-bound, colleges usually want to see a math credit earned every school year, whether that is a typical year-long high school level course or a one-semester college-level course. If your student completed a high school math class while in middle school, colleges will still want to see four credits earned while in high school.

Despite what you may feel if you browse a homeschool Facebook group, a student who hasn’t completed algebra in middle school isn’t (necessarily) behind. If they are college-bound, there is still time to complete the first three courses in a typical sequence, plus a fourth. (If dual enrollment classes at a local college or online are an option for you, your high schooler may even be able to earn five credits.)

The most common sequence (and the way it may look on your transcript) is:

• Algebra 1
• Geometry
• Algebra 2
• + one more math

Depending on your student’s post-high school goals, that fourth credit could include:

• Pre-Calculus
• Statistics
• Trigonometry
• Consumer Math
• Number Theory
• Calculus

Social Studies (2-3)

Your 2-3 social studies credits will likely include 1 credit of world history, 1 credit of US history, and 0.5-1.0 credits of another course, like government or economics. (It is common for each of those to be 0.5 credits & one semester long.)

History is one of my favorite subjects because you can really lean into your kiddo’s interests & customize a course that fits them. World history for one of my kiddos was built around War & Tyranny in the 20th Century. Another kiddo loved history, so we opted for a 4-year history cycle. With the addition of a government credit + History Compass by Pandia Press, he finished high school with 5.5 credits.

On a transcript, it might look like:

• US History
• World History
• Government
• Economics

Or….

• US History Through Films
• War & Tyranny in the 20th Century
• Comparative Government

A few more ideas:

• Civics
• Geography
• Psychology
• Sociology
• History Compass

“The goal of education is not to fill a bucket, but to light a fire.”

— William Butler Yeats

Science Credits (3–4)

Most students complete three years (credits) of science in high school, and at least one of those should include a lab. If your student is aiming for a selective college or planning a STEM-related path, four credits (with two labs) is expected.

The typical biology → chemistry → physics sequence exists for a reason. Each class depends on stronger math skills than the one before it. Chemistry often requires Algebra 2 (or taking it at the same time), and physics usually expects Algebra 2 to be finished first. At the dual-enrollment level, physics may even require pre-calculus as a prerequisite.

All of that said, just because those are the typical science courses doesn’t mean they are the ones your kiddo must take. For example, if a college states “one biological science,” that doesn’t mean that biology is the only option. If your kiddo is not heading into a selective college or STEM-bound field, you have more wiggle room to lean into their interests & preferences.

Not every student needs the same level of math-heavy science, and it’s perfectly reasonable to adjust the sequence to fit your student.

On your transcript, it may look like:

• Biology
• Chemistry
• Physics

If you want something different, you could consider:

• Environmental Science
• Anatomy & Physiology
• Astronomy
• Marine Biology
• Geology
• Meteorology
• Zoology
• Forensic science

Foreign Language Credits (2–4)

Colleges typically want to see at least 3 credits in the same language; some colleges may require more, and more selective schools may recommend 3 or even 4 credits. However, not every student needs foreign language credits, especially if their plans after high school do not include a four-year college.

If your student is college-bound, check the admissions requirements for a few schools early in high school so you have time to meet their minimum requirements.

On a transcript, it’ll look like:

• Spanish 1
• Spanish 2
• Spanish 3

The goal of high school isn’t just to collect credits.
It’s to help students learn how to think, how to work, and how to keep learning.

Electives (2–3 Per Year)

Electives are where your teen’s interests, strengths, and future plans are highlighted. A student with a deep interest in fashion, for example, may choose to take electives such as sewing courses, the history of fashion, and theater. A kiddo who loves science may opt for a variety of science-themed electives.

Often, electives are 0.5-credit classes in which students spend just a couple of hours each week. Rather than work on an elective all year, some homeschool students choose to make them a one semester course with more work each week. 2-3 electives a year (1-1.5 credits) is pretty common. These credits can come from formal curriculum, real-life experiences, hobbies, co-ops, etc.

On a transcript, elective credits might include:

• Personal Finance
• Computer Science
• Art
• Graphic Design
• Music
• Theater
• Sewing
• Cooking
• Baking

• Health
• Speech
• Business
• Psychology
• Logic
• Debate
• Creative Writing
• Trade school or technical classes

tl;dr

• Always check with your state concerning graduation requirements.
• A high school credit usually represents a full year of study, or about 120–180 hours of work.
• Your plan should demonstrate increased rigor each year.
• Electives aren’t fillers; they’re a chance for your student to explore possibilities, be creative, and develop skills.