Homeschool Accreditation vs Homeschoool Freedom

What Does Homeschool Accreditation Mean?

When deciding to homeschool or pursue public or private educational opportunities, you may encounter the question of accreditation. There has been a great deal of misinformation and misunderstanding about the importance of accreditation when it comes to education. Let’s talk about accreditation needs when it comes to homeschool education.

Accreditation is issued by a third party. It is used to keep a sense of cohesion between the different schools in a state or in the nation. This is helpful to the students who may move from school to school over the course of their education. Usually, the accreditation is left up to the state or a private company and not by the government. These states or companies have varying rules and standards for accreditation. Due to this, the value of accreditation is debatable.

Is Homeschool Accreditation Necessary?

Accreditation is not needed. No state requires a homeschool program, diploma or curriculum to be accredited. In fact, curriculum cannot be accredited. Only a school can be accredited and in Georgia (like most states), accreditation is reserved for public, private, and charter schools.

Georgia Accredited Homeschool Programs

While there are online and otherwise accredited homeschool programs in Georgia, you do sacrifice some of what makes homeschool wonderful. The beauty of homeschool is the flexibility with curriculum, hours of the day spent learning and location of class for the day.

There are some online public school charter programs that present as a homeschool program and they are not. If you are not filing a GA Declaration of Intent to Homeschool, then you are not homeschooling. If you are not maintaining your child’s homeschool records or working with a homeschool cooperative to help you maintain your child’s homeschool records, you are not homeschooling. If you are being told that your child must be online more than 4.5 hours per day, this is not a homeschool program. It is a public or a private school program that you child can do at home but it isn’t a homeschool program. If you do a public charter school online program at home, you may find your student sitting in front of a computer every day, all week.

What Are Homeschool Program Requirements

Honestly, beyond meeting the 180 days per year with 4.5 hours a day in attendance and covering required subjects like math, grammar, literature, history, and science—there aren’t any other GA state requirements of a homeschool program.

Everything else is up to the parents—from the type of curriculum used to homeschool your child to if your child will go to take the classes in person (or if all of the classes will be done online)—this is the freedom and flexibility of being a parent with your own homeschool program.

If you are wanting accreditation for the sake of being accredited, know that some students have graduated from public schools that have lost their accreditation. That’s right! There are public and private schools that are not accredited.

Can Homeschool Curriculum Be Accredited?

The short answer here is no. Curriculum is not accredited. If an accredited public or private school uses a certain curriculum, it doesn’t mean that curriculum itself is accredited. Only the school or institution itself can be accredited.

Are Homeschool Diplomas Accepted by Most Colleges?

Yes, homeschool students are widely accepted in major colleges and universities even without having the accreditation status.

While you don’t have to be part of an accredited school to homeschool your child and expect them to be able to get into a good college, there are guidelines in place. You must prepare a transcript that meets the state’s graduation requirements (even though there are no guidelines for homeschool high school transcripts). It’s important to remember that these transcripts are official documents. Students can go on to receive college scholarships and grants from these transcripts. So your homeschool high school transcript should closely mirror a public school high school transcript.

Accreditation is not a requirement for graduation and colleges don’t require an applicant to have graduated from an accredited program. In fact, most colleges now have specific admission criteria for homeschool graduates.  Remember, homeschool high school diplomas are issued upon completion of course work and when attendance requirements have been met. They are not issued only to graduates of accredited programs.

The Dr. Annise Mabry Foundation is dedicated to improving our community by enhancing education opportunities, promoting synchrony between law enforcement and constituents, and encouraging community engagement. Our programs and initiatives include the Southwest GA Community Policing Resource Center and the Tiers Free Academy, a homeschool cooperative for students in grades 9-12 that provides an alternative diploma program for homeless LGBTQ youth, sex trafficking survivors, and high school dropouts. To learn more about our offerings or support our work, consider subscribing to our newsletter or donating today!