Homeschool by Grade

Grade-by-grade homeschool guides covering scope, daily hours, curricula, and milestones from preschool through 12th grade.

Preschool at home is mostly play, read-alouds, and outdoor time — and that is exactly what the research supports.

Kindergarten at home is the start of light formal lessons — about 90 minutes a day, with reading and math leading the way.

First grade builds on kindergarten with longer lessons (~2 hours/day) and the start of independent reading and writing.

Second grade extends reading and math fluency, with the first real writing and the introduction of multiplication.

Third grade is a leap year — multiplication mastery, paragraph writing, and reading-to-learn become the daily core.

Fourth grade extends writing into multi-paragraph essays and introduces fractions, decimals, and the early sciences.

Fifth grade is the bridge to middle school — pre-algebra preparation, multi-source research, and growing independence.

Sixth grade begins middle school — pre-algebra or algebra-readiness, formal essay writing, and growing student ownership of learning.

Seventh grade often introduces algebra 1 and a first formal lab science, with writing and reading workloads approaching high school.

Eighth grade is the transition to high school — algebra mastery, formal logic, and the first awareness of the high school transcript ahead.

Ninth grade officially starts the high school transcript — every course and grade now counts toward graduation and college admission.

Tenth grade extends the high school plan — geometry or algebra 2, chemistry, world or American literature, and the first PSAT.

Eleventh grade is the most academically intense — algebra 2 or pre-calc, physics, AP courses if relevant, and the first SAT/ACT.

Twelfth grade ships the college applications and finishes the transcript — calculus or stats, an advanced science, capstone work, and graduation.