Homeschooling High School in 3 Years is easier than you think! Even if you live in a more regulated state like New York! How do I know? Because I did it! Let me tell you why, and how I did it.
HI! I’m Heidi Ciravola. The Managing Editor here at The Curriculum Choice. I started homeschooling in 2006, just months after my third child was born. It wasn’t something I had set out to do, but circumstances led us there. What started as a one year trial run turned into a lifetime of homeschooling 3 children (and now also helping homeschool my grandchildren).
Homeschooling High School in 3 Years
And just like homeschooling, I hadn’t started out planning to homeschool high school in 3 years. It came about during my oldest daughter’s 10th grade year. We were going over what she had completed and what she had left to complete and realized she wouldn’t need two more years to complete the required number of high school credits to complete high school. In fact, we had a Four Year plan all planned out with this FREE Printable 4 Year High School Plan.
When we realized we could cut it to three years we decided to go for it! Why? For one it meant less paperwork for me and also one less year of required testing for her. Also, since she had been in such a vigorous schedule between her own competitive gymnastics practices, coaching gymnastics, and schoolwork, she was beginning to burn out. Since she finished high school a year early she decided to take a “gap year” before continuing full time at college.
Homeschooling High School in New York State (NYS)
We live in New York State, which is considered to be one of the most regulated states for homeschooling. While all the NYS Homeschool Paperwork and seem intimidating at first, it isn’t a big deal once you learn the ropes!
For high school the NYS Homeschool Regulations state that you need 6,480 Minutes/unit which equals 108 hours of instruction per unit. So for example, 1 credit of math would be equal to 108 total hours.
Then NYS Requires the Following Breakdown of Credits for Grades 9-12:
{Note that if you click on each of the subjects below it will take you to a post with options for completing each of these subjects}
- 990 hours per year. The units are cumulative over 4 years
- English (4 Units)
- Social Studies (4 Units total) including American History (1 Unit), Participation in Government (PIG)
(1/2 Unit), Economics (1/2 Unit) - Mathematics (2 Units)
- Science (2 Units)
- Art and/or Music (1 Unit)
- Health (1/2 Unit)
- Physical Education (2 Units)
- Electives (3 Units)
While in NYS we are required to complete these, and not all states are, I feel this is a pretty good layout of coursework for your high schooler (with the exception of maybe adding more electives and we added foreign language) in general, and especially if they are college bound. Even though we didn’t push college as the only path, we did homeschool in preparation for all of our kids to be able to transition directly to college if they wanted to.
In case you are curious, two of our three kids have graduated college. One is married with kids and the other working a job in his field of study (IT Networking). Our youngest has chosen a different path by working full time and exploring options in a field that doesn’t require a formal college education.
Planning for 3 Years Instead of 4
When it came to my oldest daughter, we actually had to slightly alter her paperwork for 10th grade because we had already submitted her yearly IHIP. So I submitted a letter, stating what we were changing and why, along with the 4 Year Plan printout adjusted to three years.
When it comes to planning to homeschool high school in three years instead of four, it is much more straightforward than you might think. Keep in mind I based this path for my children off us needing to fulfill the New York State Homeschooling Regulations in order for them to get a Letter of Completion from our district. Some homeschoolers choose to complete the 24 credit equivalent, or take the GED to acquire their high school equivalency.
Increasing English and History Credits
The main difference between homeschooling high school in three years and homeschooling high school in four years is the number of English and History credits required. They are the only subjects where 4 credits were required. So in 9th and 10th grade (we technically and for paperwork purposes skip 11 grade) we did 1.5 credits of English and 1.5 credits of History for each of those 2 years, equaling 3 credits total for each subject. Then completed the 4th credit in 12th grade.
If you are wondering exactly how, or what we did to achieve this, here it is! For English we added a half credit writing course (We loved Essay Rockstar from Writing Rockstars) in 9th grade and a half credit Shakespeare course (or another writing course depending on the child) in 10th grade. For History we did 1 credit of American History PLUS a half credit of US Geography for 9th grade and 1 credit of World History PLUS a half credit of World Geography for 10th grade.
The High School Curriculum We Used
Lightning Literature was our primary English curriculum. It’s a wonderful literature program that we also used in middle school.
Our history varied greatly so I can’t name just one for you.
We used Teaching Textbooks for Math. My kids all did Algebra I (completed in 8th grade), Algebra II, and Geometry (in that order).
I loved DIVE Science especially for my youngest as it was all online by the time she got to it. Another really good source for online high school science is Greg Landry’s Homeschool Science.
For art and music if you want something more engaging and immersive I highly recommend You Are An Artist and their Homeschool Fine Arts music and art appreciation program as well. If your kids are like my son and want to just check boxes Easy Peasy All-in-One Homeschool has Art and Music Appreciation courses that do the trick!
Our electives varied greatly for each one of our kids. However they all completed a full credit via “Driver’s Education” and Auto Upkeep. Yes, we counted our kids learning to drive! Two of our kids completed two years of ASL at the local community college. Our youngest had 3 “courses” that we created ourselves through learning resources and hands on experience, in various equine endeavors. In case you hadn’t guessed it already, they all completed more than 3 elective courses in their 3 years of high school.
Homeschooling High School Resources
Here are just some of the High School related posts we have here at The Curriculum Choice. Be sure to check out the High School Tab for all high school related content!
The Ultimate Guide to High School Homeschool Curriculum Options – Welcome to The Curriculum Choice and our HUGE LIST of High School Homeschool Curriculum Options! While every possible option for high school is not listed here, I have strived to include a wide variety of styles, prices ranges, etc. so you have a solid place to start.
Help for Choosing High School Homeschool Curriculum – If there is ever a place that a homeschool parent feels uneasy, it’s heading into high school. I know I have been at that place. Nervous and excited all at the same time. But I am here to encourage you that it is an amazing blessing to be pouring into the lives of your young adults. The high school years are such an important time for our children! But just how do you do it and with what resources? We are here to help with choosing high school homeschool curriculum!
Let’s Homeschool High School – This valuable resource answered almost all of our questions. The site also provided helpful templates for everything from credit planners to homeschool transcripts, with tons of links and helpful advice along the way!
Homeschool High School Self-Paced Course for Parents – This online homeschool high school self-paced course is designed for parents of homeschooled high school students. It is appropriate for families getting ready to begin high school as well as those working their way through their high school journey. The course author, Vicki Tillman, breaks down the process of homeschooling high school into manageable pieces, offers practical, real-life-tested strategies, and encourages parents to explore the varied options for creating a successful homeschool high school experience.
Homeschool High School Transcripts Made Easy – shows you how to grade, grant credit, create simple, effective home-school transcripts and high school diplomas, and keep simple records.
Homeschooling High School with College in Mind – outlines 10 easy-to-do steps for getting your homeschooled teen into college. PLUS this 2nd Edition has 7 new chapters! The 2nd edition has help for the Common Application, SAT/ACT Prep, and College Scholarships and more.
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