A four-year plan is a comprehensive roadmap outlining all courses, credits, and activities a homeschool student will complete from 9th through 12th grade, ensuring graduation requirements and college prerequisites are met.
What is a Four-Year Plan?
A four-year plan is your homeschool student's academic GPS for high school. It maps every course, credit, and major activity from freshman through senior year, ensuring nothing essential gets missed in the journey toward graduation and beyond. For homeschoolers, this planning matters more than in traditional schools—without counselors tracking requirements, the responsibility falls entirely on families. A well-constructed four-year plan prevents the senior-year scramble of "wait, we forgot two science credits" while creating a coherent transcript that colleges can evaluate.
Key Takeaways
- Maps all courses across 9th-12th grade before high school begins
- Ensures graduation requirements and college prerequisites are met
- Typically includes 21-28 credits for graduation (28-35+ for competitive colleges)
- Should involve student input for ownership and engagement
- Remains flexible—review and adjust annually as interests and goals evolve
Standard Credit Requirements
How to Create Your Plan
Common Mistakes to Avoid
The biggest planning failure is assuming you'll "figure it out as you go." Course sequencing matters—prerequisite requirements mean some paths close if early courses aren't completed. Another mistake: planning based on college visions rather than actual student interests and abilities. A four-year plan for Yale means nothing if your student wants trade school. Finally, don't plan so rigidly that there's no room for the internship opportunity, dual enrollment possibility, or passion project that emerges unexpectedly.
The Bottom Line
A four-year high school plan transforms homeschooling from reactive scrambling into intentional education. It doesn't guarantee outcomes, but it prevents the preventable: missed requirements, poor course sequencing, and senior-year credit crunches. Start with the end in mind, involve your student in the process, and hold the plan loosely enough to adapt as you go. Colleges appreciate coherent academic narratives—your plan creates that story.
