Where to Homeschool in Texas?

Question

Does anyone have any suggestions as to where a good place to be home schooled? It has to be affordable though, my budget is somewhat tight. Such as an online public/private school for high school students (my daughter is in the 11th grade), or a mail-in school system? any help would be appreciated. Thank you.

Answer 1

Your daughter can be homeschooled in your home. You don't need to sign up with anyone. There are NO public online schools in Texas for high school. There's nothing private that is specifically for Texas but there are a lot of online schools that anybody across the country can sign up with. American School of Correspondence is popular, but I have no idea how much they cost. You could also look into A Beka, Alpha Omega and do a search for Homeschool Academy. You will have to ask about how her previous work in school will be recognized--or if it will be recognized. No point in signing up with any of them if she's going to have to repeat or do extra work she wouldn't have to do otherwise.

Talk to some people with a Texas or local homeschooling support group to find out more about how your daughter can do her high school at home.

Answer 2

Try these links:

http://www.calvertschool.org/engine

http://www.homeschooltexas.com/

http://homeschooling.about.com/od/usatx/...

http://www.thsc.org/

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

Answer 3

"HOME" is the answer.  Otherwise, it sounds as though you are looking for a private school or tutor.  There is a state homeschooling association for Texas, and you can get some answers there.

      As a high school counselor in Texas, I had both good and bad experiences with home schooling situations.  The ones who were primarily homeschooled all through school by family members who conscientiously chose curriculum and monitored progress with standardized tests did well.  The ones who decided in their high school years they wanted to be home schooled were for the most part motivated differently.

     If the current high school situation is unbearable for whatever reasons, check out the charter schools in the area, which are free.  Otherwise, she risks not graduating at all because she doesn't get the appropriate credits.

    Scenario one, she is bright and wants to attend college after high school, but something is happening right now, such as pregnancy or publicity.  With a high SAT score, she can still get into college, even without a diploma, so keeping up with studies, and not necessarily the credits is the issue.  And if she is bright enough to get the high SAT, she is also bright enough to pass the GED test, which is much more difficult than it used to be.

     Scenario two, she hates school and you are tired of making her go, only to discover she is not doing homework and cutting classes once she gets there.  Homeschooling is not the answer, discipline is.  

     Scenario three, she is not going to ace the SAT and blow the socks off the intellectual world, and she is lagging in her credits, but not a discipline problem, DO check out the charter schools.  But before you do even that, talk with her high school counselor and see what options you might have, such as summer school, evening classes, etc.  She may be beating herself up with negative self-talk, and in reality a workable solution may be at hand.

    So rethink this carefully and talk to some homeschooling parents about this.

Answer 4

I'm not sure where this would fall into your budget, but Texas Tech offers an accredited homeschool program online - http://www.depts.ttu.edu/ode/ttuisd.asp  You pay by course, so the price can vary, and there are scholarships available.  Texas Tech is an independent school district and thus can award an official state of Texas high school diploma upon graduation, and their courses can possibly be used for dual college credit as well.

Alternately, you can try something like Ambleside Online (http://amblesideonline.org/), which is a free online curriculum.  Some of their books are hard to find in the library, but you can get them pretty cheap used online on Ebay or Abebooks.com.

Feel free to email me any additional questions or concerns you have.

Answer 5

Not sure where you are in Texas, but most junior/community colleges offer some type of FREE dual-credit program for high school junior and seniors.  The students take regular college courses and earn both high school and college credit for the courses.  Most JCs/CCs limit the number of courses you can take each semester (generally 2 courses), but many will allow you to pay for more classes (with approval, of course).