Homeschool admissions help!

Since he applied to Questbridge, are you low income (their median income is $35,00)? How did you generate the list you posted? Have you run NPC for each school to see if you can afford them? Colorado College and Pitzer are the only 2 on your list that meet need. https://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/paying-for-college/articles/2017-09-21/colleges-that-claim-to-meet-full-financial-need

For Colorado College his stats are low. Do you know how to research schools by common data sets? That is where I would start. COlorado College, for example, is listed as most selective. If you Google the school name and common data set, you’ll be able to find links to their current data. Here is CC’s: https://www.coloradocollege.edu/offices/ipe/documents/CDS_2016-2017%20(Updated%203-1-17).pdf Section C9 will give you the test score breakdowns. I would say based on this data that CC is a reach bc his ACT composite is below their 25th percentile (their middle 50% is 28-32). (Any time test scores are not solidly in the the middle 50% or above range, I would put the school in the reach category.). Their 25% for SAT math is 620.

With his earning his AA, his weak test scores might become less of an issue, but it is really going to depend on what classes he has taken and his grades in those classes. Applying to Pitzer as test-optional with a 3.88 GPA might be less of a reach. https://www.pitzer.edu/institutional-research/wp-content/uploads/sites/33/2017/02/Pitzer-College-Common-Data-Sets-2016-2017.pdf Bc he is earning his AA and a state diploma, I would probably avoid applying as a homeschooler to Pitzer. Most schools are not going to be test optional for homeschoolers.

In terms of the rest, you need to look at the CDSs and determine if he is solidly in their middle 50%+ stat-wise AND that you can afford them if he is accepted. A 24 ACT is unlikely to be competitive for large merit aid at schools like L&C bc 40% of students that are accepted have a composite ACT score 30+. Typically large merit awards go to students in the top 25% of admission stats. https://www.lclark.edu/live/files/23420-2016-2017-cds–section-cpdf Run the NPC and make sure it is affordable.

In terms of homeschooling and applications, homeschooling has never negatively impacted my kids’ applications. I do make a concerted effort to match my kids appropriately with schools in terms of admissions and merit. We are not low income but we cannot afford our expected contribution for all of our kids, so scholarships have been the primary filter. My kids cannot narrow their list by many preferences beyond cost and major.