Homeschool Transcripts and Public Schools

Two families, two students, same question, same answer.

A mom called me for transcript help.  Her daughter homeschooled for two years, using Alpha Omega LifePacs and Weaver Curriculum for 9th and 10th grade.  Once her daughter got up to grade level, she wanted her to go back to public school.  She asked me how to get her homeschool transcript accepted by a public high school.

Today a father called me for transcript help.  His daughter homeschooled for one year, using Alpha Omega Switched on Schoolhouse during 9th grade.  Now he wants his daughter to go back into public school, and asked how to get his homeschool transcript accepted.

They both got the same answer:  there is no guarantee that a public high school will accept the credits a homeschool transcript. It's very easy to pull a child out of public school to homeschool them.  It's more difficult to put them BACK into public school.

Let's be clear about one thing, though.  Colleges don't give us nearly the trouble about our homeschool transcript!  Colleges are fairly used to seeing transcripts from unaccredited schools.  They are used to seeing kids will accredited transcripts who are poorly educated.  They know that "accredited" isn't all it's cracked up to be.  They will usually accept a homeschool transcript with the same wary eye as any other transcript, and we aren't at a disadvantage at all.  Not so with public high schools.  I'm not sure they just don't like the competition - our business as homeschoolers threatens their business, you know.  For some reason, they care much more about having control over a transcript.  Depending on the district, you have a 50/50 chance of having a particular homeschool class accepted by a local public school.

If you want to homeschool high school, it's a good idea to go into it knowing you'll continue for the full four years.  If you know you will only homeschool for a year or two, choose an accredited program, or an accrediting agency, which can give you greater security that your credits will transfer into a public high school.

If you are homeschooling, and you know you want to continue for all four years, do NOT worry about whether or not a public school will accept your transcript.  Maybe they would - if you gave it to them.  But frankly, if you continue homeschooling through high school, there IS NO REASON to give them your transcript. You don't give it to public schools at all, you give your transcript to the college.  And colleges understand.

I hope you feel stronger, knowing that your transcript has value to colleges!  Don't you worry about those persnickety public high schools.  You don't have to interact with them if you don't want to :-)



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