How many of you homeschool thu Jr. High and then send them to High School?

[mom2denj]

I am thinking about doing this and I wonder if anyone has experience and what the experience was like? If you don''t mind to tell why did you choose to do this? Please do not reply about the reasons not to send them to high school. I am not asking about this to start up a heated debate. I would just like to find out how your children adjusted to highschool if you went this route. Thanks in advance!

[Tap]

Link to similar recent post

 

Copy of my reply with update:

Ds15 just started formal public highschool last week.

 

In the past we were part of a homeschool/public school hybrid. He took several classes there in 9th grade. I liked the smaller nature of the classes (5 kids in Spanish, 8 in biology, 20 in English), I liked the experience (several close to retirement) of the teachers, I liked that it reminded me of private school. There were only homeschoolers there, but it was a typical mix of kids who had been kicked out of public school and those who will homeschool all the way. I liked that it gave him classroom exposure, different teachers with different expectations, learning how to learn despite the environment/noise, etc. Buy, after 5 years there, we also started to see weaknesses in the high school program. The big one, was the limitations. There weren't choices for which teacher would be the best fit for ds. The limitation of no AP classes, except online. The limitation of tired teachers who while having experience, were starting to lack passion. The limitation of experience with other kids whose parents expect a lot of them academically.

 

We weren't expecting to go with a public high school, but honestly I feel it is the best fit for him right now. When we went to register for the hybrid last spring, we realized that ds had taken all the upper level classes they had to offer. He had out paced the school, in 10th grade.

 

We have 3 school districts, and at least 15 major high schools in our area. I researched them all. Almost every school had a draw, a magnet within it, private/religious, close by (could ride the bus/go with the neighborhood kids), etc.

 

We chose the school we did because it has a Math, Science, Technology Magnet. It has upper level AP classes in just about any class he could want. I was looking for a school that he could really use to attain his goals. With teachers and classes that were set up for the kids to be around teachers and students with like minds. Classes that are the perfect fit, not just close enough. A school that thinks the upper level classes should be part of the regular curriculum, and not for a select few, and hires teachers with like minds. A school that lives the philosophy...build it and they will come.

 

It took some effort to get him to where he is. We live in a different school district, so it required some concerted efforts on my part, but we got in and he loves it so far.

 

He has already been there about 10 days. He has made some friends and has been asked to join various activities. He is already adjusted and loves the opportunities ahead of him. He has noticed that his classes are full of kids his age and his grade and that it is nice to not be the youngest in all of his classes (his old school had mostly seniors in the classes that were above what was required for graduation). While he still get a little bit of fun teasing thrown at him by non-SMT friends for his harder classes, he knows that it is where he belongs.

 

 

 

Update: We are now 2 mths into school and all is still well. He really likes it and is learning a lot. Most of his classes are pre-AP so I don't know if that makes a difference but he feels that he is getting good information. He is working out the different teachers personalities and requirements, and seems to be settling in with a group of good kids.

[Perry]

I had always planned to send the kids back to ps for high school, unless they wanted to stay home. My oldest was homeschooled 4th thru 8th grade, and dual enrolled for the last half of 8th grade. She started high school full time this year, and loves it. She's on the pom squad, has lots of friends and a very active social life. Way too active. She's doing okay in school, but could be doing better. She just isn't very motivated, which was an ongoing problem while we homeschooled. I was hoping that ps would demand more accountability, but it isn't really working out that way. She's in honors classes, does the bare minimum, and gets As and Bs.

 

She's very happy, although she does recognize that the academics are weak. I am not happy with the academics, but it's not bad enough to bring her back home. Yet.

[Jeannie in NJ]

my dd is in school for the first time this year (9th grade). She likes her teachers and has met lots of nice kids (my dd is very shy but has had no problems making friends). She is only taking one honors class (she was afraid to take more in case she had troubles with the assignments). She is making A's and B's. She had decided to apply for the county technical high school (which only accepts about 30% of applicates) as the student size is much smaller than our local high school (about 550 total in her school opposed to 1400 in the local school, 160 are 9th graders in her school). She really wanted a smaller school such as she is in.Her class sizes are around 12 or so in each class and she has a lot of the same kids in most of her classes. SHe is doing well there.

 

The only thing she hates is getting up early. When homeschooled she would get up about 9:00 . Now she has to get up at 5:50 in the DARK and she does not like that. Also her bus ride is 30 min.

[JFSinIL]

I have - my first kid was too much of a loner at home so NEEDED to be around some other kids - made it work by sticking him in as many Honors and AP classses as possible. He has made some good friends and had some GREAT teachers (along with some duds, sigh) over the past four years.

 

Had he doine high school at home he would have spent most of his time on the couch, reading, with and Labrador on his legs. Not the same as being in a discussion group in an AP class.

 

My girls are too social to be home once I get them reading and writing etc. My youngest is actually in middle school this year! Again - got her into what advanced classes i could.

 

If I had studious little SWB-types, maybe homeschool high school would have worked. I have homeschooled or public schooled each of my four depending on who needed what each year - it has turned out booting them out of the house by high school works best. But that is just my kids.

[MIch elle]

My older ds became difficult to homeschool as the school workload increased as he went up in grades. I didn't want to struggle any longer with trying to get him to get his work done AND he wanted to go to high school. He played sports but at the high school level our town high school/recreation sports became limited.

 

Attending high school has been a positive experience for all of us. He likes the interaction of fellow students and teachers, he does his work (LOTS of it) and plays sports (large school = lots of options for sports & academics). He's getting a better education at school than I could provide at home. I am free of the stress of working with him, and I get to concentrate on the education my younger ds (who will most likely attend the same high school).

 

The transition to high school was smooth. We sought no extra help or intervention from the school during the entrance process. He took the admission test and was place in a level of academics that matched his test scores. He could have taken the algebra 1 and French/Spanish 1 tests in the spring of grade 8 but we felt he wasn't ready for those tests (to test out of those classes). We could have requested that he take higher level classes (honors) but we wanted his 9th grade year to not be too stressful, so we left it at the school's suggested middle level classes in all subjects (school has 3 levels). This year, 10th grade, he's taking 2 honor classes.

 

We still are involved in our older ds education but he now takes responsibility for his OWN education with the help of the school administration, teachers, other students (nat'l merit scholars available for free tutoring) and us, his parents.

 

I'm VERY happy with our decision to send our ds to an all boys Catholic high school.

[unsinkable]

My oldest, a DD, is homeschooling for high school. She has epilepsy & takes twice as long to get her work done b/c of her seizures.

 

My next, a DS, started at a boys Catholic prep school this fall. There is not another school I would have sent him to. This school is a mile from my house & my brother's alma mater.

 

I really think same-sex schools for boys are the best choice for some boys. I think some boys thrive on being around groups of men. My DS is one of them (my brother was, too. My brother even worked/works in male-dominated careers--professional sports & firefighting.) I see much of my brother in my son so I know the school will be a very good fit for him.

 

My son is not in honors classes or advanced anything. So far, about a month in, he is a B-student (80s) at his school. He is really adjusting. He has a lot of homework & he sometimes doesn't understand the lessons. He's afraid to ask for help/clarification, though. He doesn't want to call attention to himself. He likes his teachers but hasn't really found a way to overcome his shyness.

 

He is a fall birthday and the cutoff here is December 1st. I wish I had waited a year. Academically it would have helped him. Socially & emotionally, he was ready to cut the apron strings/leave the nest/etc...

 

One of the good things about sending him is that I can see where I'll need to adjust to get his younger brother ready to go in 3 years. More writing & how to study are the first 2 things that come to mind.

I hope this answers your questions.

Edited October 19, 2009 by unsinkable

[freetobeme]

it was not my "plan", but my oldest asked to go, we agreed and it has been everything she knew it would and wouldn't be. for her, it was the right choice and she is in her junior year now. for my second born, we have started high school at home this year and that is working well and she is interested in starting community college in two years. my third will probably also stay home all the way through, but for the youngest two, we are still up in the air - one of them seems to be athletically gifted and wants to play team sports so i don't know how to do that without sending him to school. i'm with the what's-best-for-each-child camp based on your own convictions and what is available to you where you live.

hth!

[Stacy in NJ]

I currently have a 5th and 7th grader. Our current plan is to send our eldest to public school in 9th grade which is the first year of high school locally. While we can do high school at home, I feel it would be quite the challenge to provide all the math, science, language and English classes at the intensity level our local ps is capable of. I might feel differently if our school district were low performing, but it's quite a good district that offers plenty of honors and AP classes as well as the IB program. I really think of it as a college prep program.

 

I'm not against homeschooling the high school years; I do question my ability to teach and supervise advanced level math and science classes specifically.

[Journey]

I did. I had been homeschooling this particular child since 3rd grade. We had a very laid back type of homeschool and as the years went by, it got to the point in the middle of 8th grade that I couldn't teach her anymore. For two reasons. First, I didn't know the material (I wasn't a good student) and second she is a very intense learner. She needs to know how, what, why and when things are done. I put her in a small Christian school in the middle of 8th grade. She should have been in 9th but she didn't want to not be able to do the work they were doing so we decided that keeping her back a year would be a good idea. My daughter is a pretty confident kid though she didn't have any friends (a very long story) when she went into school. She didn't know anybody but she didn't care really. The homework is the hardest part for her, partly because there is ALOT of it and partly because of her intensity and high standards that she has placed on herself. She fits right in and I'm thankful that she isn't a follower but people actually WANT to be her friend. I know that confidence is because she has been homeschooled all these years and never got caught up in the peer pressure, praise the Lord. She actually ran for class president this year (9th grade) and lost out to the most popular boy in the class. She didn't care and I was proud of her for even trying being the "newest kid in the class" so to speak.

 

So, putting her in a small Christian school has worked well for us. I'm not so sure we would be as "happy" if she were to go into public high school, partly because she doesn't want that and secondly, because of all of the horror stories you hear.

[unsinkable]

Just wanted to add that it is a huge adjustment for me. Look for my post Friday pm about crying for hours about sick days/missed work/shyness/responsibility.

[Irene Lynn]

Our dd is staying home, but we did give her the option to go to a private school. She preferred to stay home. BUT we have close friends (to us and dd), who have done this route. The one family had an only child. She did well. I think one of their reasons was to help their dd get more organized. She is extremely bright, but is the absent-minded professor type, which ironically is what she is hoping to be. She is in college now.

 

The other family has 4 children and the last one is a freshman this year. I think that 2 of the girls struggled a little at the beginning of their first year with some of the negative social aspects. They are pretty practical girls and they just don't get the point of ugliness in behavior. But they did make friends and have done fine. I think that they just thought that sending their children to high school would provide more independence, exposure to different teaching styles, help them encounter scholarships, and provide sports and drama and more. It is a great private school. I have been impressed with it.

 

After having decided to go this route, I think they could easily tell you different reasons for each child why it has been an excellent choice. The oldest chose to minor in Spanish in college and was able to test out of a LOT. This school has an excellent Spanish program. She also was assisted in finding scholarships for which to apply.

 

The second child has enjoyed some sports and even a trip to Mexico with his soccer team. He also did better for the teachers at the school than he would have done with his mother, since he was one who was really wanting to stretch his independent wings. It also helped him to become more organized and buckle down.

 

The third child has benefitted from the drama program. She is very independent already, so it has encouraged her to socialize with different people more. (Our dd could have used this a little more, too, but we are trying hard to provide more situations for her. Our dd is close to this girl.)

 

The last girl is doing well so far. She is very bright, but is one of those with some other issues that have made it harder for her. They finally found out that she had a lot of allergies that affected her ability to concentrate, so that helped a lot. They also found she needed some therapy, but that seems to have brought everything together in time for her to be successful in this school. I think she will do very well and will gain confidence as long as she stays away from her triggering foods during the week. Her mother lets her eat some of the foods on the weekend, because her diet is so restrictive and she doesn't usually have to concentrate so hard on those days. I look forward to seeing the ways that she will benefit from the school.

[Diana in OR]

My oldest was hsed until 9th grade. I had planned on homeschooling all the way through. What happened, though, was that at the beginning of 9th grade, he was taking choir and playing football at the local high school. Because of the schedule, I spent a lot of time driving him back and forth and it was cutting into academic time at home. Also, my attempts at outsourcing higher math were causing both of us much frustration, and I realized he needed more structure.

 

So, six weeks into 9th grade, I enrolled him in public school. Although it wasn't our original plan, it has gone very well for him. He is doing well academically, socially and otherwise.

 

I ended up putting my younger son into ps in 7th grade (the next year after his older brother started). It is going well for him, too.

[May]

My dd was homeschooled grades 4-9. My dh and I planned to send her to a small christian high school for her high school years. After she said she didn't want to attend the small christian high school her sister graduated from (long commute),didn't want to attend the other small christian high school closer to home and didn't want to attend the christian boarding school my husband graduated from, we homeschooled for 9th grade. During that year, her only homeschooling friend moved and we were scheduled for a summer move to the DC area. She asked if she could attend high school after our move to DC. We found two small christian schools that were within our budget and gave her the final pick. My dh and I liked them both but did agree that she could choose the one she preferred. So, she started in 10th grade. The school was great with making her feel welcomed. They had get togethers before school started, kids called her etc. Well, then school actually started. I don't know who was more stressed, our dd or us. If given the option, she would have bailed. The amount of homework, (lots of it) block scheduling (yuke for geometry). Fast forward to now, she justed recevied her first interim report and nothing was under 92 percent.

It was a real confidence booster. What will happen next year? I don't know. She has great teachers and has enjoyed the social aspect. She is quite reserved and not real worldly but she is being included in actvities with others. We will discuss homeschooling in the spring if she brings it up. My dh and I are willing to homeschool again but we have told her if she comes home, she will finish high school at home.

Edited October 19, 2009 by May

[mom2denj]

I am overwhelmed with thankfulness for all of the time everyone took to answer my question with such thought and detail. I am so happy that there were no ugly responses. Thank you all so much for giving me some positive things to think about!!:D

[Heather in the Kootenays]

My daughter started high school in Grade 10 and is now in Grade 12. Her school experience has been a real success and I plan to send ds to school in Grade 10 as well.