I took advantage of all that our school had to offer, lettering in swimming, taking AP classes, hanging out in the library so I could read pretty much everything Shakespeare ever wrote, attending football games and dances, acting onstage, and writing for our school newspaper. I worked at the mall down the road in my spare time, and I made good grades.
In spite of all of that, I remember high school as some of the most miserable years of my childhood. The social scene was dog-eat-dog, the academics were often morally ambiguous and often outright hostile toward Christianity, and I was harassed sexually by both students and teachers. I was confused about myself and my faith going in, and I was more confused upon graduation.
Of course, that doesn’t mean everyone has the same experience. But there’s a whole genre of high school movies that capitalize on the generalized angst of institutionalized teens slugging out their education together, so it’s likely I’m not completely alone here.
As a parent, I have the experience of sending both of our older two kids to public high school, as well. After doing so, my husband and I decided we’d never use the government school system again. Some of our experience has shored up the reasons we’re homeschooling our teens now.
Reasons to Homeschool High School
“So, now he’s going to go to school… right?”
“You’re going to high school aren’t you? You don’t want to be with your mom all day, do you?”
I’ve heard a lot of these kinds of questions. Before we started homeschooling high school, I had to suppress a mini panic attack every time the subject comes up.
I mean, who am I to school a child all the way through high school? What if I hurt my boys’ futures?
Let’s be honest… it’s not easy to make a choice that deviates from the societal norm, is it?
Let me assure you, you can homeschool high school, and there are great reasons to do so. Here are three really important reasons to put the time and effort into homeschooling your teens in high school.
1) Homeschool High School Gives You a Unique Discipleship Opportunity
One of the things my husband and I realized when we had two kids in public high school was that we were not able to disciple our teens the way we’d like to.
They were gone all day, they had homework and activities, and we actually had very little time to spend with them. Whatever worldview we were able to impart during that time with them was easily undone during the hours they were at school, surrounded by peers, teachers, and bureaucrats who often didn’t agree with what we were teaching them at home. Sometimes the lessons at school radically departed from the morals and values we held dear.
Homeschooling in high school gives you and your spouse the opportunity to intentionally disciple your teens for Christ.
As Christians, we want our teens to know God’s Word, to be able to apply Scripture to the subjects they’re studying, and to see current events through a biblical lens. Homeschooling gives you the time and space to teach your teens about God’s Word.
When you homeschool high school, you choose the curriculum and you can discuss important concepts with your teens. You have the opportunity to find out what your kids are thinking and how they feel–and you can reason through their development together.
There’s real value in the time you will be able to spend in intentional discipleship.
2) Give Your Teens More Time and Opportunity to Pursue Their Passions
Because you won’t waste much time during your homeschool day, the teens won’t have much homework.
That gives them evenings and weekends free to pursue activities that are valuable to them.
One of the neat things about the literature- and notebooking-based homeschooling our family has done is that our kids are able to self-teach in many areas, and they know that practice is crucial for achievement.
It’s been fun to watch our boys choose their own activities and engage fully in them. I have no doubt this well-rounded approach will benefit them–not only on college applications, but in their adult lives as well.
Your teens, too, will have the time and space to discover their God-given talents and then to begin to develop them.
3) The Academics are Better When You Homeschool High School
It’s difficult to argue that a one-size-fits-all approach to education is going to produce better results than individualized, loving instruction.
There’s a reason that the children of aristocrats were privately tutored for centuries. In addition to being able to tailor your teen’s education to teach to their strengths and to cope with their limitations, you will be able to respond emotionally to your teens. I can’t emphasize the impact of this in the teen years enough.
Additionally, because you just have your own children to educate, you can catch problems sooner, there are less distractions, and you will know where they need to shore up their learning.
Personally, I’ve seen the end results of this individual attention on the standardized tests my kids take, as well as in the quality of the work they produce.
Homeschooling High School Was a Blessing for Our Family
My husband and I felt it was important to send our boys out into the world as functioning, prepared adults. We wanted our kids go forth as adults and hold their own as men who stand on the Word of God.
We didn’t feel like kindergarten was the place or time for them to do that, and we didn’t think high school is either.
College will be a great time for them to grow and stretch their wings. As high schoolers, they had the opportunity to venture into the broader society through their many outside activities, at work, and on their excursions through town.
Ed and I chose to homeschool for a specific purpose (namely to disciple our children in Scripture), and we wanted to finish homeschooling for that purpose.
Homeschooling through high school was a blessing for our family. Our boys excelled in school, easily qualified for admittance to college, and were able to earn scholarships to help with the cost of attending a university.
Should Everyone Homeschool High School?
In a word, no. I don’t think everyone should homeschool.
I’ve never found homeschooling to be a moral imperative. Thinking Kids is a site designed to help you disciple your family–not to mandate homeschooling your children. I appreciate the variety of readers that visit, and I know you all love your children.
Homeschooling is a freedom worth taking advantage of, and one worth fighting to keep available to all.
That said, there are many circumstances that may lend themselves to a different choice. I trust the Lord to lead you in the path that’s right for your family, and I encourage you to seek his will through his written Word.
Resources for Homeschooling through High School
There are wonderful resources available to help you homeschool high school.
Help Your Kids Learn and Love the Bible will help you develop a plan for intentionally discipling your kids for Christ. You’ll learn how to teach the Bible in a way that’s faithful to God’s Word.
Lee Binz’s Setting the Record Straight makes preparing transcripts and class descriptions a piece of cake. This book is a must for any homeschooler taking care of their own high school records.
Also by Lee Binz, The HomeScholar Guide to College Admissions and Scholarships is a great help as you seek to understand all that’s involved in setting your teens up to head to college.
I had my kids work on a scholarship project each week. The Ultimate Scholarship Book was my favorite resource for locating scholarships the boys were eligible for and interested in applying to.
The Lord led us to homeschooling, and we were unequipped. Through his grace, we have become equipped.
We’ve had some pretty amazing years with our youngest two boys as we homeschooled them through high school. I wouldn’t trade those years for anything.
Grab the Spiritual Disciplines Calendar to go with your Daily Devotions for Kids Calendar!
Your kids will develop a habit of daily Bible reading, Scripture memorization, and prayer in a fun, hands–on way!
Help Your Kids Learn and Love the Bible
You want your kids to learn and love the Bible.
You want to teach the Bible…
As parents, we deeply desire the best for our kids. We look for the right schools, we make them eat right and exercise, and we get them involved in extracurricular activities. We take our job as parents seriously.
But are we also putting our time and energy into
teaching them the Bible? Giving them the life-changing, soul-nourishing words of Scripture is not only doable, it’s an essential part of parenting kids for Jesus. And the good news is, studying God’s Word as a family doesn’t have to be difficult!
2 Timothy 2:15, ESV, says:
Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved,
a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.
Our job, as parents who love Jesus, is to help our kids become approved workers, unashamed and rightly handling the word of truth.
The good news? Teaching the Bible isn’t hard. Your family can learn the Bible together.
…and you can!
A Crash Course in Teaching the Bible to Your Kids
Danika Cooley’s book, Help Your Kids Learn and Love the Bible, will give you the tools and confidence to study the Bible as a family. It will help you identify and overcome your objections and fears, give you a crash course in what the Bible is all about and how to teach it, and provide the guidance you need to set up a family Bible study habit.
You will finish this book feeling encouraged and empowered to initiate and strengthen your child’s relationship with the Lord through His Word.
Help Your Kids Learn and Love the Bible will equip you with everything you need to know to teach the Bible to your kids!
More Thinking Kids Posts You’ll Love!
Join the newsletter
Get the Family Prayer Box Project FREE!
Teach your children to pray with this fun project that includes 7 printable sets!
Thank you for sharing your experiences and reasons for homeschooling high school. We plan to do the same as long as God leaves that door open for us.
Thank you so much for your post. I think back about public high school and I cringe – the teenage years are difficult and then it is so way compounded when you’re in high school with so much negative socialization. That would be a big nightmare coming true to have to send my kids to a public high school- I pray it’s never a choice I’d have to make, and I can homeschool it instead.
I’ve been homeschooling for 6 years. My oldest is entering 6th this year!
Great comments on homeschooling through high school. We are in our 9th year homeschooling.
This year will be my 4th year homeschooling and my oldest will be in 9th grade and my youngest in 7th.
Thanks so much for fleshing out the thoughts and “arguments” for homesschooling highschool in a clear, concise way. I’m getting these questions all the time since our oldest will be in 9th grade this year. Very helpful!
I have been homeschooling for 9 years.
Our 15 year homeschooling journey, with 14 yrs still to go: ) is a calling worth every effort. This is especially true through our high school years. What an amazing blessing to be part of my children transforming into wonderful young people who have a love and passion for Jesus.
This is our fifth year, entering 4th and 1st.
We have been homeschooling for 16 years. I have graduated 3 (now ages 21, 19, and 18) and have one more to go (age 16).
I’ve been homeschooling officially for 6 years!
The last 3 years.
We have been homeschooling 8 years.
I often struggle with the thought of home schooling high school. Thankfully I still have a few years-6 to be exact-to prepare myself for the task! Thank you for sharing your thoughts!
This will be our fourth year!
I have been asked if I plan on going through high school to which I answer yes. Although my oldest is only third grade, I look forward to continuing on my learning journey into harder topics. We are going on our third year.
we have now been homeschooling for 5 years!
I have graduated 4 of my girls and have 6 more years with my youngest. I agree with all your reasons for homeschooling all the way through high school. So far, I have seen my older girls standing firm against all the world brings against them and am thankful for relationships where they still come to us for guidance.
We are starting our second year
Thanks for the giveaway chance! I’m in my second year homeschooling, will have first grade, K and prek
This will be our 15th year!
This will be our 6th year to homeschool. My son is going into 5th grade. Looking ahead to high school though! Thank you for this post!
I have been homeschooling since my oldest turned five. She is 12 now! I can’t believe it’s been 7 years and that we’ve added two more students!
We’ve been homeschooling at least one for 10 years and last year brought everyone back home. Our oldest of seven graduated from home in June and we plan on doing the same for all of them.
This will be our 10th year homeschooling. Our first with a high schooler.
I have been homeschooling for 10 years. This was a great article. We do an academy that is part of the school so my son can do college credit at same time
We haven’t officially started yet, but I plan to slowly start my 5 year old this fall!
We have also decided to homeschool high school. This is our second year and we learned a lot from the first. Our oldest began her homeschool journey in 2nd grade after struggling in the public school. She does much better in a one on one environment, and doesn’t ever want to go back to public school. I have also used Lee Binz’s materials to calm my fears.
My oldest is going into high school this year (and yes, we’re homecoming through high school!) So I guess we’ve been homeschooling for 9 years.
We will be going into our 7th year of homeschool. We plan to homeschool all through high school.
This is our 2nd year homeschooling. High school seems so far away, but homeschooling is still the plan!
I’ve been homeschooling for 2 years.
We are homeschooling high school right now and have been for going on 3 years. We love it!! I wish I homeschooled my other 5 kids.
Lisa Joy
We have been homeschooling since 1992, which would mean starting in August I will be in my 25th year!! Wow!!
Yes, homeschool high school. Ahhh! Thanks for the info!
What a great giveaway! We have been homeschooling two years, since abruptly pulling our oldest from public school at the start of 1st grade. It has been a huge blessing in so many ways for our family!
I have been homeschooling for 11 years! Wow!
We’ve been homeschooling for six years.
We are getting ready to start our second year of homeschooling.
Thank you so much. This is so timely for us as we are beginning high school this year amidst the concerns and what ifs.
I have been homeschooling for 7 years.
We have homeschooled two graduates with more to come. I wish people would be less negative about it. Even mom’s who homeschool can be very harsh when you tell them you are homeschooling a high school student.
I have 2 seniors and 1 freshman this year so I’m just hoping all goes smoothly
Our family has homeschooled for 2 years.
My children are very young but I am excited to be homeschooling my 4 and 6 year old. It is a choice that must be brought to the Lord in prayer.
We are gearing up for homeschool year 4! Crazy to realize it’s been that many already. And then some days it feels like years before we get to 11am.
I’ve been homeschooling for eight years. 🙂
We are going into our second year of homeschooling and we love it!! So much time together. So many adventures. Living life to the fullest!
This will be my 3rd year homeschooling.
We are starting our 4th year at a Christian University Model School. The partial home-school model works best for our family.
i have homeschooled for 7 years
Thank you for this.
This will be our 7th year to homeschool!
This year will mark our fourth year homeschooling. My dad is the only one who has been vocally against our homeschooling through high school, which is our plan. My oldest will be starting 3rd grade this year, so we have some time for him to get used to the idea
Thank you. .I have been home educating for 16 years.
My oldest is starting 5th grade, and we’ve been at it since the beginning!
I’ve been homeschooling for 4 years.
I have graduated 2 and have 1 in high school, and 1 in middle school. My graduates went on to college and were thankful we homeschooled, they were independent learners which is super helpful in college.
We’ve been homeschooling 4 years
I taught in Christian schools for 15 years and my daughter had dyslexia. She started to struggle in kindergarten and we should have held her back but we didn’t. Then in 1st grade, we had her repeat the grade because she was doing so poorly. Our school started a Learning Center for students that had learning disabilities, but they didn’t have enough time or resources. By the end of 2nd grade, she was shutting down. I’m like okay this isn’t going to work. I had given birth to boy/girl twins and decided I’m home that I can just teach her there! We have never looked back. She graduated in 2011 and my twins will graduate in 2018! I have been homeschooling for almost 18 years and it is the best decision I have EVER made!!!!!
Thanks for the giveaway! I plan to homeschool through high school, for sure! We are just now starting our eighth year of homeschooling!
We started homeschooling when our oldest was Five..six years ago. We have an 11,8, and 5 year old.
God has allowed me to homeschool for 23 years. He provided for 5 children to be homeschooled from kindergarten to 12th grade.
I have been home educating for 4 years…contemplating high school!
I think that it is so important to not shy away from a fear of teaching higher grades. It is all about child honoring and what is best for their lives, their walk, and their future.
Thank you for encouraging me as a home school mom! I’ve been teaching my boys at home since the oldest was in preschool, and he graduates this spring! It has been a blessing and huge encouragement to find other moms as passionate about their children’s whole education as I am.
Thank you!
Sara R.
This will be our 21st year of homeschooling. We started when we adopted our oldest when he was 8 yrs old.
I plan to homeschool through high school ,also. Since our oldest will be in 9th next year, I have so many new worries. Thank you for your list of books to help through this.
The timing for this giveaway is perfect. Hope I win!
We have been homeschooling 3 years, so we are just beginning our journey! We are excited to homeschool through high school for exactly these reasons! 🙂
Thank you for your post! For a long time, I was worried about high school homeschooling, but now I’m looking forward to it.
I agree. I always say I started homeschooling my high schooler at birth and I want to finish what I started.
Can’t agree more. We’ve been homeschooling since 2001. My two older girls are now in university. I will have a 10th grader, an 8th grader and a 4th grader at home this fall.
We’ve been homeschooling for 3 years and plan to go through high school.
We’ve been homeschooling for 6 1/2 years now!
This will be our second year of homeschooling and are finding ways to financially afford doing so as we have gone down to a single family income. Giveaways such as these can be a true blessing to families who homeschool.
I have been homeschooling for 7 years my oldest is going on 10th. I still haven’t figured out how to write a transcript, but I’m researching and not giving up, thank you for your blog makes me feel more confident!
Good bless you.
Exciting to find thinking kids! We are just starting to homeschool our Kindergartener.
We have been homeschooling for 2 years! We are going on our third, with a 3rd grader and first grader, and a 3 yr old!
I have been homeschooling for 2 years. This will be my 1st year with 2 students.
Thanks for he giveaway!! We have been homeschooling since the beginning- 12 years this fall!! Oldest starts high school- YIKES!! LOL
I just finished my 19th year of homeschooling and if the Good Lord wills it I have 15 years to go.
This begins our fifth year homeschooling full-time. Super excited about the giveaway!
This will be our 7th year homeschooling! Love the opportunity of this giveaway! Thank you!
We have graduated 5 from homeschool with 8 more to go. Thank you so much for the giveaway!
Wow! This is a great resource!
As an elementary teacher, I had never dreamed that I would one day homeschool my own children. In fact, I may have said that I never would do so. 🙂 However, God’s plans superseded my plans. What a blessing (most of the time) it has been to share the educational journey with my kids! I treasure the times that I am able to spend instructing my teens. However, now that my kids are in high school, I feel that I am more of an educational director than a teacher. Today’s resources and options for homeschooling high school are so incredible: local Christian tutorials, online classes, community college classes, studio classes, The Old Schoolhouse Teachers, The Great Courses, Khan Academy, and more!
Awesome giveaway!!! Thanks for being so kind and generous!!!
Have been homeschooling for almost 20 years, now. Each year and each child is different. Highschool looks different for each one, and it is definitely a journey of faith.
I have been schooling for over 25 years and still going. No I wasn’t the norm and it wasn’t comfortable, but I wouldn’t change it for anything. I happen to like my kids and guess what? They like me : )) Comfortable in highschool lol L