Homeschooling High School in California

Required hours

No state minimum

Required subjects

7 subjects

Notice

Required each year

Testing / evaluation

Not required

Recordkeeping

Required

Jump to the full California requirements for plain-English detail on each of these.

Graduation requirements in California

California does not issue homeschool diplomas, so as the parent-administrator you set the graduation requirements and award the diploma yourself. A common college-prep plan covers 4 years of English, 3–4 of math, 3 of science, 3 of social studies, 2 of a foreign language, plus electives, which lands around 24 credits total. Check any California-specific expectations for your situation, and align with the admissions requirements of the colleges your student is targeting.

Credits and GPA

A standard high-school credit (a Carnegie unit) represents roughly 120–180 hours of instruction in a subject over the year, or about a full-year course. Half-credit courses are common for semester-long electives. Track grades per course and compute a weighted or unweighted GPA on a 4.0 scale. Our free GPA calculator can do the math, and Homeschool Fox tracks credits and grades for you as you log coursework.

Testing and assessment

No, California does not require standardized testing or formal assessments for homeschooled students. However, many families choose to use assessments voluntarily to track progress.

Building a college-ready transcript

Selective colleges expect a clean, professional transcript listing courses, credits, grades, and GPA, often alongside a school profile and course descriptions. You can build one in California yourself. A standard transcript is included with Homeschool Fox, and the $29 official transcript add-on generates AI-drafted course descriptions and a school profile that admissions readers expect.

Keeping records through high school

Keep coursework, reading lists, grades, and work samples organized from 9th grade on. Reconstructing four years at application time is painful. Even though California is relatively hands-off, strong high-school records are what colleges and scholarship programs ask for.

What Homeschool Fox tracks for California

The records California asks you to keep, plus the rest of your year, in one place. No spreadsheets, no lost notebooks.

• Required subjects
• The records California asks you to keep
• Daily activity logs
• Printable PDF reports
• Progress tracking
• High school transcripts

More California guides

• California Homeschool Requirements Hours, notice, assessment, and subjects at a glance.
• Record Keeping in California What to document, how to organize it, and staying compliant.
• How to Withdraw From School in California The steps, the letter, and timing to avoid truancy issues.
• Moving to California What to file when you arrive and whether your records transfer.
• Public School Sports in California Whether homeschoolers can play, what it takes, and who to ask.
• Required Subjects in California The list, how much time each needs, and proving you taught them.
• California Letter of Intent Who to file with, when it's due, and a free generator.