Legally homeschool myself???

Question

I am 16 and a sophomore, and after this year in my state I'll be legal to drop out, but my mother is completely oposed to it and I don't think she'll agree to homeschool me when I quit school. Is it legal for me to homeschool myself as long as I get tested every year to make sure I'm making progress?

Answer 1

My son enrolled in a homeschool/charter program where he only had to report to an actual classroom once a week. The teachers were there every day if they needed more help and computer access for 4 hours a day. The only thing is how detailed the curriculum was ans you have to keep all of the work organized and stored for 3 years. If you are able to be self motivared enough to handle the task at hand, it should be no problem. I too unenrolled myself from public school into an alternative program at 16 without my parents permission and was able to graduate on time.

Answer 2

Whether or not it's possible to "homeschool yourself" depends on the state you are in.

But that's not the right question - because it all depends on what you mean by "homeschooling", which could be a lot of different things. The right question is this, "How can I best meet my goals?"

You don't say why you want to drop out of school. What is it that you need that school is not giving you? If you want to drop out merely because you aren't happy, then it's not a good enough reason. If you're not happy, and you decide to educate yourself on your own without your parents' blessing, that isn't going to make you instantly happy. Instead of having stress of school, you'll be faced with the stress of having to get along without help.

So, here's what you need to do:

1) Identify what it is that you need. What are your goals? How do you envision your life right now, and a year from now, where you are successful and happy?
2) Do research in how you can acheive these goals. It may be that using a charter school, or community college, or some other high school supplement/alternative might be better than completely withdrawing from school and your family
3) Find out if your parents can *help* you, rather than being on the defensive. Tell them what your goals are and ask them if they would be willing to help you work on those goals. Or if they are not willing, show them how mature you are by pursuing your goals while also finishing up the school year. If, after this year, you've shown them how responsible you are, they might reconsider.
4) Work as hard as you can to have a good relationship with someone in your family. You need an adult role model, who you trust, to help you. Without this, any choice you make will be very difficult.

Homeschooling is awesome. I'm a homeschooling advocate. But the reason that it is awesome is that it's a family thing. If you aren't working together with your family, I wouldn't call it homeschooling. I would call it splitting away from your family and self-educating. Different thing all together.

But, to answer your question without judgement, this is what you would need to do if you wanted to split away from your famliy and educate yourself against their wishes.

1) You'd have to declare yourself as independent and an adult. You'd have to become an emancipated minor.
2) You'll have to look up the laws in your state to find out what the compulsory school attendance age is, and what the exceptions are.
3) You'd have to do the research and figure out where to either get your GED, take a state high school proficiency exam, or go to community college.

I still feel like this is a bad idea though. If you can find an alternative high school education choice that your parents would approve of, such as a virtual school or charter or private ISP that's not too expensive, then I think that would be a much better choice. Because your happiness does not depend on where you go to school. It's about your relationships and whether you are achieving your goals.

Good luck.

Answer 3

I was homeschooled in two states, every state is different, so check the rules. i know some states, like Ohio i think, have an online classroom, or accelorated courses for kids who want to drop. Going for your GED is also an option.
It is likley you will need to have your mother sign off since you are a minor.
Also, in most states, it's not a test you have to take, but rather have your work evaluated everytime you complete a years worth of work, and the curriculum has to be determained by the state.
I say talk to your guidance counsler, they may actually give you some alternatives to the traditional classroom that will really help you finish your education.
Good Luck!

Answer 4

Not sure what you mean by whether it will be legal for you to homeschool yourself. There is no law involved here that states a 16-year-old can or can not homeschool herself. If you think you can do it, and have the discipline to stick with it, then you can certainly attempt it and take tests each year to make sure you are keeping up to grade standards. But my question is, why do you want to drop out of school at this point? Your junior and senior years are by far the most interesting of your public school career. Why would you want to miss them?

Answer 5

You need to learn about the laws where you live http://www.hslda.org .

If you have very relaxed laws, requiring no filing even, then you could homeschool yourself, although I don't know what sort of testing you would be able to undergo without your mother's signature.

In most places, though, it's the parent or guardian who has to file some sort of notification. You would not be able to do that. Also, I would guess that for many, if not all, of the online or correspondence schools would also require that you have a parent's signature.

Funny that a parent doesn't need to legally sign anything so that a student can drop out, but you have to have a parent's signature to sign up! Go figure...

Answer 6

Legal for you to home school your self?
Against your mom's wishes?
If she is your guardian, No
You could try to claim emancipated minor but that takes court and a lawyer
Why don't you trust your mother's judgment?
Its been working OK so for, right?
What's so bad about school?
If you want to finish school then DO NOT DROP OUT!
There must be a dozen other ways to resolve this without you becoming a drop out
Can you switch schools or school districts?

If you really insist, ask if your mother will let you sign up for the US Army at 17, then you can drink beer legally on base!!

Answer 7

There is even an easier way if you have the money.
I'm taking courses legally and all five of my courses, certified teachers, homework help, text books, lessons...everything but notebooks pens and measuring tools are provided. Your mom can go to the school and say she wants to start homeschooling you. They should give you the text books for free and you could learn that way.
Check this out, but I'll tell you right now...home school isnt for those who are irresponsible and once you start homeschooling you are on your own.

Answer 8

You can, but I advise against it. Research other alternatives before dropping out. Can you enroll in an on-line school without dropping out? Just transfer to the other school. Then you can get a diploma instead of a GED. Nothing wrong with GED's, but why get that when you can get a diploma. Talk with a guidance counselor at school. He should know of alternatives and be willing to help.

Answer 9

You may want to check into the possibility of taking courses at a community college. Study at home and attend classes and take the tests. Or look into on-line courses. You will need to have an adult in a position to supervise and hold you accountable.

Studying takes diligence and perseverance, supervision and encouragement.

Set goals for yourself and meet them every day. Don't fritter your time away. The more you study while you are young the better you will do for yourself in the long run.

Answer 10

I would check the laws in your local area. I don't think its legal though. I don't even think your mom can home school you without a teaching degree. Why are you going to drop out. You have been going to school for 13 years, whats 2 more years. If you drop out its like all that time and effort that you spend in school was for nothing. If you drop out, then your going to have to take the GED test to get a diploma. That test is extremely hard.