HSing High School with limited resources

[Entropymama]

A brief backstory - we homeschooled our kids for years, then 18 months ago put them all in school. We are now pulling them out and going back to homeschooling but I have some concerns about my oldest, who is in 8th grade. I'd like to homeschool for high school, and that was always my plan before putting them in school, but a number of things are making me reconsider. 

 

The primary issue is finances. We have very limited resources to work with. The major benefit of sending the kids to school is that they get to benefit from the resources of the state. Is it possible to do high school without spending a good deal of money? Music lessons, foreign language, tutors, online classes, sports ... If we could afford to do all these things, I would be happy to, but I wonder if the resources offered by the public school are worth pursuing. 

 

I'm also a little worried about his social life. He was homeschooled k-6th, went to a classical charter for 7th, went to a regular progressive charter for the first half of 8th, then will be coming home again. It's a lot of change. He never really made friends at school, at least not the kind he meets up with outside of school hours, so I'm not so concerned with his losing his tribe, but with his never finding one. He has a few close friends that he's met outside of school. He is a typical 14 year old boy, no strong hobbies or interests that he could find a club for, not particularly athletic although he enjoys sport, above average intelligence but not top tier. He is a bit of an introvert and doesn't make friends easily, although he gets along with everyone. I'm worried about isolation during the teen years. 

 

Also, AP classes? How do you do those at home? How do you guarantee rigor to prep for college? 

 

I'm slowly going through back threads about these, but I'd love some advice from anyone who is in a similar situation. 

[OneStepAtATime]

My first question would be since you put them in school just 18 months ago, then switched schools after one year, and are now pulling them all out mid year from the second school, whether the issues that caused you to put them in school, move schools, then pull them out of school again are being addressed?  And how does he feel?  Does he want to homeschool?  Is he struggling in his current school?  Was he struggling in some way in the previous school?  How did he do when he was homeschooling before?

 

Can you homeschool high school on a budget?  Yes.  Absolutely it can be done.  Others have done it.

 

It can take work, though.  It can take a lot of work to meet your child's needs with or without limited financial resources.  High school is absolutely doable.  You need to be prepared to be involved, though.  Truly involved.  It isn't the same as being involved in the elementary grades but High School requires involvement in a different but sometimes even more intense way.

 

Since he is the oldest you are going to need to focus more of your energies his direction.  Do the two of you have a good relationship academically?  Is he excited about returning to homeschooling?  Are you?  

Edited January 20, 2018 by OneStepAtATime

[shinyhappypeople]

Yes, it is possibly to do high school inexpensively.  That's what I'm doing right now with my 9th grader.

 

Not all extra-curriculars / social opportunities are expensive.  Depending on his interests and your location, he could join 4-H, Civil Air Patrol,  Boy Scouts, volunteer at an animal rescue (or the library or....).   

 

If he wants to learn an instrument (or anything!) he could start with youtube videos (there are some really good ones; you just have to look). 

 

Are you near a community college?  Dual-enrollment would give him access to foreign language, music, and so on.  Where I live (California) it is nearly free for high school students.  i think we paid about $25 in fees for DD to take an art class.

 

Prioritize your curriculum needs.  Decide what's most important and spend your money on that, then get the rest for free or inexpensively.  Seriously.  There's a LOT out there that won't cost you more than the price of printer ink or internet service.  Find out what your library has to offer.  If you can get a free card at neighboring library systems, check out their resources, too.  We get Mango Languages for free from the county next door.  The free list on the General Board is another good place to check.  And, I accept requests, because ferreting out free resources is fun for me :) 

 

YOU CAN DO THIS!!!

[OneStepAtATime]

Also, FWIW, once kids hit the middle school years it can take time to find a tribe whether homeschooling or in a brick and mortar.  You may need to proactively invite people over to your house so they have time to hang out in a less structured setting and get to know each other better.  Are there any decent homeschooling groups in your area that do teen activities/classes/field trips?  Does your city offer any teen clubs/classes?  Usually those are low cost.

[OneStepAtATime]

Also, even though he has not yet found an outside area of interest I would encourage him to join some sort of youth group or club.  As shinyhappypeople mentioned there are usually options out there that don't cost much.

[Jean in Newcastle]

I am teaching my second high schooler inexpensively. I teach all subjects (no outsourcing) until 11th grade. I have to work at the math and science but I have been able to do it with some help from people here when I get stuck. I know a foreign language fluently so I have not had to outsource that for my current high schooler. I got a tutor for Ds (different language) in 11th grade.

 

I get used textbooks.

 

My kids have done well with a few close friends. That has been enough and frankly is more than what some people have. My Dd does a lot of volunteering and is around a lot of people casually that way.

 

Even in 11th and 12th grade I only outsourced math, science and foreign language for one teen. Different people will have different strengths though.

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Entropymama]

My first question would be since you put them in school just 18 months ago, then switched schools after one year, and are now pulling them all out mid year from the second school, whether the issues that caused you to put them in school, move schools, then pull them out of school again are being addressed?  And how does he feel?  Does he want to homeschool?  Is he struggling in his current school?  Was he struggling in some way in the previous school?  How did he do when he was homeschooling before?

 

Can you homeschool high school on a budget?  Yes.  Absolutely it can be done.  Others have done it.

 

It can take work, though.  It can take a lot of work to meet your child's needs with or without limited financial resources.  High school is absolutely doable.  You need to be prepared to be involved, though.  Truly involved.  It isn't the same as being involved in the elementary grades but High School requires involvement in a different but sometimes even more intense way.

 

Since he is the oldest you are going to need to focus more of your energies his direction.  Do the two of you have a good relationship academically?  Is he excited about returning to homeschooling?  Are you?  

 

*So that the rest makes more sense: I have six kids - one in 10th grade at the PS HS, 8th, 6th, 3rd, 1st and a three year old.

 

This is a good question. We put them in school because I was dealing with depression and anxiety after a slew of trauma (the low point being the death of my dad) and I needed to refocus. I found it difficult to meet all their needs at the time. We put them in a classical school, which we loved but they found possibly too challenging. My middle school kids struggled with self esteem over their grades, which were solid Bs and Cs, but still. The school, however, was almost an hour away. While I didn't mind the drive so much, they couldn't participate in clubs and sports and after school stuff because I couldn't drive up to pick up some kids at three and again at five. 

 

This fall we switched to a brand new charter school very close to us. It's small and the distance is great; the education is fair to middling. I would be okay with the average academics if there was another draw, but the sport program they promised has turned into a 'for fun' basketball team coached by a couple PAs, there is no music program whatever, despite promises, there are no clubs, no honors classes, no art for middle school. The school also seems to be a magnet for kids who either had disciplinary problems in other schools, or were held back and didn't want to repeat at the same school, or who had trouble fitting in. There have been several fights, and my kids come home with stories of class times being eaten up by the teacher dealing with back talking and disrespect. 

 

It's not a *bad* school, or so bad that it's imperative to remove them, and if I had no other options or wasn't interested in or capable of homeschooling, I'd probably just leave them. But I do have interest and I am capable, and knowing how great homeschooling can be I think they'd be better off academically and socially (as far as influences go) back home. 

 

For the 7th, 3rd and 1st graders I have confidence it's the right move. But for the 8th grader, I'm not sure. He gets good grades, he likes it okay. It's not like he hates school or is being bullied or is desperate for a change. 

 

Having a child in PS HS, I know what I'm in for there. The environment is not great, and the teachers are hit and miss, but she has been able to take French and ceramics and photography and be on the tennis team and find her tribe, and these are all benefits. The academics are not fantastic, but I think they'll get her where she wants to go. I'm not happy with some of the attitudes and mannerisms she's picked up. 

 

So I'm trying to balance the benefits of homeschooling vs. the benefits of public school, while considering that I may not have the time and resources to reproduce the public school (which may or may not be a bad thing?) 

 

Of course this will come down to personal choice; I'm really looking for information or stories from people who have done the high school thing on a budget to see if it's a choice worth pursuing. I don't want to pull him and then regret it come sophomore year because I can't provide what he needs. 

[Entropymama]

Also, even though he has not yet found an outside area of interest I would encourage him to join some sort of youth group or club.  As shinyhappypeople mentioned there are usually options out there that don't cost much.

 

Re: this and your other post - he does go to youth group and volunteers at church doing tech for the children's church. 

 

Some of my anxiety, I think, comes from the recent meeting we had at the high school about college admissions and how students need AP and CLEP and clubs and community service and extracurriculars and and and ... 

[OneStepAtATime]

:grouphug:   I'm sorry the meeting stressed you out.  First and foremost you need to make sure you are following the legal requirements of your state.  If you are doing that then don't stress over what the school was telling you.  Look at different colleges and their requirements.  It is early yet to know which type of college (if any) will meet his needs so you probably have no clue where he might want to go but if you look around you can get some idea of acceptance requirements.  Is AP helpful? Sometimes yes sometimes no.  Is CLEP necessary?  I'd say no.  Can it be helpful?  Yes.  But you can do AP AND CLEP at home.  You just need to know and meet the requirements.  As for clubs and extracurriculars etc.  yes those can help but it depends on the school, what your child's needs are, and so on.  And yes you can provide those things at home.  

 

For resources, there are tons of options that are low or no cost for curriculum.  If you are seeking out specific low cost resources for specific subjects I know WTM can help.  Do you have specific subjects you need recommendations for?

 

For the rest, look for the following in your area:

• 4-H clubs
• Homeschooling groups (sometimes parents are able to swap out things like music instruction for other stuff, plus they may have or be forming teen groups)
• Civil Air Patrol
• ToastMasters
• Boy Scouts
• Quest
• City run teen groups/clubs/classes/volunteer programs
• Library centered volunteer/classes/clubs
• Low cost art or music tutors 
• plus consider starting a club in an area of his interest if you feel up to it

And definitely you tube videos can be a good start for learning something like ASL or a musical instrument.  Also, Udemy sometimes has really low cost on self-paced courses (the kids and I are taking an introductory Japanese course with a native speaker, self-paced, and it cost us $15 total for the whole family).  There are other on-line options as well.  Khan Academy is workable as a free math spine but it also offers other areas of learning, for instance.

[Lori D.]

OneStepAtATime has given you some excellent things to think about and some specific ideas. I absolutely agree:

 

...High school is absolutely doable.  You need to be prepared to be involved, though.  Truly involved.  It isn't the same as being involved in the elementary grades but High School requires involvement in a different but sometimes even more intense way.

 

Since he is the oldest you are going to need to focus more of your energies his direction.  Do the two of you have a good relationship academically?  Is he excited about returning to homeschooling?  Are you?  

 

Also, FWIW, once kids hit the middle school years it can take time to find a tribe whether homeschooling or in a brick and mortar.  You may need to proactively invite people over to your house so they have time to hang out in a less structured setting and get to know each other better.  Are there any decent homeschooling groups in your area that do teen activities/classes/field trips?  Does your city offer any teen clubs/classes?  Usually those are low cost.

 

I 100% agree with and underline in big black marker what OneStepAtATime says in these posts.

 

The first big question to ask yourself is: If I homeschool DS, am I in a position now to be able to provide that kind of time, patience, and support, especially knowing that having 4 younger children at home is going to make this very challenging to juggle all the needs.

 

For the extracurricular:

Initially, you are going to have to spend a lot of time researching what's available to your student. And then you'll need to spend lots of time to be able to drive frequently, to host, to possible be the advisor or co-advisor of a club/group to make sure it happens for your high schooler. Once your student gets connected, there may be the ability to work out carpooling, or he makes a friend in a group or activity whose family is willing/able to just "fold in" your DS with their student to make it possible for you to reduce your involvement. But don't count on it -- plan on needing to invest a lot of time for the long haul of 4 years of high school (maybe that last year or two less, if you have vehicle ability for DS to drive himself), and then be delighted if it works out that someone can come alongside and help you and DS reduce your time involvement. ;)

 

That said, there are a ton of things to explore to see what's available to you and would help your student develop an interest:

 

- music = see if someone in the church worship band be willing to mentor your DS and volunteer to get him started in learning an instrument

 

- sports = many public high school teams allow homeschoolers to participate; if your son is not that athletic, look into one of the less popular sports to learn and get involved with: tennis or golf -- rather than the popular sports of basketball, football, soccer where he may not meet the minimum required athletic ability; or skip team sports and get involved with a Martial Arts studio, Fencing, Dance, or other activity -- see if there is some way to work out a barter system of you (or DH or DS) cleaning or bookkeeping or other work in exchange for the cost

 

- public high school clubs, Speech & Debate, Robotics or other special groups at the high school = often homeschoolers are allowed to participate; contact the high school and see

 

See these past threads for more extracurricular/socializing ideas to research what's available in your area:

Low income people and extracurriculars

Finding extra-curricular

What extracurricular activities for the high school years?

What kinds of extra activities for high schoolers?

DS is so, so lonely

 

For the academics:

Again, when you don't have money to spend, that means you have to have time to spend on researching to find the free options AND to figure out how to make them work for you. (Just because it's free does not mean it's already scheduled, or that it's a good fit for your student's learning style or your teaching style.) Echoing some of the suggestions of OneStepAtATime, and adding a few:

 

- enroll in your public high school's free virtual charter or K-12 program (so, you are under the public school, but it is done at home and the school provides you the materials for free -- note: some homeschool groups bar entrance to those using this option, as it is an option with the overseeing administration done by the public school, not the parent, so it does not fall under homeschool regulations)

 

- Easy Peasy High School, gr. 1-8 = free day by day lesson plans using all free online texts/videos

- Virtual Homeschool Co-op = free online classes to support you if you are using Saxon, Apologia, and other frequently used materials

- HippoCampus

- Khan Academy

- CK12

- SAS Curriculum Pathways

- free MOOC (Mass Online Open Courses) = free access to videos of intro-level college courses you can watch online

- check if your local community college offers free dual enrollment

 

 

Things to think about if enrolling DS in the public high school:

 

-  Is it fairly competitive to get on the high school's sports teams? If your student is not at a certain level of ability, he's not going to make the team, so whether he attends or homeschools, if he doesn't clear the bar of being "good enough" to be on the team, then sports are not going to be an option. (That is esp. the situation with the popular sports such as basketball, soccer, and football.) Something to research about the school.

 

- Similarly with music. Has DS been playing an instrument and want to join band or orchestra? School bands and orchestras often have try-outs for placement, and may require that the student is already familiar with playing the instrument to begin with, as music lessons for teaching you how to play an instrument is not offered at the school. If DS isn't already playing an instrument, then the music extracurricular at the high school might not be an option for him. Something to check in to.

 

- Will introverted/quiet DS put forth effort to get to know people or choose to get involved? Just because a student attends a school with some options, doesn't mean the student will be willing -- or able -- to initiate getting involved. Sometimes, just getting through the classes each day sucks up all the energy they have and nothing is left for socializing. Something to discuss with DS.

 

 

Prep for college

Just to reassure you: many, MANY students take NO AP or Honors courses and get into college just fine. Colleges are looking for

 

1. a minimum test score on the ACT or SAT

2. a minimum GPA (2.5 or above)

3. a set of required credits completed in high school -- usually something like this:

   4 credits = English

   3-4 credits = Math (up through Alg. 2 or Pre-Calc)

   3-4 credits = Science, with labs

   3-4 credits = Social Studies (at least 1 credit in American History)

   2-4 credits = Foreign Language (in same language)

   1 credit = Fine Arts

   4-8+ = Electives

 

Getting INTO college is NOT a problem, even for an average/above average academic student. PAYING for college is the problem for the financially average family. AP And CLEP can help reduce the amount of courses needed for the degree at a cheaper cost. And high ACT/SAT scores and showing rigor through AP or CLEP or dual enrollment AND involvement with extracurriculars can help in being awarded merit aid.

 

Because finances are also going to come in to play for paying for college, you may really want to focus on prepping/practicing a LOT for the PSAT, SAT and ACT tests, as very high scores are what land the highest scholarships.

 

 

Some of my anxiety, I think, comes from the recent meeting we had at the high school about college admissions and how students need AP and CLEP and clubs and community service and extracurriculars and and and ... 

 

High AP test scores are more helpful in getting a student admitted to a selective/competitive or top tier college, although because AP test scores can grant college credit, they can possibly lower college costs when fewer classes needed to be taken in college. But other options award college credit while still in high school, too: CLEP test scores. And dual-enrollment classes.

 

And CLEP tests are much more flexible than AP tests and a student who is a good test-taker can take more CLEP tests in a year than AP tests. And in some areas, dual enrollment classes are free, so you can be reducing the amount of college classes (and thus future cost of college) AND at a free cost AND show rigor on the transcript by having taken college classes while still in high school. CLEP and dual enrollment are much harder options to make use of if your student is enrolled in a high school.

 

The largest scholarships are awarded to the highest ACT/SAT test scores, so heavy prep/practice of testing might be a goal during high school to boost scores. BUT... be prepared: working your behind off to do all of those things listed at that recent meeting is NOT likely to land your DS a full-ride (all expenses paid) scholarship. Those are rare, and from your description of your son, he sounds like a lovely young man who is academically average/above average. He is much more likely to land a partial tuition scholarship.

 

Which brings me back to what I think is the most important thing to do now, which is to plan out what your 3-4 most important goals are for accomplishing with your DS before high school graduation, and then consider how homeschooling or public schooling best helps you achieve those goals.

 

BEST of luck as you work your way through to making a decision! Warmest regards, Lori D.

Edited January 20, 2018 by Lori D.

[...................]

I mean it really depends on your ds and on the things he is willing to do and take advantage of.  A lot of kids, especially boys, that age, seem to be rather unmotivated, so it could be easy for them to become couch potatoes, given the opportunity.

 

Here are some ways my friends have "gotten around" getting their kids out and about with limited funds...

 

1.  Year round employment- I personally would not encourage you to have ds work at a restaurant or grocery store, but jobs at tutoring centers, the library, or any other place associated with academics tend to have a good group of employees not on drugs and having drinking parties every weekend.

2.  Volunteering- there are so many ways to volunteer I couldn't even begin to list them all, the library, animal shelters, animal rescue organizations, therapeutic horse riding centers, I could go on and on.  Having a teen that actually wants to be there, and who isn't Just going to fulfill their school requirement makes them really happy.  

3.  Certifications- have your teen take classes at the Y to become a Swim Instructor or Lifeguard.  My son volunteered with our city one summer as a "Swim Instructor Intern" which got him a 14.00 per hour summer job at age 15 as a Swim Instructor for another city's pool!  He was the youngest they had hired, adn it's because he had done that Intern position.  You can call your city and see if they have any other intern positions like that.

4.  Don't assume that the high school won't let your son do any clubs.  High schools have to fulfill NCAA requirements for sports so it's really NOT THEIR FAULT that they can't let homeschoolers play in many states.  However, clubs are a whole different matter.  Our local high school allows homeschoolers to participate any after school club whatsoever! The only stipulation is that they can't use the Districts' school buses for field trips because of insurance purposes.  SO, when our son has robotics events and competitions we have to drive him.  He misses out just a little on the experience of going on the bus, but it's a very small price to pay for being allowed to be in the club.  !!

 

Those are just some ideas I have. I hope they help.  If my kids were happy, well adjusted and making wise decisions, and not being bullied, I don't know that I would pull them out knowing they really didn't have any support network, hobbies, or clubs and no money...I would have to think long and hard about pros and cons.  

Edited January 21, 2018 by Calming Tea

[MerryAtHope]

The primary issue is finances. We have very limited resources to work with. The major benefit of sending the kids to school is that they get to benefit from the resources of the state. Is it possible to do high school without spending a good deal of money? Music lessons, foreign language, tutors, online classes, sports ... If we could afford to do all these things, I would be happy to, but I wonder if the resources offered by the public school are worth pursuing. 

 

I homeschooled both of my kids at home (no outside academic classes except one co-op speech course--no online etc... either). They had decent ACT scores and good GPA's--we looked around at our state schools and at some private schools when my oldest was getting ready to go (he automatically qualified for the second-highest scholarship category at a number of schools), but it really ended up that we couldn't beat starting at our local CC financially, and since it has a good ranking and overall decent courses, we've been happy with that choice. We did continue music lessons for both (and dd's music teacher also goes to our church and there have been amazing opportunities for composing and doing other creative things, and learning about music in some unique ways--so it's been a good fit). DD also did some art classes. DS volunteered two summers for a children's theatre program as a teen counselor and back-stage manager--great experience and no fee. We were able to borrow curriculum for dd's foreign language, and ds's had free online videos through Georgia Public Broadcasting so we just had books to purchase--one of our most economical high school courses! They didn't do sports at all (not interested) but we did do a homeschool PE course that had an incredibly reasonable rate. We didn't use any tutors except for ACT Prep, and were so blessed to have a family friend do that free of charge. 

 

Anyway...all that to say, it definitely can be done, you don't have to pay for lots of outsourcing unless you want/need to. If there is something you really aren't able to teach, then look into options--but there may be more options than you originally think. It can take some looking but if you have more time and tenacity than money, you can find some good options. For me, the goal was never to "recreate" public school opportunities (if you try to do that, it really will get stressful and expensive!) but instead to create worthwhile opportunities in different ways through available resources. Sometimes what we did wasn't something I imagined or envisioned ahead of time, but something that came along. Pray about it--God can really do some amazing things. Don't underestimate the value of service and leadership opportunities that might come up at church etc...

 

 

Re: this and your other post - he does go to youth group and volunteers at church doing tech for the children's church. 

 

Some of my anxiety, I think, comes from the recent meeting we had at the high school about college admissions and how students need AP and CLEP and clubs and community service and extracurriculars and and and ... 

 

Deep breath! All of those things may or may not be helpful depending on your personal circumstances and where your son might be headed but take things one step at a time. You don't have to learn everything at once and he doesn't have to do everything at once. In general:

 

Don't try to do tons of clubs and ECs and community service. Encourage your son to pick one or just a few things to focus on (I found my kids focused on some things throughout high school, and others just a year or so as interests changed). Remember you don't have to do it all at once. 

 

With regard to AP and CLEP courses--these can help save some money with college (though sometimes dual-enrollment is a better option and you may want to investigate that) and of course also look good on a transcript, but don't fall into the trap of thinking you need tons of them. Try one, and then see how the test goes, and work from there. You may want to do several--or you may not. Plenty of kids do go to school without them. 

 

Encourage your son to be involved in something, but let his interests and drive direct this. If you're pushing everything, no one is going to enjoy that. You want a healthy, enjoyable, balanced high school experience first of all. 

 

You can do this!

[MarkT]

The state you are located in is usually a big factor in whether any part-time public schooling is available or if there are "funds" available for home-schoolers such as in CA.

[...................]

^^^ yes my friends in virtual charters here get 2500 per year for high school :) and free access to a huge textbook repository

[BlsdMama]

 

 

Of course this will come down to personal choice; I'm really looking for information or stories from people who have done the high school thing on a budget to see if it's a choice worth pursuing. I don't want to pull him and then regret it come sophomore year because I can't provide what he needs. 

 

Our oldest was schooled on a pretty tight budget.  She didn't do any outside classes until her senior year and that was Russian I and II for her foreign language credits.  She did end up getting into our state flagship on a pretty hefty scholarship (as in tuition/books/etc., was covered and then she lived at home so to not incur debt.)

 

I don't think we did anything amazing.  We made her write and I used IEW.  IEW was kind of expensive, but you can buy the old VHS or a used copy of DVDs and then re-sell when done.  Then write, write, write.

She read a LOT.  Most of this was through public library loan and some of it was bought.  We used used texts as well (Spielvogel for history, etc.) and bought those where we could find them.  I did use Teaching Textbooks for her which I'm really questioning but it did make for CONSISTENT math teaching for a kid who really wasn't a rockstar at math.  She was a heavy hitter when it came to language arts, but math STILL makes her cringe.  We just picked up a complete 1.0 version of Algebra 2 for $55.  None of the bells and whistles but awesome for review.  DD (16yo) is using TT and Saxon together and a 3rd edition of Saxon.  The Saxon was minimal cost.  

 

Reading and discussing (Lit) will cost you practically nothing.

You can find history texts (older editions and/or used) very inexpensively.

Math (as mentioned above)

Writing (as mentioned above)

 

What resources do you have available to you?  For example, if Christian, an older version of Apologia and online labs is a possibility but otherwise maybe there are a group of homeschoolers in the area that would love to split the cost of materials and do labs twice a month at your house?  

I'd also look into CAP, Trail Life, BSA, etc., as an extra-curricular.  They are not only worthwhile and fill time for an active boy, they also look great on a college app and make him more likely to get outside scholarships.  Don't discount volunteer opportunities and working either.  

 

We  have kiddo #3 and #4 in high school currently and high school no longer terrifies me.  It's my very, very favorite part of homeschooling!

 

ETA: Our DD did not do AP or CLEP.  None.   Zero.  The only college classes she did do were the Russia I and Russia II mentioned above.  Our DS did several classes at the community college.  BUT, this is where it is helpful to know your own state. Here in Iowa, several CC classes are covered at no cost (including texts) for both public and home schooled students with adequate test scores.  Some of these are also offered as online versions, though that is not a recommendation from me.  

Edited January 22, 2018 by BlsdMama

[2_girls_mommy]

I've got one in 10th. I consider us on a pretty good budget most of the time. Her academics have been pretty cheap for us- I got the SWB history book from the library and we just keep rechecking it, so it's free. I bought her recommended rhetoric and writing books used on Amazon, less than $10 apiece. I did buy a subscription to SchoolHouseTeachers dot com on one of their sales which gives us access to Mr. D's math for less than $100 for the year. With that, all of my kids could be doing math and other classes too. I could put quite a bit together from there. I just only bought it for the math. I use R&S textbooks for English which I buy during their half off sales once a year. Then the younger can reuse them later. I too learned our foreign language (latin) alongside my dd, so I haven't needed to outsource it. We have moved along together just fine. It has worked for us, since it isn't a modern language that I need to be fluent in to speak to her. When we switch to Spanish for a 2nd language, I am ok enough in it for a year or two as well. There are classes for it included in the $100 SHT subscription, plus lots of free online resources and I have some CDs and books all purchased from used book sales for very little to put together a full class.  We do attend a parent run co-op where she has friends and a support group. We pay for the family for that, but nothing outrageous. She has a science teacher there and does all of her labs. I teach the science teacher's kids latin in exchange. The textbook she chose I was able to buy for $20 this year. Our co-op has teen game nights and parties. 

 

We can only get DE classes for free once dd hits senior year in our area, so we will explore that option at that time. As for extra curricular, mine dances several classes a week plus volunteers at the studio in a couple of classes with younger students. That gives her friendships and a mentor and she gets to be a mentor to other kids. She is in girl scouts which requires a lot of time volunteering and working in the community and a few times a year she goes on campouts and to residence camps. She does have to sell cookies to help raise money for these things and apply for scholarships and work at scouting events for younger kids. But all of that is good for her. Then we go to church which gives us all lots to do. We can be as active in missions and classes and activities as we want. 

[...................]

I second that thing about not having to be involved in 400 things.  My teens generally do a few things and they are happy with that plan.  But, those things take them out of the house quite a bit, so they aren't sitting at home 5 days per week.  My dd is out of the house 5 days a week with her horse, and she also does a co-op once a week all day, and she volunteers at the library...now she wants to drop Pony Club because she's feeling like she's not getting time enough to just quilt, sew, and paint and read fun books. 

 

 

[Entropymama]

^^^ yes my friends in virtual charters here get 2500 per year for high school :) and free access to a huge textbook repository

 

 

Yes, when we lived in CA we got so much money. It was fantastic. 

 

I am feeling much more confident, thank you to everyone who has chimed in! I've learned in the last week that our district allows homeschooled students in grades 6-12 to take up to two classes at the middle or high school free, plus join the band and play sports. That's taken a lot of pressure off. We don't have to use the classes, but if I get stuck I have that resource to lean on. 

 

I'm bookmarking this thread to come back to. Thanks again!

[freesia]

Yes, when we lived in CA we got so much money. It was fantastic. 

 

I am feeling much more confident, thank you to everyone who has chimed in! I've learned in the last week that our district allows homeschooled students in grades 6-12 to take up to two classes at the middle or high school free, plus join the band and play sports. That's taken a lot of pressure off. We don't have to use the classes, but if I get stuck I have that resource to lean on. 

 

I'm bookmarking this thread to come back to. Thanks again!

 

That's fantastic!  What a great option.

 

It sounds like you got a lot of great advice.  I know you'll make a good decision and be fine.  We are here to help, if you need it.

[...................]

Yes, when we lived in CA we got so much money. It was fantastic.

 

I am feeling much more confident, thank you to everyone who has chimed in! I've learned in the last week that our district allows homeschooled students in grades 6-12 to take up to two classes at the middle or high school free, plus join the band and play sports. That's taken a lot of pressure off. We don't have to use the classes, but if I get stuck I have that resource to lean on.

 

I'm bookmarking this thread to come back to. Thanks again!

Wow that’s an amazing district!

[katilac]

  I've learned in the last week that our district allows homeschooled students in grades 6-12 to take up to two classes at the middle or high school free, plus join the band and play sports. That's taken a lot of pressure off.  

 

omigosh, yes, I bet that does take some of the pressure off! That's fantastic. 

[Pen]

I think it is definitely possible to do home high school on a limited budget.

 

One thing I'd look at as you are considering what to do is your own time and energy abilities though, since lower budget may mean having to do more yourself. (Harder to outsource everything to paid classes, for example.)

 

Also, if you are unsure about it, in most places it is easier to pull out of public school and home school during high school than it is to start into public school part way through. This is for reasons of credit acceptance not always working from home school into public school.  For that reason it might be a good idea to start back into homeschool with the younger children and see how that goes with your feelings and energy and theirs, and then if you are up to it, and olders want to / need to come home to bring them home.