Running Start without the Highschool?

Email of the Day:

Question:

I wanted to ask about running start for my homeschooler (currently 10th grade). I have only a general understanding but am not really sure where to start. I was advised that I should go through the high school in our district, but I don’t want to send my daughter to the public HS. Is there a program where homeschoolers can do the running start program without public high schooling?

Thanks again for your time and all you do for us homeschoolers,

Short answer: no.

Answer:

There is no other way to access Running Start. You have to enroll in the local public high school to access Running Start.

Here is my recommendation for the order:

  1. Go to the college and take their placement test. (RS only pays for college-level work, so make sure your kidlet is ready for that before bothering with the rest of the paperwork).
  2. File your Declaration of Intent on the 15th of September (this makes it so your kidlet is still a homeschooler and doesn’t have to attend the high school or seek a diploma).
  3. Go enroll in the high school “solely for the purposes of accessing Running Start.”
  4. At the HS, you will get the “Running Start Eligibility Verification Form”
  5. Take the RSEVF to the college and enroll and register for courses.

Rinse and repeat #4 and #5 for up to 6 consecutive quarters (minus summers) for juniors, or 3 quarters for seniors.

~Jen