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Accredited vs. Official Homeschool Transcripts

Keeping Records

Monday, 12 May 2025

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Have you ever wondered about the difference between an accredited and an official homeschool transcript? Well, let's start with definitions. The dictionary defines accredited as, "officially recognized as meeting the essential requirements, as of academic excellence" or "provided with official credentials, as by a government".

Official, on the other hand, is defined as, "of or relating to an office or position of duty, trust, or authority" or "authorized or issued authoritatively".

Homeschools are official, but we are not "provided with official credentials, as by a government", and therefore, are not accredited. We are, however, official! And that's good news. Let's talk about homeschool transcripts specifically.

Accredited vs. Official Homeschool Transcripts

All of the work your student does is counted as credits. Homeschool credits are official, and our transcripts are also official. However, homeschools are not "provided with official credentials, as by a government," so our transcripts are not accredited. That's the distinction.

Accredited transcripts usually come from certified programs. These programs charge fees to enroll your child or to create a transcript for you. Independent homeschoolers are not considered certified programs and therefore do not offer accredited transcripts. (Please note: a certified program is not necessarily better than your homeschool program, it's just a difference in how the transcript is classified.)

Accreditation and College Admissions

Sally discovered that her son could play on a private school baseball team - IF he entered that school's Independent Study program. The school says he needed an accredited transcript from his 9th grade year to prove that he was in the 10th grade this year. She was under the impression that his work was accredited basically by her. The school disagreed and said that could review his transcript from last year for $50 per credit hour.

So, Sally asked me, "What does accreditation mean? How does a homeschool student get "accredited" transcripts without paying $300-$400?"

Accreditation programs, like North Atlantic Regional High School (NARHS), Family Academy, and Clonlara, typically charge $50–$100 per credit. With 24–26 credits in high school, that adds up to $2,000–$5,000 just for a transcript labeled "accredited."

It wasn't worth it to me and, apparently, it doesn't matter too much to the colleges either. Every month, moms share reviews and stories that their child was accepted into their preferred college using their "mommy-made" official transcripts. The accreditation agencies will convince you that accredited transcripts are essential for college admission and make a lot of money this way. But now, you are armed with the truth.
If you're looking into accreditation just to access a specific program, like athletics, be aware that such programs often require enrollment and may force you to use their curriculum. This could limit your homeschool freedom.

Ironically, you may have more success accessing sports teams through public or private schools under part-time enrollment without full enrollment or accreditation. It's worth calling around locally to ask.

A Real Parent Experience

Thinking about an umbrella school next year? The grass may not be greener on the other side, as one mother so clearly demonstrates in her blog question.

I just read about your transcript help. I am so overwhelmed. Last year my son applied for and got into a very competitive performing arts public high school. The problem? They refused to "count" his 9th grade work and insisted he redo the 9th grade!
He begged me to enroll him in an umbrella school so he would have a "real" transcript so he could feel some sense of assurance he'd get into a good college. He is interested in Rice University. I had called Rice before I re-enrolled at Clonlara, mainly asking them how important an "official transcript" was, as opposed to my making one and creating a portfolio for him. I know they focus on standardized test results too, so the transcript feels like a formality to me. They said it was a formality, but anything that made it easier for them (an official transcript) was better. So, I paid the money (to Clonlara) to do a "review" transcript for his 9th grade year, and I paid for his last year. And I just signed up for this year, but I am NOT happy with it. They are making changes this year, and the paperwork is horrible.

I dread, dread, dread dealing with all of that. I keep telling myself, "Well, it keeps me organized" but really, I slacked off last year because I figured their "official" transcript was what was going to count anyway. But I feel like I am just paying for a diploma mill. I don't know what Clonlara's reputation is among colleges, or if they even have one. My frustration is that I have very high standards for their education, and I am not happy with Clonlara's standards. I am still bound by stupid policies and paperwork that take up time that I could be spending doing other things (like homeschooling...).

And I'm embarrassed to say that I hadn't even looked at their graduation requirements until a couple of weeks ago! How did I miss that? They only require 22 hours and only 2 of these in math and NO foreign language credits. Of course, we are doing more than that - much more. We are aiming for 4 years of math, science, English, and social studies and 3 years of foreign language. I just need the assurance for my son that my homemade transcript will carry MORE weight than Clonlara's. Do you honestly think that could be the case? I hate the thought of losing the money I've already paid to Clonlara, but I would love to have my homeschool freedom back.
Many thanks,

~Ann

Here was our response to Ann!

Dear Ann,
I think the real problem is the word "official." YOU provide an official transcript. Clonlara provides an accredited transcript.

A homeschool transcript can say "official transcript" and be official - just like mine did. If colleges say they want an "official" transcript, they don't necessarily mean accredited — just organized and well-documented.

Your transcript may not carry MORE weight than Clonlara's. However, a better-quality education WILL carry more weight than a lower quality of education. Focus on helping your children learn in important and meaningful ways, then you can be more successful.

The fastest and easiest way to solve this problem is to call Rice University. Go to their website, try to find their homeschool admission policy, and then call to speak to an admission representative. Explain that you can either get a poor education using an accredited program or homeschool independently and provide a superior education with a homemade transcript. Find out their policy. That may be the assurance that your son needs and give you the freedom to do what you want to do to educate him well.

Want to know what a homeschool transcript looks like? It will usually include these items:

Student and school information
Courses taken, credits earned, and grades received
Total credits and GPA, yearly and cumulative (See my post on calculating GPA here.)
Your child's graduation date
Your grading scale
Your signature and the date

There are a couple of other minor things that are generally included, like a notes section to explain any acronyms or abbreviations. You can see a sample transcript here.

There are even a variety of ways that you can arrange your transcript, depending on the way your family does school. If you need help creating a high-quality transcript, I have templates and more information in my online package, The Total Transcript Solution.

You can make an official homeschool transcript — one that reflects your values, your hard work, and shows the uniqueness of your child.