Georgia law has no set graduation requirements for homeschooled students. Students graduating from state-supported high schools must meet state-set graduation requirements. Since home schools receive no state aid, and Georgia law recognizes home schools as a separate educational entity, parents who are homeschooling can set their own graduation requirements. Students must still take the required number of course hours each year.
Under Georgia law, parents may only homeschool their own children. The teaching parent must have a high school diploma or a general education development (GED) diploma. The parent may also hire a tutor who holds a diploma or a GED. Homeschooled children must take 180 days each year of classes with at least 4.5 hours of teaching time each day, unless physical handicaps prevent the child from meeting that requirement. Parents must send monthly attendance reports to the local school superintendent to prove their child is receiving the required amount of coursework.
Homeschooled children must take national standardized tests every three years. The state requires the child's teacher to write an annual progress report for every subject the student takes. Students must learn reading, language arts, social studies, science and math. Parents can choose to teach other subjects, but must include the five outlined by state law.
Parents issue homemade diplomas for homeschooled students. They must also create any transcripts necessary for graduation. Since students aren't meeting requirements set by a traditional high school, they remain ineligible for a traditional high school diploma.