Homeschooling for High School

I've seen a few discussions on here about homeschooling but none in regards to homeschooling for High school. Currently my son is in 8th grade and he wants to spend more time playing golf next school year. Any thoughts or any experience or information would be appreciated. Looking at K12 as well as Laurel Springs. Anyone have any experiences with either one of these home school programs?

My opinion is that homeschooling to play a sport is the wrong reason to home school. If he plays during the day and schools at night it becomes a job.

Go to HS and play HS golf! If looking for extra time, look and see if your high school offers an independent PE where you can substitute golf practice/workout in place of PE.

I like this idea as an alternative of home schooling just to play more golf. I don't know a lot about the OP's child, but where is he on the golfing track. The only way I would consider home schooling my kid for HS is if he was really...really...really good and had such a heavy big tournament schedule that made it too difficult to attend HS.

I ran into some middle school kids at the range a few nights ago. They are both being home schooled for 2 years in hopes to qualify for Toyota Tour Cup here in California. Both very nice kids, but not the decision I would have made.

Thinking more along the lines of school in the morning leaving the rest of the day for golf. He'd be done and be able to do things with his friends during the evening if he wants. But most of his friends are busy doing homework in the evenings so they have no time to just hang out. Home school will give him more time and less pressure. He's a really really good golfer. We're going to let him give home school a chance. He's not interested in HS golf. From what we understand Colleges don't care about HS golf scores anyway. HS is always there to go back to if he'd like. Thank you for your input though.

We homeschool our kids, but not because of athletic reasons; we live in the middle of nowhere, the public schools suck, and there are no private schools around. That, and we are comfortable homeschooling because my wife used to be a teacher and, between the two of us, we have multiple degrees, including a masters and doctorate.

K12 is a bad idea, because, while free, the "attendance" requirements are so onerous that you son will basically be in school 8 hours a day. Laurel Springs is supposed to be very good and it is designed with child-athletes in mind. One thing to keep in mind is that if your son wants to play in college, he needs to ensure he uses an NCAA-approved curriculum so that he is eligible to play when he gets to college. Laurel Springs has these courses, so you should be fine if you go with them. Liberty University also has a good program, though it is much less customizable than Laurel Springs.

One consideration is that most of the top ranked academic universities typically won’t accept someone who is homeschooled, even if they are at the level of being recruited for a sport. There are exceptions but it is quite rare, and usually only where a student is so far ahead of his peers academically that he is taking college classes to supplement the home school curriculum,

In my experience, this is completely false. I provide pro bono legal services to my state’s major homeschool organization and I routinely see kids who are homeschooled get into prestigious schools, including Ivy league schools, without any special college coursework.

Most colleges and universities only pay attention to standardized test scores for homeschooled students because the curricula (and grading practices vary widely in homeschool programs). In a sense, it appears to me that it is easier for homeschooled kids to get into top schools because they may only be judged on standardized test scores.

Oddly, public colleges and universities seem to be more difficult to crack than private schools for homeschoolers, at least in my experience.

As a parent I think you have to look at your options for high school. Everyone’s local school different so no really wong or right answers.

How about virtual school. Your kid does everything online and you have real teachers. Your kid works from home and they can be flexible when they work on school. In some cases you even go in person and meet the teachers and can get private tutoring if you have issues.

We do the virtual option because I did not like our local schools and we can actually do higher academic courses then we could do with our local school and is how our district offers additional advanced classes. It is also accredited though the NCAA like any public school.

So for us it works both academically and is also works with us needing to taking time off for lessons and tournaments so a huge win win. Socially it also works out well because you meet up with other kids in the program as they have meetups a lot. The best thing is this free and offered though our local district and state and is considered just like a regular school. Most states now offer this option either through the district or part state level.

Having spoken with several admissions committee members at top 5 schools, I can only say that they have told me otherwise. They have no point of reference of the academic ability of the student other than standardized test scores (which some schools are starting to de-emphasize). So the candidate needs to be even more exceptional than a typical admitted applicant from a traditional high school. In other words, perfect (or near-perfect) test scores in addition to some outstanding, world-class level achievement in an extra-curricular activity.

Home schooling is often a desired route up to and through middle school (8th grade), but attending a traditional high school, and preferably one which has had matriculates to those top colleges in the past, seems to be the route that maximizes a student's chances at acceptance.

Kids who are homeschooled get accepted into college all the time. I would even say that depending on the school you might have a better chance of going to college if you are home schooled. Some public high schools are horrendous and downright not safe.

I do agree that if you chose to homeschool your kid it takes a lot more work then just sending them to school to make them college ready. To me that is the biggest issue is takes a lot work and there are missteps you can take if you don't seek help. The good news is there is a lot help out there for homeschool parents.

When it comes to golf traditional high schools can be a major issue. Again this not everywhere but some states have very strict attendance laws and that is a very big problem for junior golfers who travel during the school year. Really it's a problem for anyone who needs a flexible schedule and not doing school sponsored activities which allow to excused absences.

In our school district if you are a junior or senior and visit a college during your absence it doesn't count against you or the district.

I obviously can't speak to what you were told by admissions committee members at other schools, but as someone who has sat on the admissions committees at Stanford (undergrad) and Michigan (graduate), I can tell you that, at least for these schools, homeschoolers are not at any disadvantage. And, in my conversations with other highly ranked schools, the same seems to be true.

Nowadays, for better or worse, schools are seeking "diversity," which schools seem to define in nebulous ways. Diversity, which itself is a vaguely implemented concept, is no longer limited to immutable characteristics. Every other kid applying to Stanford has a 4.0+ GPA, is involved in eight clubs and activities, and volunteers at the soup kitchen every weekend. The experiences of these students are no longer diverse; they are a dime a dozen. However, homeschoolers that do well on standardized tests are unique and "diverse." The experiences that homeschoolers obtain through their schooling are, for better or worse, very different than those of your "normal" student who goes to a brick-and-mortar school. This is evident when you look at the documents homeschooled students must submit with their applications. For example, Stanford requires undergrad applicants who were homeschooled to submit a statement outlining why they chose homeschool, how their learning process was designed, and what benefits accrued... the requested submission presumes that homeschooling provides benefits not found in a traditional setting. Also, any time a school gives you the opportunity to tell them more about you, your learning process, and your choices, the more opportunity you have to impress them. Traditional applicants are not afforded these additional opportunities.

Now, that's not to say that anyone who is homeschooled will get into a prestigious school. If a homeschooled student scores in the 50th percentile on ACT/SAT, he or she is likely going to find themselves at a school where everyone else scored in the same range. However, in my experiences, homeschoolers that score very well on standardized tests fare better than their brick-and-mortar counterparts.

Also, I think anyone that believes schools are actually "de-emphasizing" is misguided. Schools may claim this for PR purposes, but hard data shows otherwise. I urge you to go to the admission websites of any "top" schools and see what the data shows. For instance, at Stanford, the SAT low/median/high quartiles (25%/50%/75%) have risen year over year each of the last five years. At Princeton, more than 75% of their most recent admitted class scored above the 96th percentile on the SAT. At Yale, more than 85% of their recent admits scored above the 96th percentile. Hell, even the University of California system, arguably the most liberal and "diversity"-friendly university system in the country, released a report last week stating that they will continue to require the SAT and ACT exams because they are good indicators of success.

As someone said earlier if giving your kid more time to play golf is your reason for homeschooling you really need to reevaluate your priorities and the priorities for your child. No matter what home school option you choose you are sacrificing major social growth aspects for your child. Homeschooling should only be done if you have a trained educator such as @Philomathesq 's situation who can work with your student and even then you are losing out on social and emotional growth. On the virtual school option you are still substituting a computer screen for true academic interaction. Research areas around you and find a school that fits if necessary. My wife and I are both teachers and we will be moving in the next few years to make sure our children go to a High School we are comfortable with because once we had children school zone became our number 1 priority when it came to where we would live. If you home school for major reasons such as a complete lack of appropriate schools in your area or health issues that is one thing, home schooling for a sport is ridiculous.

If you are using reputable curriculum and doing what you need to do on the standardized tests this is false. The problem is so many home school curriculum are religious diploma factories that it has caused issues.

This is completely false. If they make a SAT/ACT score, they will take them. I have talked to college coaches about this while my daughter was being recruited and they simply don't care. These schools that bring in international students play the same academic game and you have to wonder about their curriculum as well. As long as they do well on a Standardized college entrance test, they are fine.

Thank you for everyone's input. I read all of your posts and took them to heart. I've spent several weeks now doing research on this and we've decided to give it a try.

I've spoken with Laurel Springs School at length a few times now and I know it's the right choice for us. In fact, I was so sold on it that my son is going to start there immediately and finish out his 8th grade year at Laurel Springs. The flexibility is fantastic. It is a true school. It is considered Distance Learning not home school. He will have teachers and all classes follow the CA standards. They have honors and every AP class imaginable. Yes, we're doing it for golf. Golf is my kids passion and he's really good at it. It's what he wants to do. He's asked for years to home school, after meeting a few other junior golfers that do it for that reason. I don't think it's wrong or crazy. I think it it will open doors and give him opportunity to be the best at something he loves. He has lots of friends and that won't change.

Again, I thank everyone for their input. And I 'll let you know how it goes.

I don’t think you understand virtual school how it actually works. My daughter is in virtual school she is in constant contact with her teachers she has live meetings and even meets with them once a month. We also get constant updates and they contact us personally. In a lot ways she gets a lot more private time then just sitting in the classroom. She even has to do all the regular test other students attending regular school. In regular school you can sit in the back of the classroom and coast. Kid has to be motivated or it doesn’t work so student has to be a good fit.

All virtual schools may not be the same but Florida has very good system. The biggest downside is they need to do outside activities to meet other kids.

I hope it works out for you. I would just keep in mind what if his priorities change.

My biggest concern would be him getting burnt out and/or missing out on some of the good and bad things of high school.

As compelling as it seems for a golfers / students development I have a hard time justifying it from the missed interpersonal skills you learn in high school that carry over to university.

I am a teacher, who has actually adjunct taught for virtual classes Tiger, I understand exactly how it works. "Constant contact" as you put it does not equate to being in the classroom. Quality Virtual School is a better system than many online or home school scenarios; however, it is still not in person instruction. It comes no where near having an in-person teacher with students and as you alluded it still destroys the social learning aspects of being in a school.

Also easy to cheat.

I 100% agree. A kid is going to make it whether he is home schooled or not if they are good enough to do so.

This...100% this...

After speaking with a contact at one of the schools you list above, I would like to clarify and correct some thoughts from my previous post(s).

A highly qualified home-schooled student would indeed have an advantage in admissions from a diversity perspective vs a student with the exact same qualifications who attends a traditional high school.

But he did say that the a home-schooled student would need to demonstrate exceptional ability and qualifications in the things that can be measured/observed, and thus test scores, recommendations, excellence in extracurricular activities, personal essay and subjects taken would be given more weight vs a student from a traditional school whose academic pedigree could be more easily compared vs applicants from previous years.

@jkpgolf, it sounds like you have given it a lot of thought and that this is the right decision for your family. I wish your son success at Laurel Springs and competitive golf - come back and let us know how it goes as I'm sure others are considering this route as well.

You know though, when kids are spoken of in the Golf WRX Junior Forums every kid is legendary, just ask their parents. It reminds me of prison, every prisoner is innocent. Just ask them.

I am wondering how good this 8th grader really is. If he is good, traditional schooling hasn't gotten in the way the past 8 years to prevent him from being good. Quality of practice is more important than quantity of practice.

Hey @jkpgolf I'd be interested to hear how this would work for your family. In our family my wife and I both work so it would be difficult to manage something like this since we are definitely in need of a dual income.

You work? All this time I thought you were a Mod on these forums.

That is why here in Florida the best virtual schools are offered through the local school district with help from the state. My daughter has an actual physical school where she can go to anytime and talk to her teachers. They also meet regularly in person for lessons and are able meet with other students. I like this a lot because it very much is like working remotely and she learning really good communication skills. When the kids meet it very much like a traditional school.

Honestly we lucked out because it was a new program with a lot flexibility. I was very hesitant about this program but it’s turned out to be be very good. I was surprised that a lot very smart kids are doing this program as well since there are too many distractions at the local school.

the only downside is you need a parent who is nearby or at home for this work.

My wife and I are lucky enough that she can be home with the kid. But it has been a choice. We drive Honda's instead of Mercedes, eat home a lot vs going out etc. It works for us. Since the kid is only 14 he still needs to be managed both with school and golf. But we're starting to give him more freedom to be at the golf course by himself. We start at Laurel Springs on Monday so we'll know more about how his school will be then. But he should be able to manage being home by himself doing school when my wife has things to do.

This is a whole new path for us . He's excited, we're excited. Why not give it a try. If it doesn't work the kid can always go right back to a brick and mortar school.

I'll keep you updated on how things are working out. So far so good. It's Thursday morning and the kid is already at the golf course practicing.