California · high school · 2026-2027 school year
California homeschool graduation requirements, diploma, and transcript
Trellis has no step-by-step law page for California yet. The state's own statute and agency sources at the end of this page are the primary references.
California's Education Code 51225.3 minimum credits govern public schools; homeschools filing the private-school affidavit are legally private schools, so the parent/private school sets its own curriculum and issues the diploma.
The short version
- Who sets the requirement: the state's graduation rules bind public schools, not homeschools. The parent issues the diploma.
- The reference standard: the public-school minimum is 14 credits, and that table is the common starting point a transcript is read against; colleges set their own expectations on top of it, below.
- What colleges actually look for: the universities in the table below publish their own course expectations.
- What a transcript must show: courses by year, credits, and grades, kept by the parent, with the same subject headings the reference table uses.
- Across states: compare what 51 flagship universities ask.
The public-school credit table, for reference
California's public-school diploma requires 14 credits. A homeschool is not held to it. It is shown as the reference a transcript is commonly read against. A recruited athlete also registers with the NCAA Eligibility Center, which grades home-school core courses against its own worksheet, separate from this table.
| Subject | Credits | What that means |
|---|---|---|
| English | 3 | State minimum is 3 years; many districts require more. |
| Math | 2 | Algebra I. 2 years minimum, must include Algebra I. |
| Science | 2 | a biological science; a physical science. 2 years, one biological and one physical science. |
| Social studies | 3 | US history and geography; world history/culture/geography; American government/civics (0.5 yr); economics (0.5 yr). |
| Foreign language | 0 | Not separately required; may satisfy the 1-year VPA/language/CTE choice requirement. |
| PE and health | 2 | 2 years of physical education. |
| Arts | 1 | 1 year chosen from visual/performing arts, world language, or career technical education. |
| Electives | 0 | No additional statewide elective credits beyond the above. |
| Other | 1 | Ethnic Studies (0.5 yr, begins with class of 2029-30); Personal Finance (0.5 yr, begins with class of 2030-31; may waive Economics). New requirements phasing in; confirm effective year for your student's graduating class. |
Assessments in the public-school rules: None statewide; California suspended its high school exit exam (CAHSEE) requirement in 2015 (CDE's CAHSEE page). These exams bind public-school students; a homeschooled student is not required to take them.
What California colleges ask a homeschooled applicant for
CA homeschools (private-school affidavit) set their own graduation requirements; families aiming for UC/CSU should plan around the A-G course pattern from 9th grade since 11 of 15 courses are due before senior year.
Years of each subject. 0 means the university lists no requirement in that subject; a dash means it publishes no figure for it.
flagship University of California (UC) systemwide A-G requirements
| Subject | Minimum | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| English | 4 | 4 |
| Math | 3 | 4 |
| Science | 2 | 3 |
| Social studies | 2 | 2 |
| Foreign language | 2 | 3 |
| Arts | 1 | 1 |
1 college-preparatory elective (G); minimum 15 A-G courses total with grade C or better; GPA 3.0+ (3.4 nonresident).
Applies systemwide to all UC campuses (UC is treated as California's flagship system); at least 11 of 15 A-G courses must be done before senior year. University of California (UC) systemwide A-G requirements (source), checked 2026-09-01.
California State University (CSU) system
| Subject | Minimum | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| English | 4 | 4 |
| Math | 3 | 4 |
| Science | 2 | 2 |
| Social studies | 2 | 2 |
| Foreign language | 2 | 2 |
| Arts | 1 | 1 |
1 college-preparatory elective; grade C or better each course; GPA 2.50+ CA resident (3.00+ nonresident).
Uses the same 15-unit 'a-g' comprehensive pattern as UC, applied systemwide across CSU campuses. California State University (CSU) system requirements (source), checked 2026-09-01.
Questions families ask
Does California require a homeschool diploma?
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How many credits does a California homeschool diploma need?
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Who signs a homeschool transcript in California?
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What does University of California (UC) systemwide A-G requirements expect from a homeschooled applicant?
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How Trellis checks your transcript against this table
In Trellis, the courses you plan and the work your children check off become the transcript as you go. The graduation card reads that transcript against the table above and says, subject by subject, what is earned and what is still open, and it notices a course filed under the wrong heading before a college does. Nothing is retyped at the end of senior year.
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