Homeschool High School History

The study of high school history is one of those subjects that incite a “love-hate” relationship! There are those precious few who view the facts as treasures waiting to be picked up and memorized. While passionate history-loving teachers assert that history is best learned by being “caught” instead of “taught”, a passion for history and the knowledge that one can gain from historical events, historical reasoning, and even historical mistakes can be applied to analytical thinking, reasoning, debate, and even evaluation of current events.

The study of history should ignite a spark within its students to learn from the past. It is sad then to realize as a nation, history is often the American student’s worst subject. On average, the American high schooler knows very little history, just 12% of seniors are proficient in US History. (NAEP) Some blame exit testing and the overt focus on teaching math and language. However, for homeschoolers, it’s another story. Homeschoolers can take advantage of the freedom and extra time to incorporate history into writing and reading. This gives the student a much better opportunity to apply critical thinking to the subject. The following is a list of what we’ve found to be high-quality all-in-one homeschool resources for history. The best part? All of the linked resources are free. The outline also gives you an idea of the topics that need to be studied during the course of high school. Some states have varying requirements, but most are between 3-4 credits of high school history.

If your student is college prep and knows their college major, then it’s always a good idea to see what pre-requisites they’ll need to have for the admissions process.

What High School History Courses are Required?

So, what’s the bottom line? Most states require 3 credits of history to graduate. However, students interested in a political or history-based college degree will want to choose an additional history course such as sociology, civics, political science, or international relations as an elective. As mentioned above, it’s always a good idea to check on those requirements before making your four-year high school plan.