How do unschoolers or homeschoolers know when to grauduate?

Question

Can they graduate whenever or what?

Answer 1

Depends on your goals, and sometimes on state law as well.  For a conventional college & career path, you should have an education substantially equivalent to what you'd receive in a regular high school.  If you're unsure about this, any decent university should be able to counsel you on what the entrance requirements will be.  At the very least, you need to take an SAT or ACT test after proper preparation, and get a good score.

I and my brother were both homeschooled independently (i.e., no umbrella school).  In my case, I had learned enough that we believed I was ready to choose whatever path I wanted, and so we decided we were finished.  I took part in a formal graduation ceremony with a group of other homeschoolers at the end of what would have been my junior year.

My younger brother had a highly personalized graduation ceremony on a more-or-less random date.  Neither of us have a GED.  It just depends on what you want, what fits your lifestyle and schooling routine, and what is required for your career goals.

Answer 2

We too are following an established curriculum course albeit a flexible one. We use the St. Thomas Aquinas Academy program. It follows the typical high school sequence and issues a private diploma.

Answer 3

When you are ready. You should have a clear understanding of required classes and a basic knowledge of them. Of course if you are not taking an acredited program, you will have to take the GED to graduate. You could take some practice tests to see if you are ready for the real one. Some people are ready early (I skipped junior year) and some need longer to feel ready for college or getting a job in the real world. Anyway you do it, just make sure you are prepared and ready. Good luck!

Answer 4

Since we unschool, there really isn't such a thing as "graduation."

The kids learn, just as the adults do in our family. Naturally, and during the course of living.

Learning doesn't ever stop, so there won't ever be a "graduation."

Answer 5

One does not need to get a GED when homeschooling.  Nothing says "dropout" more than a GED.  

Many homeschoolers begin taking college courses somewhere between the ages of 14 and 18, so there is a smooth transition into college or working life.

"Graduation" is an artificial line drawn at the end of a form of schooling.  When schooling is seen as a lifelong process, there is no "graduation"

Answer 6

I won't read all the answers here, so here we go. A homeschooler is finished when he earns his 20 some credits for high school. As for unschool, I have no insight into even what this is, so my apology for that.

Answer 7

It depends on what you mean by "graduate". If you mean start college, well, many homeschoolers do that as young as 14. Really, it depends on the homeschool laws in your state, and what your goals are. If the law requires that you remain in some form of school until a certain age, then that's the law. You could duel enroll before then, but not terminate your home education program entirely (again, depending on the laws in your state). If you plan to go to college, then whenever you've met the requirements for the colleges you want to apply to and are ready to apply and move on, you can consider yourself "graduated".You may just homeschool until you've finished 12th grade material or higher whether you plan on going to college or not, so in that case it would depend on the curriculum you and your parents devised, or the program you are enrolled in. Really it depends on the individual student's goals, the curriculum/program, the college you may want to attend, and the state laws for homeschooling.

Answer 8

Your parents decide on the graduation requirements.  In some states you are required to take certain courses regardless of whether you are homeschooled or not.

The previous poster is wrong, you don't have to take a GED to graduate from homeschool.  Even if you are doing it independently, apart from any program, accredited or not, your parents can graduate you and issue a diploma and transcripts.

EDIT--EDIT

Oh yeah, it also depends on age, in some states your parents  cannot declare you graduated until you reach a certain age.

homeschool laws can be found at

http://www.hslda.org/laws/default.asp

Information about graduating, diplomas, credits, etc. can be found at:

http://www.hslda.org/highschool/default....

Your parents, after looking at your state laws, will decide what credits you need to earn in which subjects and will graduate you when you fulfill those requirements.

Answer 9

They can graduate whenever they are ready; many homeschool kids are ready to graduate before they pass the mandatory schooling age (generally 16 or 17), so they take college classes as part of high school.  

My son will likely finish his high school curricula by the time he's 15 or so (at the rate he's going) and will enroll in one of the concurrent enrollment programs - or just start college - once he reaches that point.

Basically, they graduate when they're ready to, and they've finished their coursework.  However, they are not required to get a GED - a homeschool transcript and diploma are every bit as legit as one from a public or private school.

Answer 10

when they're done.

Answer 11

We are under an umbrella school by choice - so technically we are private schoolers.  But, it is traditional homeschooling in all but name.

Our umbrella school has minimum requirements but we have set our own much higher - 29 credits of English, Math, Foreign Language, Science, Electives, PE.

We are also going for dual credit and aiming for a minimum of 12 college credits by "graduation."

We are, by the way, following a traditional freshman, sophomore, junior, senior path.

Others choose to focus by subject.... many homeschoolers "graduate" high school early and start college before their ps counterparts.