Best English Homeschool Curriculum for High School

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The high school years are an important time for English instruction. Students must acquire the writing, grammar, and reading skills necessary for the more advanced writing requirements that will be required of them at the college level or in the workplace. High school is also a time when many students are able to understand and appreciate some of the greatest works of literature in the English language, especially when these works are presented in an approachable way.

Our picks for the best english homeschool curriculum for high school:

Our recommendations for the best homeschool English curriculums for high school are listed above. For more information on each of these programs, read below. Also check out our related articles, Best Homeschool Writing Curriculum for High School, Best Poetry Homeschool Curriculum for High School, and Best Homeschool Literature Curriculum for High School.

Best Overall

Well-Trained Mind Press Grammar and Writing Programs

If you’re looking for well-structured, straightforward program that is very effective at teaching basic writing and grammar skills, consider the curriculum published by Well-Trained Mind Press. There are two primary programs that comprise this curriculum: the Grammar for the Well-Trained Mind series and the Writing with Skill series. These can be used independently or together; we recommend using them together for a complete experience in learning essential language arts skills. 

Grammar for the Well-Trained Mind consists of four workbooks, each designed to take about one school year. Each workbook is identified by a different color (red, purple, yellow, and blue), and they can be done in any order, as each one teaches the same skills using different examples and literary selections. Lessons are fairly short and easy for students to follow on their own. Each workbook is accompanied by a color-coded key. A single instructor text is also required and can used for all four workbooks. Although not required, the following text texts are also extremely useful alongside this series or as stand-alone resources: The Diagramming Dictionary and the accompanying How to Diagram Any Sentence, and The Grammar Guidebook.  

The Writing with Skill series also consists of multiple levels, but most high school students will be able to begin at level three. Similar to the grammar series, this program has short, easy-to-follow lessons that students should be able to complete on their own. You’ll need to get both the workbook and instructor text. If your student is interested in creative writing, you may also want to check out The Creative Writer series. 

Although both Grammar for the Well-Trained Mind and Writing with Skill include passages from a variety of classic literature, neither program constitutes a complete literature curriculum. Consider supplementing with lots of good books or a literature curriculum.

Best Basic Program

Paradigm Accelerated Curriculum (PAC) English

If you are looking for a solid English curriculum for your homeschooled high school student, the high school English series offered by Paradigm Accelerated Learning (PAC) is an excellent option. This program is designed to prepare students for college and jobs after high school that will require solid writing skills. Although this is a secular curriculum, the content nevertheless aims to teach strong moral principles. 

The program consists of four courses, each designed to cover one year of high school. The materials for each course consist of five softcover text chapters, five corresponding activity books, and a teacher’s guide that includes quizzes, tests, and answer keys. The full course kit also includes a digital access code for downloadable content. Each course corresponds to one high school transcript credit.

English 1 (grade 9) focuses on basic language skills. It reviews the eight parts of speech, asks students to read and evaluate literature passages, and covers basic literary concepts such as comparing and contrasting, cause and effect, logic, and premises. Students improve their writing skills at the sentence and paragraph level while being introduced to a variety of written forms such as essays, poems, letters, narratives, speeches, and articles. 

English 2 (grade 10) builds on the skills learned in English 1 and especially focuses on improving writing skills. Students are introduced to different writing genres and practice writing in a variety of formats, from poems and letters to editorials and research papers. Literary concepts such as logic, premises, and cause and effect are further explored.

English 3 (grade 11) builds further on the same skills learned in English 1 and English 2. Students are challenged further in their writing, particularly in learning how to write a complete research paper including an outline, draft, references, and bibliography. 

English 4 (grade 12) builds on the skills learned in the earlier courses while also introducing ideas from philosophy through its reading selections, which focus on works by important philosophers, historians, economists, and theologians, among others. Historical literature selections, from ancient times to the modern era, are included. Students learn more about the cultural traditions involved in writing as well as more advanced literary techniques.

Best Classical

 Memoria Press High School English Programs

If you are looking for a homeschool English curriculum that follows a classical approach, we highly recommend the Classical Composition Series and Literature & Poetry Guides offered by Memoria Press, a leader in classical homeschool curriculum. The Classical Composition Series focuses on the development of writing and grammar skills, while the Literature & Poetry Guides provide a flexible, unit-based examination of classic literature. These programs can certainly be used separately, and you may choose to use only one of them, depending on your needs. We are here recommending them together, however, because of how well they complement one another. When used together, they offer homeschooled high school students a complete and truly rich experience with the English language and literature from a classical perspective.

The Classical Composition Series incorporates the rhetorical training methods of the Ancient Greeks into a thorough writing and grammar program for the modern-day student. The series actually begins in the mid-elementary years, but it is fine to start the program as a high schooler. Each course is identified by a roman numeral and requires a student book and teacher guide. A DVD instructional video is also available at the ninth grade level. The materials for each course are listed here:

Grade 9:

  • Classical Composition VI Student Book
  • Classical Composition VI Teacher Guide
  • Classical Composition VI Instructional DVD

Grade 10:

  • Classical Composition VII Student Book
  • Classical Composition VII Teacher Guide

Grade 11:

  • Classical Composition VIII Student Book
  • Classical Composition VIII Teacher Guide

Grade 12:

  • Classical Composition IX Student Book
  • Classical Composition IX Teacher Guide

Memoria Press’s Literature & Poetry Guides can be used alongside the Classical Composition Series for a complete classical language arts homeschool curriculum. They can also be used on their own if your student is studying grammar and writing through another program. Each “Guide” is essentially a self-contained literature unit requiring the literary work itself, a student book, and a teacher guide. About four of these units can be taken during a school year and may be completed in any order. Examples of literature offerings include To Kill a Mockingbird and Julius Caesar. For the complete selection, visit Memoria Press’s online store.

Best Literature-Based

Learning Language Arts Through Literature

If you want to give your homeschooled high school student an English course grounded in quality literature, the Learning Language Arts Through Literature series is an excellent option. The program includes two high school courses, American Literature and British Literature, which can be taken at any time during the high school years. The program thus leaves room for other elective or essential English courses in your student’s high school schedule.

Each of the two high school courses are based on a 36-week school year, providing weekly lessons with composition exercises, vocabulary and grammar lessons, and ideas for discussion. They provide a solid preparation for the writing skills that will be needed in college, especially for students studying the humanities. 

The American Literature course requires the combined teacher/student course book along with The Mentor Book of Major American Poets, Ernest Hemingway’s The Old Man and the Sea, the anthology Great American Short Stories, John Steinbeck’s The Pearl, and The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane. The supplementary Course Notes, Tests, Answers book is also recommended.

The British Literature course requires the combined teacher/student course book along with Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, H. G. Wells’s The Time Machine, George Orwell’s Animal Farm, Charles Dickens’s A Tale of Two Cities, Jane Austen’s Emma, and A British Poetry Anthology for Learning Language Arts Through Literature. The supplementary Course Notes, Tests, Answers book is also recommended.

Best for Building Strong Writers

Institute for Excellence in Writing High School Programs

If you’re looking for an excellent, comprehensive homeschool English curriculum that builds strong writing, grammar, and public speaking skills, consider the high school courses offered by the Institute for Excellence in Writing (IEW). Founded in 1997 by Andrew Pudewa, IEW is known for its effective, systematic approach to teaching language arts skills. This curriculum places a strong emphasis on teaching students to recognize and use the structural elements of good writing, including sentence structure, paragraph development, and essay organization. The program uses an incremental approach to help students master these skills step by step. Model texts from classic literature and historical documents are used as sources for students to study and imitate. 

IEW’s programs are carefully structured and easy to follow, providing lots of information and instruction for both students and parents. Many of the courses offered include video instruction or an audio component, making this a great curriculum option for all types of learners and those who would like to work independently. 

IEW offers several different courses at the high school level, which they refer to as “Level C”. These courses can be taken together or independently alongside other curriculum you may be using. The core program is Structure and Style for Students, which focuses on building effective writing skills. This is complemented by the grammar program, Fix It Grammar. 

Other optional language arts programs can be taken alongside these core courses, such as the video-based Introduction to Public Speaking; the literary analysis curriculum Windows to the World; the audio-based Linguistic Development Through Poetry Memorization program; the How to Write a Story creative writing curriculum; the Phonetic Zoo spelling program; and various theme-based writing programs, including those focused on ancient, medieval, U.S., and modern history.

Best Christian Program

Lifepac Language Arts, Alpha Omega Publications

If you are looking for an excellent high school English curriculum that incorporates a Bible-based approach, consider the Lifepac high school language arts series. One of the best things about Lifepac courses is how well-structured and user-friendly they are. Each course consists of a teacher guide and a series of ten worktexts, which students can progress through at their own pace. At the high school level, most students can complete Lifepac courses with little to no parental instruction, making this a good open-and-go option for independent learners. 

The high school language arts series includes instruction in writing, grammar, vocabulary, and literature study. Each level of the program builds on a certain theme. Grade 9 introduces the basics of English language and literature through an in-depth study of The Miracle Worker and Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea. Grade 10 builds on these skills, with students reading In His Steps by Charles Monroe Sheldon. American Literature is the focus of the Grade 11 course, with students reading classics such as Our Town and The Old Man and the Sea. Grade 12 continues with British literature, and students have the opportunity to delve into the works of William Shakespeare.

For more on Lifepac and to see samples of its high school English curriculum, click here.

Conclusion

There are many excellent homeschool English curriculum options for high school students. When choosing a curriculum, consider your child’s learning style and your own homeschooling philosophy. If you are looking for homeschool writing curriculums, check out our article Best Homeschool Writing Curriculum for High School. If you have any questions or want more information on this topic, please email us!