How to Homeschool High School in Delaware (2026): Diplomas, the SEED Scholarship, and College

How Homeschool High School Works in Delaware

Delaware does not have a separate homeschool statute so much as a nonpublic school framework. The Department of Education recognizes single-family homeschools, multi-family homeschools, and private schools, and you register as one of them, then report your attendance and enrollment each year. Delaware sets no graduation requirements, so through high school you decide what your diploma requires, you keep the transcript, and you issue the diploma. A parent-issued Delaware homeschool diploma is valid for college, work, and the military, with no GED required, and Delaware colleges read homeschool transcripts routinely. Which registration type you choose is worth a moment's thought, since it shapes your reporting, and we walk through the choice in the Delaware homeschooling guide.

Set Graduation Requirements and Build the Transcript

Because Delaware sets no requirements for homeschoolers, you set your own, often modeled on a standard college-prep pattern: four years of English, three or four of math, three of science and social studies, plus electives, the arts, and physical education. Write the plan at the start of ninth grade and build the transcript as you go, listing each course, its credits, and the grade, with a cumulative grade average. Here the transcript does more than usual, because Delaware's biggest scholarship reads it directly as proof of a completed program, so keep it detailed, accurate, and signed. A strong test score alongside it opens the same door a second way, which the next section explains. A free reading and academic assessment shows you where your student stands before you map the four-year plan.

The SEED Scholarship: How Homeschoolers Qualify

This is the section Delaware families should not skip. The SEED scholarship covers up to six semesters of free tuition at Delaware Technical Community College and the University of Delaware Associate in Arts program, and it is often described as being for Delaware high school graduates, which leads homeschool families to assume they are out. They are not. Delaware provides an equivalency pathway: a homeschool graduate qualifies by submitting a complete homeschool academic transcript, or by scoring at least 1350 on the SAT or 19 on the ACT. Either route works, so your careful transcript is itself a qualifying document. The rest of the rules apply to everyone: you must be a Delaware resident, enroll full time the fall right after graduating, keep at least a 2.5 grade average, and file the FAFSA. One firm limit to note: a high school diploma or GED earned outside Delaware makes a student ineligible, so this is a Delaware-resident program through and through. Delaware State University's Inspire scholarship offers a separate four-year path, so ask about it too. We link the details in our Delaware homeschooling guide.

Dual Enrollment, the Diploma, and College Admission

During high school, Delaware homeschoolers can take dual enrollment courses at Delaware Technical Community College to earn college credit that counts toward both high school and a degree, which strengthens a transcript and lowers later costs. That credit also warms up the path to SEED, since your student arrives at Delaware Tech already familiar with it. For four-year admission, the University of Delaware, Delaware State, and other campuses admit homeschool graduates on a parent transcript, and a voluntary SAT or ACT score gives admissions an outside measure, one that doubles as your SEED qualifier if you take the test route. When your student meets the requirements you set, you issue the diploma, dated and signed, and it stands for college, employment, and the military. The planning guide is a useful resource for mapping out the high school years.

Students With Learning Differences

If your student had an Individualized Education Program in public school, those services end when you register your homeschool, and that includes high school. You can build accommodations into your own program, and college disability services open once your student enrolls, including through dual enrollment. Plan documentation early, since colleges and SAT or ACT testing accommodations can ask for recent records.

A Note from Homeschool Teacher Guide: What This Really Means for You

Delaware quietly offers homeschool families one of the better deals in the country, and it hides behind wording that makes people assume they do not qualify. You do. The SEED scholarship reads your homeschool transcript as proof of a completed program, or takes an SAT of 1350 or an ACT of 19 instead, so the records you keep and the test you plan are the same work that unlocks free college. Build the transcript to hold up as a standalone document, aim the test at that score, and enroll the fall right after graduation so you do not lose eligibility to a gap year. Use Delaware Tech dual enrollment along the way to get a head start. Our Delaware homeschooling guide covers the registration choice.