Wondering how to unschool high school is a different kind of homeschool commitment — one that asks more of everyone involved.
“They say” that homeschoolers must renew their homeschool intent when they cross the threshold from grade 8 to high school. A whole new world of commitment opens up. And with it, a whole new world of social pressure.
“Let them go to high school. Surely your kids want friends. Surely your teen wants to have the high school experience.” (Things said to families considering homeschooling high school.)
Not everyone who homeschools wants to continue through high school, of course. I know fewer families homeschooling high school in my community than I can count on one hand. Homeschooling high school is, by no means, unusual in many parts of Canada or the United States — but it is where I live.
The Grass Isn’t Greener — And We Know It
Lee Binz, author of all things homeschool high school, reminds us that the grass is not greener in a brick-and-mortar high school.
Most of us have been there, done that, so we know. There is no magic at a public high school. No magic to getting the education we need or want. No magic for setting us up for a lifetime of work satisfaction, purpose, or meaning. And there definitely isn’t magic in providing healthy socialization.
The grass ain’t greener in a public high school. We know it. But as homeschoolers, we might think it would be easier to hand responsibility for such a significant part of our teens’ education to someone else.
Every Kid Needs a Different Road
On the other hand — aren’t we parents still responsible for our teens’ education, no matter where or how they’re educated?
Parents learn quickly that different approaches are required for different kids. Just as we don’t drive the same vehicle down a snow-slick road and expect the same results — a Subaru Forester and a Dodge Dart perform very differently on ice. Yes, they’re both “cars.” Test drive, and you’ll see. (Go for the Subaru. It makes it up sharp inclines and through two-foot snowdrifts without complaint.)
Kids are the same. They’re different. Gotta parent them uniquely.
How to Start Homeschooling — Including Through High School
Before diving into how to unschool high school, if you’re brand new to homeschooling — whether you have big kids or littles — you don’t have to figure this out alone.
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Our Story: How Unschooling High School Looked in Our Family
I began prepping for homeschool high school when my eldest entered grade nine. I had no thought of her attending a brick-and-mortar school and was firmly entrenched in the notion that school was neither necessary nor required.
But sometimes kids just want to know what’s outside their four walls — to see the world through their own eyes. Call that individuation (thank you, Gordon Neufeld, author of Hold On to Your Kids). My daughter eagerly stated her intentions in writing, even producing an essay — as per my request — laying out her reasons. I knitted my brow at some of them. Others convinced me. I acquiesced, and suggested, “Let’s get you started in grade 9.” She said, “Not yet.” So on the first day of her grade 10 year, I drove her to the bus for her first day of brick-and-mortar school in eight years.
Tears, tears, tears. (This time I did not follow the bus to school.)
So I didn’t actually leap into how to unschool high school with our first daughter — though I definitely did my homework preparing for it. I hadn’t expected that this uber-independent child, whom I had even radically unschooled for a time, would want formal academics, tests, essays, math classes, and deadlines.
So the question of how to unschool high school fell squarely to our second daughter.
When How to Unschool High School Looks Different for Each Kid
Our second daughter was a different story from the start.
Where her sister eventually craved the school experience, this one was deeply, naturally academic — but entirely on her own terms still. She devoured books nobody assigned her, pursued subjects that fascinated her, and had strong opinions about what was worth her time and what wasn’t. The challenge wasn’t lighting a fire under her.
It was figuring out how to honour the way she already learned while making sure the world — colleges, employers, future opportunities — could see what we saw. That’s what made figuring out how to unschool high school for her both easier and more nuanced than I expected.
How to Unschool High School: What Actually Works
Our second daughter had to consider how she’d structure her final three years of high school. A little bit of school? A little bit of homeschooling? Online classes? Continuing to learn through her bakery job, choir, or dance? Take classes in a community college a city away?
Encouragement from Lee Binz helped shape our approach to how to unschool high school:
“You can’t learn high school in your first month.”
Why would she say that? Because we homeschoolers tend to be organized, detailed, and hypervigilant — eager to cram every knowledge bit into our kiddos’ everything. But only God and Google know everything. Binz encourages parents not to beat the love of learning out of their children by pushing activities beyond their current ability, criticizing sentence structure in their clever stories, or finishing book lists purely for the sake of finishing them. I’ve had my share of those learning moments in our homeschool. It was I who had to learn.
How to Unschool High School: English and Math
Continue pursuing English and math at your teen’s level. The goal of English is to learn to communicate and express oneself. I’ve used BraveWriter essay writing, SAT online classes, Essentials in English programs, book study guides, poetry reading, Literature through Language workbooks, and SAT spelling workbooks. My daughter also attended a community college English course. There are a thousand ways to learn English.
For math, continue building on what your teen already understands. I’ve consistently used Math-U-See throughout our homeschool because it works — for my kids and, honestly, for me. If Math-U-See isn’t your fit, Teaching Textbooks is another strong option.
How to Unschool High School: Transcripts and Course Descriptions
Practice writing course descriptions for each of your teen’s activities and learn how to grade them — so you can present a fair, clear transcript for future post-secondary institutions. It may sound onerous to record everything she reads, watches, writes, and explores, but doing it in short form makes year-end portfolio creation much simpler. And it reveals something wonderful: just how much experience, exposure, and education she’s received. An uber education.
Feeling stuck about how to move from schoolish to unschooling in high school?
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How to Unschool High School: Testing and College Prep
Take practice SATs in early grade 10, then try an ACT exam as well. Compare percentiles in both and include the stronger result in your teen’s transcript — then retest later. Though SATs are atypical for Canadian post-secondary entrance, they have long facilitated entry into American schools, and many Canadian institutions are increasingly open to alternative pathways.
I’ve heard many stories of teenagers entering post-secondary with all sorts of entrance approaches beyond a traditional diploma. I facilitated that for my second daughter through community college English and History classes. If there’s a will, there’s a way.
Attend college fairs in 11th grade, and wherever possible, get your teen into the physical space of colleges they’re considering. What looks good in a catalog doesn’t always match the practical experience.
Binz also reminds us that grade 12 is an extremely difficult year to homeschool because you’re homeschooling a near-adult. A new wave of individuation begins. They’re fiercely independent, and they need the freedom to be free. Choose four to eight colleges and apply early — if post-secondary is the route, because not all teens are headed there, and that’s okay too.
If you’re thinking ahead to post-secondary, read more about how to unschool and prepare for college — and if you’re still figuring out the shape of your teen’s education, how to create a personalized homeschool high school that fits your teen is a good place to start.
The Piece Most Resources on How to Unschool High School Skip
Most resources for homeschooling high school focus on transcripts, credit hours, and college admissions. And yes — those things matter. But they skip the piece that actually determines whether these years feel sustainable or suffocating:
You.
Your mindset, your confidence, and your sense of self inside a season that asks an enormous amount of you.
That’s what Mindset Shifts for Homeschool Moms Navigating the High School Years is about. It’s not a curriculum guide. It’s a workbook written for the mom who is holding this whole thing together and quietly wondering if she’s really equipped for what’s ahead.
Inside you’ll find:
- Clarity on what success actually looks like for your family — not the conventional version
- Communication frameworks for collaborating with a teen who is becoming their own person
- Self-care strategies that fit into a full, real homeschool life
- Guided journal prompts to work through the doubts, the transitions, and the identity shifts this season quietly brings
If you’re ready to step into the high school years with intention rather than anxiety — this is where to start.
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Mindset Shifts for Homeschool Moms: Thriving Through the High School Years
Confidently Homeschool Through the High School Years
Ready for More Than a Workbook? This Free Session Is for You.
The high school years raise real questions — bigger ones than a workbook alone can always answer. If you’re navigating how to unschool high school and want someone in your corner as you work through this season, a free Aligned Homeschool Reset session gives you renewed direction, practical next steps, and a reminder that you genuinely have got this.
Read Next…
- Unexpected Feelings When Your Homeschooler Gets Accepted to University
- A Homeschool Teenager’s Perspective: How to Homeschool High School
- What’s it like having a high school homeschooler at home?
- I’m a new homeschooler. Are you able to walk alongside me and mentor me?
- Let’s Chat with Vicki Tillman of Homeschool High School Podcast
- Fun with your Homeschool High Schoolers Teaching Literary Devices via Pop Culture
- A 2023 High School Graduate’s Thoughts on her Homeschool Life
- Transitioning into Homeschool High School: What We’re Really Talking About
- How to Set Realistic High School Expectations? Learn Human Development
- Why Homeschool High School is Better with Mary Hanna Wilson
- How Do I Unschool My Child? 5 Simple Steps to Set Them Free
- What are the benefits of a homeschool high school?
- What It’s Like: Homeschool to High School Transition
- Navigate Homeschool High School (What You Need to Know)
- Homeschool Teens Perspective: How to Homeschool High School
- How I transitioned from homeschool to public high school
- homeschool high school, grade 8 & 9: the churning
- high school options and post-secondary school
- Wise Advice for High School Homeschoolers with Vicki Tillman
- How to Create a Personalized Homeschool High School (That Fits Your Teen)
- 5 Ways to Parent Homeschool Teenagers to Keep You Sane
- Everything I write about High School
- How to Homeschool Middle School with Confidence
- A Letter to My Homeschool High School Daughter
- How to Homeschool When Everyone Has ADHD (And You’re Exhausted)
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First published April 29, 2020 · Freshly updated May 1, 2025
Call to Adventure by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3470-call-to-adventure
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