High School Diploma Not Required?

homeschoolmom
Fri, 25 Feb 2005 09:34:17 +0000

mominin, check with your local hometown school board. Your hometown school district MAY be able to issue a diploma on the basis of work completed elsewhere. (It is fairly common, for example, for students who choose to go to full-time college after finishing 11th grade to get a diploma from their hometown high school AFTER successful completion of their freshman year in college.) Perhaps your hometown school district has similar authority to issue a diploma based on his completing the additional coursework at the state gifted school after his first 2 years at your local high school.

Another option–check with the state education department. THEY may be able to issue him a diploma based on his completion of all state requirements.

Either of those routes might minimize future hassles down the road.

I do think your son’s school is very much at fault, from what you describe, in not advising him better so that he would be able to complete all THEIR requirements in the expected time frame. You might see whether there is any room for negotiation there–could he do an on-line distance-learning course quickly to make up the credit, or could he self-study and take a CLEP exam to make up the credit, etc.

No matter what, I can’t imagine any college penalizing him by rescinding admissions for a technical issue like this under the circumstances you describe!

There might, however, be some issues with the FAFSA Federal aid in his freshman year if he hasn’t earned a diploma or GED before enrolling. The FAFSA does ask if the student will have a high school diploma OR GED OR state-recognized homeschool equivalent prior to enrollment.

Good luck!