I was super excited to speak a few weeks ago at a homeschool round table about homeschooling high school. People tend to get nervous about homeschooling high school. I think this is for good reason, as it should be a time of expanding social circles, expanding independence, and learning advanced ideas, but homeschooling high school mainly takes planning more than anything else. It’s really not any harder than homeschooling the other grades! I promise!

In the states, there are many different ways you can approach homeschooling high school that will also decrease college tuition. These include CLEP testing and dual enrollment. I haven’t honestly used either option with our other graduates (our oldest had AP credits), but I may with our current high schooler.

In general, it’s a good idea to know what the requirements are for public school graduates in your state (it varies state to state) and what the colleges your student wants to apply to require. Some colleges will not accept some dual enrollment or CLEP credits depending on the institution or major. For example, some colleges may say that the student has to take biology at that institution in order for it to be accepted. So, it is very important to know from the beginning what is accepted and what is not.

CLEP tests stand for College Level Examination Program, offered by the College Board (other tests by the College Board include the SAT, ACT, PSAT, AP) , which allows students to earn college credits by passing exams that cover introductory college material. It’s been around for 50 years, so it is not new, and the only fees are the testing fee and possibly a proctoring fee. There are 34 CLEP tests available, and close to 3000 universities and colleges accept CLEP credit. Each CLEP test looks like its currently around 97 dollars, which is of course a fraction of what a three or six credit college course would cost.

Dual enrollment is another option. Dual enrollment allows high school students to enroll in college courses and earn college credits while still in high school. The credits count both toward high school and college credits, which is why it is dual credit. In my state, for example, the state will pay for college courses for eleventh and twelfth graders who are dual enrolled. Usually the courses are the typical College Freshman English 101, etc. This can be a good option if your child is going to go to an in-state school as sometimes an out of state public or private university may or may not accept the credits. Dual enrollment are true college courses and usually one last for one semester, so credit is earned by taking a class for half of a typical school year.

You don’t have to use any of these options. In all states of the United States, you can decide what constitutes the requirement for high school graduation when you homeschool. However, if your child is looking at college, these could be valuable additions that will save you money on college tuition!

Blessings,

Carrie