Is Penn Foster High School Homeschooling?

Penn Foster High School is not considered homeschooling. Instead, it’s considered a private, online high school. Penn Foster offers self-paced classes that allow students to study when and where they want, like homeschooling, but there are still structured classes and a curriculum in place that students must follow.

Read more: Your Guide to High School English at Penn Foster

While some people may think that a self-paced, online high school is the same thing as homeschooling, it actually can be very different! With homeschooling, parents are often responsible for designing and teaching classes. Additionally, depending on school district requirements, parents would be responsible for putting together grade and progress reports that need to be submitted to show their child is learning.

With an online high school like Penn Foster, there is a set curriculum designed to meet regional and national educational standards, certified teachers and support staff, and resources for help and guidance. Parents can play a hands-on role in their student’s education if they want to, helping them create study and class schedules and keeping them on track. But, they can also be as involved as they want to be – with our instructors and curriculum, parents don’t have to take on the same responsibilities as they would with a homeschooling program.

Read more: What is Virtual High School?

It can all depend on you and your child. Each student and family have different needs, so one may work better for you than the other. When you’re debating which could be right for you, it can be helpful to consider things like

• How involved you want to be in their education
• How much time you have to devote to helping your student learn
• How comfortable your child is studying online and taking charge of their education
• Their future goals: will an accredited online high school be more helpful to what they want to do in the future or is homeschooling something that aligns more with their future path?
• Do they want to graduate early? Take their time? Or follow a traditional school high school timeline?

Vice President of Penn Foster High School, Alex Thome, says one of the best things that happens for online high school diploma graduates is the confidence students achieve.

He explains, “Online high school helps prepare students for a job by helping them develop real skills like time management and problem solving. In turn, students build confidence and the knowledge needed to be their best selves."

Read more: How to Choose an Online High School

Penn Foster High School is legit! We’re regionally accredited by the Commission on Secondary Schools of the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools and nationally accredited by the Distance Education Accrediting Commission (DEAC). We’re also licensed by the Pennsylvania State Board of Private Licensed Schools. What this all means is that, yes, your child will earn a legitimate high school diploma that could help them take the next steps toward their future goals!

Penn Foster High School curriculum is also carefully developed to help students succeed, whether they choose a career or further education.

Brian Brown leads the academic team at Penn Foster and has over 17 years of education experience. He explains online high school "is about equipping students with skills they’ll use beyond high school.” Even when struggling with subjects like English or Math, Brian and his team of instructors encourage students to learn to think critically. Says Brian, “even if you don’t use specific math formulas in your job, the ability to think critically is a universally valuable skill.”

Read more: How High School Math & English Help Student Succeed

Many colleges have accepted graduates of Penn Foster! However, all college admissions departments have different requirements for enrollment of any student, so it’s important to always check with colleges you may be interested in to make sure they’ll accept your classes and diploma.

Graduates of Penn Foster High School have attended community colleges, technical schools, four-year colleges, and more!

Check out which schools our grads have told us they’ve been accepted to: High School Graduates' Reported Colleges

Yes, most employers should accept a Penn Foster High School diploma! In general, employers just want to know you have earned a legitimate diploma, so it’s often not as important how you earned it. And, unlike college admissions, most hiring managers aren’t looking at your high school transcripts to see the classes you took and the grades you earned – they just want to make sure you graduated!

Yes! At Penn Foster, graduates can still take part in a traditional ceremony and walk the stage to celebrate the milestone. Each year, we hold an in-person graduation ceremony for all graduates of Penn Foster Group that includes speakers, performances, and more! Our most recent graduation happened near Atlanta, Georgia, where over 1,000 graduates walked across the stage cheered on by family and friends.

Check out the 2023 graduation: Graduation Highlights

Still not sure if an online high school is the right choice for your child? There may be a lot of questions or concerns you have about how it works, and that’s okay! You want to make sure your child has an education that can work for them and set them up for future success. You can learn more about how it works in our guide to online high school! You can also find more resources on our blog, request more information, or reach out to our expert Admissions Specialist at 1.888.427.6500 to find out more.