How to Get a High School Diploma at Home in Texas

A high-school diploma is the key to higher education and career advancement. With a diploma, you can attend a university, community college, technical school or employee-training programs at many corporations, as well as the military and management programs at many companies.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Computer

Get Your High-School Diploma in Texas

1. Complete the requirements: Pass the TAKS (Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills) test. This cannot be taken from home and must be passed to receive a high-school diploma in Texas. It can be retaken if you do not pass the initial test during your junior year.

2. Enroll online. Texas students may enroll and complete all necessary courses in one of two Texas online public high schools for free. The two schools are the Texas Virtual School and Texas Virtual Academy.

3. Attend the University of Texas. The University of Texas has an online high school that confers diplomas.

4. Talk to your school district. If you have a medical reason that prevents you from attending your local high school, the federal IDEA law states that the school district must provide you with tutors and teachers at home or in the hospital.

5. Get home schooling. Have your parent write a letter of assurance (stating that you are officially withdrawn from the district and will be attending school at home) and then get started. Home schools in Texas, like private schools, are unregulated. So whatever graduation requirements your parents set allow you to earn a home-school diploma.

Tips & Warnings

• Make sure to investigate all of your options thoroughly and to enroll early so that you don't miss out on an opportunity to get your diploma.
• Don't forget about the TAKS test.

Resources

• Earning a diploma at home
• University of Texas Online High School
• Texas Virtual Academy
• Texas Virtual School
• Register Online for the TAKS (for students not attending public school)

Who Can Help Sponsored

• Earn your degree from industry experts at University of Phoenix. Take the next step in your career.