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If you’re a parent in New York weighing the options between overcrowded classrooms, $40,000-a-year private schools, and one of the strictest homeschool states in the country, you’re not alone. With 2.6 million K-12 students across New York‘s five boroughs and 700+ school districts, families need real alternatives that work from kindergarten through graduation. If you’ve been searching for an online homeschool in New York that covers every grade level, you’re in the right place.
High School of America is an accredited online home school serving students in grades K through 12. Self-paced coursework, certified teachers, year-round enrollment. Whether your child is a 2nd grader who’s outpaced their local classroom, a middle schooler dealing with bullying in a crowded NYC school, a performer auditioning on Broadway, or a military family at Fort Drum who needs a school that moves with them, we serve every grade level with a real curriculum and real teachers.
How Online Home School Works for New York Families
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Real Teachers, Every LevelCertified educators. 24-hour response. One-on-one video calls. 1st grade through 12th. |
K-12 Online Learning Pathways for New York Students
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GRADES 6-8
Middle SchoolBuild independence. Language Arts 1, LA 2, LA 3, Math 6, Math 7, Pre-Algebra, Science 1, 2, 3, Civics, U.S. History, World History |
GRADES 9-12
High School24-credit accredited diploma. English I, Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, World History, U.S. History, Government, Economics, Pre-Calculus, Art History + more |
Grade pages: 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th · 7th grade, 8th grade · Individual courses · Full catalog
New York Homeschool Laws
New York is one of the strictest homeschool states in America. The New York State Education Department (NYSED) requires families to follow the IHIP (Individualized Home Instruction Plan) process at every grade level. This includes filing a Letter of Intent with your local school district superintendent by July 1, submitting an IHIP by August 15 with syllabi, curriculum materials, and quarterly report dates, providing quarterly progress reports throughout the year, completing an annual assessment (standardized test in grades 4, 6, and 8-12, or a written narrative from a certified teacher), and meeting instruction hour requirements: 900 hours per year for grades 1-6, 990 hours per year for grades 7-12, across at least 180 days.
How Our Program Fits Your IHIP
Many New York families use our accredited courses as part of their IHIP at every grade level. Our structured curriculum, certified teachers, and detailed grade records can serve as the documented coursework your district requires. You get the flexibility of homeschooling with the academic rigor and record-keeping of an accredited institution.
Our parent dashboard tracks everything you need for quarterly reports and annual assessments: completed assignments, grades, instructional hours, curriculum details, and teacher feedback. For families who find the IHIP paperwork overwhelming, this documentation tool makes compliance significantly easier.
No parent qualification is required to homeschool in New York. You don’t need a diploma or GED to educate your children at home. But the paperwork and reporting requirements are real, and districts do follow up. Our enrollment counselors can walk you through how our program maps to your specific district’s requirements.
Questions? (888) 242-4262 · Schedule a call
Regents Diploma vs. Accredited Diploma
New York’s Regents diploma requires 22 units of credit plus passing Regents exams. Our diploma is a 24-credit diploma from an accredited institution. Here’s the comparison:
| Subject | NY Regents | Our Program |
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| English | 4 units | 4 credits |
| Social Studies | 4 units | 4 credits |
| Mathematics | 3 units | 4 credits |
| Science | 3 units | 3 credits |
| PE | 2 units | 1.5 credits |
| World Language | 1 unit | 2 credits |
| Arts | 1 unit | 1 credit |
| Health | 0.5 units | 0.5 credits |
| Electives | 3.5 units | 4 credits |
| Total | 22 units + exams | 24 credits |
Here’s why this distinction matters less than you might think: homeschooled students in New York do not receive a Regents diploma regardless of their academic achievement. The state simply doesn’t issue one to home-educated students. An accredited diploma from our program puts your student on equal footing with every homeschooler in the state, with the added weight of institutional accreditation that SUNY (64 campuses), CUNY (25 campuses), NYU, Syracuse University, Cornell, University of Rochester, RPI, Vassar, Bard, Colgate, Hamilton, and virtually every college in the country recognizes for admission.
New York is the only state that requires passing state-specific Regents exams for its standard diploma. For families who are homeschooling, relocating, or pursuing non-traditional education paths, the Regents requirement can be a significant barrier. An accredited diploma removes that barrier while covering all the same academic subject areas.
Who Chooses Online Home School in New York
NYC FamiliesThe New York City DOE serves 1.1 million students across five boroughs. Class sizes regularly exceed 30 students, even in elementary grades. Getting into a specialized high school like Stuyvesant or Bronx Science requires one of the most competitive admissions processes in the country. Manhattan private school tuition runs $30,000 to $60,000 per child per year. An accredited online program serves K-12 at a fraction of that cost, without waitlists or lotteries. |
Performing Arts StudentsNew York is the performing arts capital of the world. Broadway, Lincoln Center, the Metropolitan Opera, dozens of dance companies, modeling agencies, recording studios. Thousands of young people across the five boroughs train, audition, and work in entertainment from elementary school through high school. A mandatory 8-to-3 school day doesn’t work when you have a matinee on Wednesday and a callback Thursday morning. |
Student AthletesFrom competitive travel hockey on Long Island to basketball prospects in the city to ski racers training in the Adirondacks, New York produces serious athletes at every level and every age. When practice starts before dawn and tournaments take you out of state on school days, a flexible online program means your child doesn’t have to choose between sports and education. |
Military Families at Fort DrumFort Drum in Jefferson County is home to the 10th Mountain Division, sitting in one of the most remote and weather-extreme parts of the state. Families face brutal winters, limited local school options, and the constant possibility of a PCS move that uproots everything. With an online program, the student’s coursework, teachers, and progress stay consistent regardless of where the next assignment leads. West Point families in Orange County and Coast Guard families on Long Island face similar portability needs. |
Rural Upstate FamiliesOutside the metro areas, many New York school districts are small, with graduating classes under 50 students. Course offerings are limited. AP classes may not exist. Even middle school electives can be thin. For families in the Finger Lakes, the North Country, the Southern Tier, or the Catskills who want a broader academic experience at any grade level, online school provides access to a full course catalog that their local district simply can’t staff. |
Long Island CommutersNassau and Suffolk County families know the commute reality: some students spend two or more hours a day on school buses, starting in elementary school. That’s ten hours a week sitting in traffic that could be spent learning, practicing, or just being a kid. Property taxes in these counties are among the highest in the nation, yet the commute problem persists. An online school eliminates it entirely. |
Students Who Need a ChangeSchool avoidance from anxiety. Bullying that the district can’t or won’t address. A medical condition that makes daily attendance impossible. A student who fell behind and needs to recover credits without repeating an entire year. These situations happen at every age. A 3rd grader struggling with the classroom environment needs a solution just as much as a high schooler. Removing the environment is often the single most effective intervention. |
Adult LearnersIf you didn’t finish high school the first time, our program works for adults too. Same accredited curriculum, same certified teachers, same diploma, just on a timeline that respects that you have a job, a family, or both. New York adults should know about SUNY Reconnect, which offers free community college for adults 25-55 pursuing an associate degree after earning their diploma. Read our adult diploma guide for the full details. |
More New York Families We Serve
Fashion & ModelingNew York’s fashion industry employs thousands of teen models who need school flexibility around castings, fittings, and shoots. A self-paced program lets them build a career without sacrificing their education. |
Gifted StudentsStudents who’ve outpaced their local school curriculum need room to accelerate. Our self-paced model lets them move through material as fast as they can master it, without waiting for a class to catch up. |
Immigrant FamiliesOver 200 languages are spoken in New York City alone. Immigrant families navigating the complex NY education system often find that an accredited online program provides a clearer, more accessible path than trying to decode district enrollment processes, zoning rules, and waitlists. |
Credit RecoveryStudents who fell behind, missed credits, or need to make up coursework without repeating an entire year. Our program evaluates where you stand, credits what you’ve completed, and builds a realistic path to graduation on your timeline. |
How We Compare to Other New York Options
New York has no statewide tuition-free virtual academy, unlike many other states. NYC has limited public virtual school options compared to other large cities. Here’s what sets our program apart:
- Year-round enrollment with fully self-paced coursework, not tied to district calendars or enrollment windows
- A complete accredited K-12 program with a 24-credit high school diploma, not a curriculum supplement
- An accredited transcript that’s portable across all 50 states, critical for military families and families who relocate
- New York’s median household income is $81,600, above the national average, yet families face some of the highest property taxes and education costs in the country. Our tuition offers real value against those numbers.
If you’re looking for a New York online school that actually understands the state, few accredited programs know the IHIP process, the Regents diploma distinction, and the unique needs of students across NYC, Long Island, and upstate New York. We built this program around those realities. For families who want to homeschool in New York state with accredited support, this is it.
Transferring Credits and Records
If your student has completed coursework at a New York public school, private school, or another accredited program, those credits and records transfer. Our registrar has evaluated transcripts from NYC DOE schools, Long Island districts, upstate districts, and most accredited programs nationwide. The process takes 5-7 business days:
- Send official transcripts or records from each school attended
- Our registrar maps every completed course against our 24-credit graduation requirements
- You receive a clear report: what transferred, what remains, and a realistic graduation timeline
For high school students, core credits in English, Math, Science, and Social Studies transfer directly from accredited schools. AP and dual enrollment coursework gets full consideration. Regents exam scores don’t transfer as credits, but the courses behind those exams do. Even partial semester work is evaluated for potential credit.
For K-8 students, we evaluate grade-level placement based on academic records to ensure your child starts in the right spot, not behind and not repeating material they’ve mastered.
If you’re coming from a homeschool background with documented coursework, we evaluate that too. Full details on our transfer credits page. Questions about specific credits? Call (904) 490-6567 and review your situation with an enrollment counselor before committing.
Accreditation: What It Means for New York Families
High School of America is accredited by a nationally recognized accrediting body, the same organization that evaluates traditional brick-and-mortar schools across the country. This accreditation covers our entire K-12 program, not just high school. Your student’s diploma doesn’t say “online.” It’s a high school diploma from an accredited institution, recognized by every college, employer, and military branch.
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89SUNY/CUNY campuses accept our diploma
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$5,665TAP financial aid per year
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$0Excelsior Scholarship (under $125K)
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- MILITARY Every branch, including West Point
- PORTABLE Credits transfer if you move or return to traditional school
- IHIP Accredited curriculum strengthens homeschool compliance at every grade
Cost and Value for New York Families
NYC private school: $30,000-$60,000+/child. Long Island and Westchester: $15,000-$30,000. Our tuition is a fraction of those numbers, covering all courses, certified teachers, counseling, and tech support. No hidden fees. K through 12.
- Excelsior Scholarship: free SUNY/CUNY tuition, families under $125,000
- NYS TAP: up to $5,665 per year
- SUNY Reconnect: free community college for adults 25-55
The exact cost depends on your student’s grade level, how many courses or credits they need, and their target timeline. Call (904) 490-6567 for a personalized quote. You can also visit our savings and value page to compare costs, or view full tuition and pricing.
What New York Families Are Saying
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“Both of my children love High School of America. My son made wonderful improvements academically and in confidence. My daughter moved up a grade level.” PParent |
“My daughter’s teachers try new things to help her grow and learn at her own pace. She feels prouder, with better self-esteem.” MMother |
“The staff helped me earn my diploma and navigate higher education options. The curriculum was reasonable and self-paced.” GGraduate |
95% of parents rate teachers as helpful. 98% say curriculum is high quality. Read more
New York Regions We Serve
| New York City | Long Island | Hudson Valley | Capital District | Central NY |
| Finger Lakes | Western NY | North Country | Southern Tier | Catskills |
Also serving NY students abroad: military, diplomatic families, or anyone with internet access.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. High School of America is accredited by a nationally recognized accrediting body. Our programs cover grades K through 12, and our high school diploma is accepted by SUNY, CUNY, private universities, employers, trade schools, and every military branch. Read the comparison with other online high schools for specifics.
All grade levels. Elementary (K-5), middle school (6-8), and high school (9-12) with age-appropriate curriculum and certified teachers.
No, and we want to be transparent about that. Our diploma is an accredited high school diploma, not a Regents diploma. New York is the only state that requires passing state-specific Regents exams for its diploma. Homeschooled students in New York also do not receive a Regents diploma regardless of their academic achievement. Our accredited diploma is accepted by colleges nationwide, including the entire SUNY and CUNY systems.
If homeschooling in New York, yes. Our curriculum and grade records serve as documented coursework your district requires. NYC families go through the NYC DOE Office of Homeschooling.
Yes. Both the SUNY system (64 campuses statewide) and the CUNY system (25 campuses serving New York City) accept accredited diplomas for admission. Our graduates are also eligible for the Excelsior Scholarship, the NYS Tuition Assistance Program (TAP), and other New York financial aid programs. Community college tuition at CUNY starts around $4,800 per year in-state, and SUNY four-year tuition is approximately $7,070 per year.
Any time. Year-round enrollment at every grade level.
Upstate New York gets some of the heaviest snowfall in the eastern United States. Syracuse, Buffalo, and the North Country regularly see school closures that cost students days of instruction. Online school is weather-proof. Your student’s education continues on schedule regardless of what’s happening outside, which is one of the most practical advantages for families in any of New York’s snow-heavy regions.
Yes. Same curriculum, certified teachers. After graduating, explore SUNY Reconnect for free community college. Adult diploma guide.
How to Start Online Home School in New York
Choose your pathway
Talk to a counselor
Schedule a free call about your student’s needs and NY requirements
File IHIP (if homeschooling)
Letter of Intent + IHIP with your district or NYC DOE
Enroll
Start the application. 20 minutes. We handle transcript evaluation.
Begin learning
Coursework starts immediately with certified teacher support
Explore New York with High School of America
Your Student’s Education Shouldn’t Depend on a Lottery, a Zip Code, or the Weather
Whether you homeschool New York City kids or upstate families, from Manhattan to the Adirondacks, from Long Island to the Finger Lakes. Over 200 languages spoken in NYC alone. New York families deserve education options that fit.
(904) 490-6567 · Toll-free (888) 242-4262
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