Getting A Homeschool Diploma

In the United States, it is now legal to homeschool your child in any state, but in the majority of states,  homeschool diplomas are not issued.  Normally, two primary factors determine whether a homeschool diploma will be issued to a student.  The first is whether the homeschooled child fulfilled state minimum course requirements, and second if he or she passed certain standardized tests. 

Most states do not have a policy in place for issuing a homeschool diploma.  However, as in the case of a young Kansas woman, the homeschool diploma signed by both her parents was certified as valid by the Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA), after the young woman was turned down for a job because the employer did not recognize her homeschool diploma.

While it may sound easy or liberating, maintaining a legitimate homeschool program is not free of government oversight and regulation.  States, rather than the federal government, have jurisdiction over homeschools. 

Some states maintain specific coursework, hours of attendance, and require that an annual notice of the intent to homeschool  be filed with the superintendent of the local school district. If parents do not follow the local procedures and fulfill state education minimum requirements, they can lose the right to continue their homeschool.  Additionally, at least one parent, who is administrating the teaching, must possess the minimum of a GED or high school diploma. 

If a state does not issue homeschool diplomas upon completion of the twelfth grade, students have several choices if they wish to obtain official proof of their homeschool education. 

The two most common ways are preparing and taking the exam for the General Education Development (GED) test.  Rather than receive a homeschool diploma, a homeschooled student who has passed the GED, will be awarded a High School Equivalency Certificate.  Alternately, some homeschooled children enroll in a high school correspondence program, which upon satisfactory completion will earn them a high school diploma.  In most cases, parents will issue their children a homeschool diploma in addition to either the GED or the correspondence school diploma.