California Graduation Requirements

There are five ways to homeschool legally in California and how a homeschooler is graduated depends on which homeschooling legal option they are using. 

Private School in Your Own Home

If you establish your own private school, then you are responsible for determining your school’s graduation requirements. You can graduate your child on any basis you choose, at any age, considering your own child’s interests and needs. You issue the diploma and create transcripts. Your 16-18 year old child may leave school early with your permission. Students under 16 must continue to be enrolled even though they have graduated.

Public School and Charter School Independent Study Programs

Public high school graduation requirements apply to homeschooling students enrolled in independent study programs (ISP). Districts can determine their own graduation requirements as long as they include a minimum set of required courses set by the state. The program will give you a list of the required courses and how many credits are required. They make the decision about when a student has met all requirements. They may or may not give credit for work done prior to enrollment in that school so it is important to clarify this with the program upon enrollment if a student is entering during their high school years.

The California High School Exit Exam

(CAHSEE - don’t confuse this with a different test referred to as the CHSPE) has been suspended as a graduation requirement for the 2015/16, 2016/17, and 2017/18 school years. The state government will decide if a revised version of the CAHSEE or another test will be required for graduation after that.

Transcripts and a diploma will be provided by the school.

Note: If your child goes to a public school or charter program and does not meet their requirements for graduation, it is possible for you to remove him or her from the public school and establish your own private school in order to graduate him or her.

Private School Satellite Programs

There are no state requirements for graduation from private schools and each private school determines their own specific requirements. If your child is enrolled in a private school satellite program (PSP), that program will give you the information about graduation requirements and will explain to you how to provide required documentation. You should discuss this with the school and be very clear from the beginning about exactly what they expect from you and what you can expect from them. It is important to have this information in writing. There are no staterequired testing or reporting requirements.

The school should provide you with transcripts and a diploma.

California High School Proficiency Exam (CHSPE)

The CHSPE is an exam that covers English and math and is available to students who are 16 years old or older, or have completed 10th grade, or will complete 10th grade during the semester the exam is given. It covers English language arts and math. Students who have passed the CHSPE may leave school if they are 16, 17, or 18 with permission of their parents. The CHSPE is, by state law, the equivalent of a high school diploma and is accepted by anyone subject to California law which includes the community colleges and state college and university systems. It is also accepted by the federal government for civilian employment and by the federal student aid office. For other purposes, you should check to make sure it will be accepted. For complete information about the CHSPE, visit their website: https://www.chspe.net/about/

The General Education Development Test (GED)

In California, students who are 18 (and some 17-year olds that meet specific criteria) may take the GED test. The GED test covers reading, writing, math, science, and social studies. See the CDE GED website for more information about this test.