I need advice regarding online homeschool curriculum.

chesterton
Thu, 29 Aug 2013 03:20:20 +0000

I can recommend the following online programs based on using them. All are great, but if you have to purchase directly, I found them too expensive (I have had access to state-sponsored virtual schools in California, Pennsylvania, and Florida, so no out of pocket except the property taxes I already pay every year.)

That said, here are some online programs:

Florida Virtual School Global (for non-Florida students, which I assume you are given that you have to homeschool using a church school or umbrella - not a requirement in Florida)

[FLVS Global - Global School](http://www.flvs.net/global/Pages/Products/GlobalSchool.aspx)

Florida Virtual School offers wonderful flexibility, teacher support, and lots of Honors and AP classes. I am not sure what it costs to buy directly, but the program is accredited and courses are challenging and well-designed. We’ve only had a couple of duds (we access the in-state, free version.)

Connections Academy
[Free Online School from Home: Connections Academy](Online Public School for K-12 Students - Connections Academy)

Similar to Florida Virtual as far as course selection.

K12
[K12 | Online Public School, Online High School, Online Private School, Homeschooling, and Online Courses options](http://www.k12.com/)

Excellent, challenging curriculum, but buying directly is pricey. My kids were enrolled in K12 virtual charter schools in California and Pennsylvania. I realize a lot of homeschoolers don’t consider enrollment in these virtual charters as “homeschooling” but we were at home, I was overseeing the program, and the worst thing was that I had to take attendance. Not that big a deal to me. It worked for us at the time, and was never the entirety of what we did anyway.

Other programs I researched in the past but never used:

The Keystone High School Keystone Plus
[Online High School and Middle School | The Keystone School](http://keystoneschoolonline.com/)

Now owned by K12, but it has been around a long time and has flexibility and a lot of courses

I would recommend that you get in touch with some of the umbrella schools or church schools in your state and see what their homeschoolers are doing for high school. They may offer co-op classes, and offer opportunities to take national standardized exams. The most economical option would be to design your home education program to meet and exceed your state’s standards, and choose your own curricula (whether textbooks or software) and then get involved with your church school/umbrella school.

The various online high schools are great, but, at least for my family, they busted our budget Best wishes as you explore your options.