The Advantages and Disadvantages of Earning a Home High School Diploma

Attending high school from home is becoming more and more common. Numerous excellent, accredited online high school programs offer high school diplomas that are within easy reach of everyone who would like to complete their diploma online.

Home high school is an experience that allows maximum flexibility, affordable cost, and one-on-one tutorial instruction. You can flourish academically in an online education program, develop new academic skills, and graduate with a core of educational subjects and electives that can launch you into a professional career or allow you to pursue further studies at a college or university.

If you are considering enrolling in a high school online education program, you may want to take the following advantages and disadvantages into consideration.

Advantages of a Home High School Diploma

Online high school diploma programs typically offer material that closely resembles what you study in traditional high school settings. From mathematics to science, English to foreign languages, social studies to American history, online high school diploma programs offer a wide array of coursework opportunities.

• Scheduling flexibility. High school at home allows students to complete school work when it's convenient. Some students need to be adaptable in their scheduling due to family circumstances, health considerations, and other limiting factors.
• Study anywhere. In the world of online education, a student's location is irrelevant. Students may be enrolled in a high school curriculum even while living abroad.
• Learning in a safe environment. Freedom from peer intimidation can be a primary motivations for students when they choose an online education program.
• Develop self-confidence. Students earning a home high school diploma tend to become less peer-influenced and self-directed than their counterparts in traditional school systems. Many home educated students who later enroll in a traditional high school or go to work as a young adult exhibit exceptional leadership skills.
• Develop self-discipline. Home high school students learn to progress academically without the structured traditional high school. The ability to complete assignments without rigid external enforcement encourages the growth of self-discipline.

Disadvantages of High School at Home

As you decide to pursue an online education program to complete your high school diploma, you may want to consider the following disadvantages.

• Lack of special educational opportunities. Students with developmental disabilities may not be able to obtain the diagnostic services and specialized educational opportunities they would receive in a traditional on-site high school setting. Gifted students may likewise find themselves unable to pursue more challenging levels of education that might be offered in traditional schools.
• Lack of organized sports opportunities. Team sports are not an option for students in an online education. Check alternative team sports opportunities offered by community leagues and home education groups.
• A lack of social opportunities. Many students miss the time they spend with peers. Dances and other social gatherings can be found outside the traditional school settings.

High School Graduates vs. Non-Graduates: Career Earnings

The Bureau of Labor Statistics has found that most workers in the U.S. can benefit from earning a high school diploma. Students who complete a high school education generally receive higher wages than those who do not. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics the average high school graduate in 2008 over the age of 25 earned $618 per week versus those with less than a high school diploma--they earned $453 per week.

Those weekly earnings translate to the following yearly earnings:

• High school graduates: $32,136 per year
• Non-graduates: $23,556

In turn, having a high school diploma can significantly increase your yearly earnings. However, a diploma can also help you secure employment. The Bureau of Labor Statistics notes that high school diploma holders had an unemployment rate of 5.7 percent in 2008, while non-graduates saw a 9 percent unemployment rate in 2008.

Although you don't have to pursue a college education after completing your high school at home program, you should be able to take advantage of the numerous benefits a high school diploma offers.