Over the years I’ve learned that spending more doesn’t equal quality, but many parents are just trying to scrape together enough to pay for a few classes. HS4CC parents usually have very high academic motivation, but with half the resources! So if I were crafting a plan for 2024-2025 with only $500 for the year, what would I do? Could I bring in college credit while still giving my teen a decent education? I love doing budgets, and I love school planning, so this was a super fund post to write. I’d love to hear how YOU would answer this prompt too!
Here’s the problem. College after high school is E-X-P-E-N-S-I-V-E. It’s nearly impossible to earn an on-campus bachelor’s degree for under $80,000 without some serious Homeschooling for College Credit skills. I think most parents recognize this, but during high school we are all cash-flowing these credits, which can become very expensive too! Especially when we still have other kids to homeschool. The dilemma is how to make the most out of our homeschool program by bringing in college credits while leveraging it against getting to use those credits later to save money. That’s a big job. For some of us, this taps into our inner-nerd and we craft the most excellent Excel spreadsheets. For others, it’s crazy-town and an overwhelming task.
Before you see my plan, recite to yourself there is no “one best plan” over and over until you believe it! As a parent of 4 very different sons, each with different goals, I assure you that what a really great plan for one student can be a disaster for another- so what you’ll see below isn’t a map for you to follow. It’s a thought experiment intended to inspire you to craft your own plan. Of course follow your state’s laws that dictate subjects and credits.
The game: Create a 1 year high school /homeschool plan that brings in college credit for $500 or less.
The rules: You can’t send your kids to public school/virtual school (which is free) because we are HOMESCHOOLING for college credit. 😉 The budget is set at $500 for 1 year of Homeschooling for College Credit.
I assumed the student worked at the high school level on most subjects and covering the core subjects plus some fun electives. I never chase college credit, I always start with a good plan and then see where college credit can be brought in. I turned heavily to the free online course products that I know parents rave about, and I aligned many to CLEP exams since that’s currently the best price (free!) I also assumed that the student did NOT have access to free dual enrollment because that’s unfair. I did a mix of secular and religious programs, a mix of online and paper, plus a variety of mediums for learning (video, reading, etc.). You’ll also notice I tend to combine multiple resources to build the best class I can, a technique I’ve used for 28 years. I imagined my hypothetical student to be in 9th or 10th grade.
(BONUS: After I finished, I realized I had a little money left over in the budget, so I found a sport my hypothetical student could learn and practice at home that provided an opportunity to develop extra skills for later.)
Hypothetical High School Plan
