You may be homeschooling a high schooler (or wondering if it’s possible), and we have great news. It IS possible to help your high school student navigate college admission, graduation requirements, and a homeschool high school transcript.

At Learnwell, we partner with parents to make the transition from middle school to high school a smooth one — one where your students are prepared not only to get good grades, but to learn deeply, discover who they are in Christ, and gather important clues about how God has wired them. If you are homeschooling a high schooler, it can feel overwhelming at times. That’s where Learnwell’s parent-teacher partnership is helpful.

Homeschooling a High Schooler with Help

Our team counsels high school students and their families about how to make wise decisions as they construct their high school schedule and explore their options after high school. The teachers at Learnwell understand the difference between laying out a pathway that looks the same for all students and equipping students to discover which gifts, talents and interests God has given them and how their future decisions can be impacted — and individualized — by those gifts, talents and interests.

When your high school student enrolls in 9th grade, you can be assured that he or she will:

Be placed in the classes he or she needs to be ready for what is after high school. (Classes for ninth graders may include 9th grade literature, civics, algebra, and biology. One of the hallmarks of a Learnwell education is its flexibility in helping families make the most of their child’s gifts and also strengthening where students need academic growth.)
Be guided in the development of academic behaviors that equip him for life after high school. In 9th grade Discipleship and Life Skills, students learn how they learn best, and they dig deeply into the practice of time management skills, calendar coordination, and maintaining margin for mental health best practices.
Be given opportunities to tour colleges with classmates and their families to help them understand that college can look very different depending on where you go.
Be shepherded through four distinct job shadowing experiences where they explore careers of interest in real-world settings.
Be encouraged to explore how they relate to God and learn how He has created them.

Equipping Your High School Student for College & Career

As students move from 9th to 10th grade, they take a deeper dive into how they want to pursue their high school core curriculum. All students, no matter which grade, are given the opportunity to decide on three different course formats: direct instruction, seminar, and independent study. But in 10th grade, they can also begin their AP classes. Many will have already taken the PSAT in 9th grade, but they also have the option to take it in 10th grade.

Students in 10th grade continue their career exploration and aim to answer this question: For what purpose has God made me, and how might He have equipped me to pursue that purpose?

At this level, parents and students can:

Rest assured that their high school transcripts are being taken care of by our Learnwell administrative team. Parents do not need to worry about how to compile a transcript because Learnwell does that for you.
Continue the journey of career exploration as students pursue two week-long internships in the industry of their choosing. Our counselors help your students narrow down their interests and find trustworthy professionals who have a heart to share what they’ve learned in that field.
Know that mental health is a priority, which is why our on-campus school days are still just two days a week (with the exception of some AP classes that are offered on a third day).
Experience owning and running a school store cart with the 11th grade class. Learnwell believes strongly that learning entrepreneurship and business principles benefits all students regardless of their post-high school plans.

Empowering Students to Dream and Develop Plans for the Future

Students in 11th and 12th grade are gearing up for what comes next. Whether they decide to pursue college or a career after high school, we want all Learnwell graduates to feel ready for God’s next steps for them.

When asked, “What’s next?” we’d like students to have their own, individualized bag of ideas that they can share — not because someone else told them to pursue something but because they’ve learned about who God is, how He wired them, and how they can recognize His voice in their lives.

Besides pursuing a Georgia accredited high school education through Learnwell, students in 11th grade will take entrepreneurship to a deeper level. This is the year that Learnwell students begin to plan for the type of business or service program they’d like to start in 12th grade.

Students can also:

Meet with the Learnwell staff team who helps them learn how to apply for college, what the Georgia Futures program is, and how Dual Enrollment works in the state of Georgia.
Begin taking courses for college credit through Georgia’s Dual Enrollment program.
Continue taking AP classes, such as Environmental Science, by coming to Learnwell’s campus for a few hours on a third day.
Start to recognize themes in their fields of interest because they continue real-world career exploration through a month-long apprenticeship.

In 12th grade, students and families meet regularly with the Learnwell counseling team to put together a plan for life after graduation that is supported by parents and individualized to the student’s wiring. Learnwell staff helps families learn about ways to pay for college if they choose to pursue college after high school, and families can be encouraged that students are not just college or career ready — they’re life-ready.

By the time students graduate from Learnwell, they will have learned how God formed them in His image, uniquely gifting them for pursuits which He prepared in advance. (Ephesians 2:10) They will also have a college-ready transcript, be equipped with life-ready skills for self-management such as planning, goal-setting, and time management, and they will have started their own business or service program.

We understand the changing landscape of life after high school, and our team is poised to guide parents as you are homeschooling a high schooler. Our goal is that families have confidence in the preparation their students are receiving at Learnwell to move into the best that God has for them. Interested in a Learnwell high school education? Join us at our next Discover Learnwell information night.

Essentializing What’s Important: How We Facilitate Community and Belonging

One of the questions we are asked most often by students who are thinking about attending Learnwell is about our community. Essentially, students ask:

Will I find a supportive community at Learnwell?
Are there clubs and activities to get involved in during my high school years?
Will I be able to play sports or pursue music, drama and art?
Are students encouraging, kind, and inclusive?

The answer to these questions is “yes.”

First, you’ll find the community we’re building at Learnwell is different from other places because of our strong discipleship emphasis and our core values. Beginning in kindergarten and continuing deeper all the way through 12th grade, students at Learnwell are encouraged to explore their faith honestly, vulnerably and with curiosity. All of our staff and teachers are Christians, and while the curriculum isn’t necessarily Christian, we do teach from a Christ-centered worldview.

Second, students at every grade level get to participate in and lead clubs. We offer a variety of high school events and activities, but one difference is that many of them are initiated by students themselves at the high school level. We have a system in place that allows students to dream up their own clubs, lead them, and deepen friendships through them. Students can take part in our unique Storylab internship program where they direct a video recording lab for the school, and they can participate in yearbook staff as well as other clubs.

Third, sports are definitely an option if your child wants to continue playing a sport in high school. While Learnwell doesn’t offer sports, we can help you understand how to work with your local public school to participate in teams through the Dexter Mosely Act.

Many students at Learnwell participate in our drama program, which is led by a career-level director who has years of experience directing in the film and television industry. Our school also partners with community organizations and businesses such as Galaxy Music and Arts to offer enrichment through the extracurricular activities at Learnwell.

Finally, high school students enjoy events designed just for them — dances, such as prom and an annual barn dance, in addition to a high school AFT, where students hang out after school in a low-key chaperoned environment. Find out more about our unique high school program by attending an information night called Discover Learnwell.