Homeschool High School Curriculum Planning Tips

If you are planning on homeschooling high school students, here are some homeschool high school curriculum planning tips and an example schedule to help make it easier to plan for the future.

Preparing proper homeschooling plans is always important, but it becomes even more important during the high school years. Starting with your 9th grade homeschool curriculum, you want your children to come out ready for college and academically attractive to college recruiters. That means proper planning before it is time to start homeschooling through high school.

Check Your Requirements

You always have to base your homeschooling plans on the requirements of your state. At the high school level you also have to consider the career ambitions of the child. Rather than just squeaking by with the basic state requirements, you should put a plan together which prepares the child for college while exciting them.

High school homeschool curriculum doesn’t have to be boring, and it shouldn’t be when you are in control of the plan. Make sure you meet all of your state’s guidelines, but add coursework and field trips that grab the interest of your child. Get them ready for college admission and excited for the more advanced education to hopefully come in the future.

If your child may not go to college, you can still ask them about their interests and incorporate them into your high school homeschool curriculum plan. Allow them to take an active part in planning the curriculum, but make sure the plan stays realistic and effective in the long term.

It might help to write down some goals to be accomplished during the high school years. Maybe your child wants to gain admission to a particular college or perhaps they want to go to a trade school for a particular skill. In some cases, the goal may simply be to get through high school with passing grades while in other cases the goal may be a college scholarship.

Once you know the state guidelines, the interests of your child, and the goals for the high school years, planning the high school curriculum won’t feel as scary. Start with the freshman year since it is coming up fast. Plan out the other three years, but e prepared to change them as needed over the years.

Making a Four Year Plan

Unlike other school years, it is important that you look at the high school years as a whole. 9th and 10th grade homeschool curriculum don’t stand alone; they continue through high school according to your child’s level, interests, state requirements, and college entrance requirements. Which classes must your child take to graduate under state requirements and get into the college of choice?

Community College in a High School Homeschool Curriculum

A wonderful resource that can be introduced as early as your child’s 9th grade homeschool curriculum is community college. Your child can participate in college level classes, get college credit, and meet other people who are serious about their schooling. Check with your local community college about age requirements; your child may have to wait until they are a little older. They may start by including community college in their 10th grade homeschool curriculum plan if they have advanced quickly beyond peers of the same age.

Example Homeschool High School Curriculum Plan

Here is an example of a 4 year plan recently done for a Michigan homeschooler to fit with state requirements and cater to the student’s love of Drama classes and desire to have a career in a science-related career:

9th Grade Homeschool Curriculum (Freshman Year)

• Geometry, 1 credit, taught by a private tutor (grandpa taught it for 30 years!)
• English 9, 1 credit, through the local homschooling group
• World History and Geography, 1 credit, Switched on Schoolhouse
• High School Drama, 1 credit, through a local homeschooling group
• Health, Fitness & Nutrition (1st semester), 1/2 credit, Alpha Omega Monarch (used as the online credit as well)
• P.E. (HipHop Dance Classes and weight training), 1/2 credit
• Biology, 1 credit, Apologia
• TOTAL CREDITS: 7

10th Grade Homeschool Curriculum (Sophomore Year)

• Algebra 2, 1 credit
• English 10, 1 credit, through the local homschooling group
• US History and Geography, 1 credit, Switched on Schoolhouse
• High School Drama, 1 credit, through a local homeschooling group
• Spanish 1, 1 credit, Rosetta Stone
• American Literature, 1 credit, Switched on Schoolhouse
• Chemistry, 1 credit, Apologia
• TOTAL CREDITS: 7

11th Grade Homeschool Curriculum (Junior Year)

• Pre-Calculus, 1 credit
• English 11, 1 credit, through the local homschooling group
• High School Drama, 1 credit, through a local homeschooling group
• Spanish 2, 1 credit, Rosetta Stone
• Bristish Literature, 1 credit, Alpha Omega LifePacs
• Computer Information Systems, 1 credit, Switched on Schoolhouse
• Physics 1 credit, Apologia
• TOTAL CREDITS: 7

12th Grade Homeschool Curriculum (Senior Year)

• Calculus, 1 credit (dual-enrollment at local college)
• English 12, 1 credit, through the local homeschooling group
• Economics and Government 1 credit, Switched on Schoolhouse
• High School Drama, 1 credit, through a local homeschooling group
• Speech 1/2 credit, Switched on Schoolhouse Essentials of Communication
• Civics, 1/2 credit, Alpha Omega LifePacs
• Anatomy 1, 1 credit (dual enrollment local college)
• TOTAL CREDITS: 6

Using various resources, we were easily able to pull together some of our favorite homeschool curriculum choices for each Michigan requirement!