Simple steps for Creating Your Homeschool High School Transcripts

If you have a high school student in your homeschool you are probably starting (or have been) freaking out a bit about transcripts.

Not to worry homeschool mom. These things sound much more daunting than they really are.

What are High School Transcripts?

Every teenager should have an official transcript to use when they graduate from high school. A transcript is a record of all the subjects your teen has taken through their high school years. It includes their grade point average for each year and as a whole.

High school transcripts are requested by most colleges and even some employers.

A student in public or private school has this record created for them by their institution. But you, as the homeschool parent, are the one to create a transcript for your child. So don’t freak out. Just get busy.

Will A Homeschool Transcript be Official Enough?

“I hear that we will need an official transcript from an accredited institution.” This is another question many homeschool parents have. But it could use a little more light shed on it.

To explain homeschool accreditation to you I’m going to refer you to this article by BJU that gives more light to this. Accredited Homeschool Programs; Advantages and Disadvantages

Homeschool parents may worry that the transcript they produce on their home computer won’t be official enough for colleges.

But that is not the case. Most colleges can and do accept homeschool transcripts. The thing is you need to create it the right way.

What Goes on a High School Transcript?

When you child starts their ninth grade year that’s a perfect time to start preparing their transcript. I started my daughter’s in her 9th grade year. As a homeschool student I also include a few more things in her records to show how well rounded (if I do say so myself) she is.

Here is a list of things to put in your student’s transcript.

• Student name as on their ID or driver’s license.
• School name, address, and phone
• Projected graduation date
• A page for each year with the subjects studied including grades and credit.
• Annual GPA
• And you will need to sign all at the end.

My daughter also plans to take some Dual Enrollment courses and CLEP tests. If this is the case for your student as well you will need to include these on the transcripts.

details in your child’s transcripts

As a homeschooler I think it’s a good idea to be as detailed as possible in your child’s transcripts.

Although most colleges will just want a one page transcript, in case more information is requested prepare the following.

For each subject list the curriculum, textbook and resources that were used. How you graded. And the credits earned.

Also keep samples of your child’s work. Especially writing samples. Essays, math tests, and lab reports.

Is your student a reader? Keep a list of read books.

Sports, activities, and volunteer work should also be a part of this transcript portfolio.

Remember these are the just in case but it’s best to be safe rather than sorry.

Simple Steps for Creating Your Child’s Transcripts

Creating your student’s transcripts doesn’t have to be a stressful situation.

I like to keep it simple when it comes to creating my daughter’s transcripts. I have a binder where I keep the transcripts I am creating for each subject, extra curricular activity, and anything official she gets from other programs she is involved in.

You can use a spare box, a drawer, or a binder like I am doing to store these papers.

Be sure and schedule some time for yourself to update your child’s records each semester or quarter.

I am also using the Applecore System through Schoolhouse Teachers. As a SchoolhouseTeacher’s member I get a free Silver Account and I’ve upgraded to Gold so I can create Transcripts.

Applecore lets me add courses, credits, and grades. It keeps a running GPA, will let me print report cards and VOILA transcripts (transcripts available when you upgrade to GOLD). The price is nice too.

Check out the benefits of Applecore with a SchoolhouseTeacher annual membership.

Resources for Transcripts

HSLDA has samples transcipts to get you started (scroll to the bottom of their page).

Subject Transcript from Serving Day Today

Record keeping is very important during the high school years whether your child has planned to attend college or not. Don’t overlook this. It can be very simple to keep track.