Homeschooling High School in California

Required days

175 days/year

Required subjects

7 subjects

Notice

Required

Testing / evaluation

Not required

Recordkeeping

Recommended

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 — typically 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

Everything California expects you to keep, in one place — no spreadsheets, no lost notebooks.

• Days toward your 175-day goal
• Required subjects & core hours
• Daily activity logs
• Attendance records
• Notes & portfolio records
• Printable PDF reports
• High school transcripts
• State-specific progress tracking

More California guides

• California Homeschool Requirements Hours, notice, assessment, and subjects at a glance.
• How to Start Homeschooling in California A step-by-step guide from withdrawal to your first logged day.