Homeschool credit tracker.
Set a credit target for each subject area, log what's earned and what's still planned, and watch the progress bars fill toward a diploma. It catches the gaps — a missing science, a half-credit short on electives — while there's still time to fix them. Defaults to a typical 24-credit college-prep load; every target is editable.
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Credits earned
| Subject area | Target | Earned | Planned | Progress | Remove |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
“Planned” credits are courses you intend to take but haven't finished — they show as a lighter bar so earned vs. planned is always clear. Requirements vary by state; this is a planning aid, not legal advice.
How many credits, and in what?
There's no national rule, but the band is narrow: most diplomas land between 22 and 26 credits. A widely used college-prep distribution is 4 credits of English, 3–4 of math (through Algebra II or higher), 3 of lab science, 3 of social studies, 2 of the same foreign language, 1 of fine arts, 1 of PE/health, and 5–7 electives. More selective colleges like to see 4 years of math and science and 3+ of a foreign language — closer to the 26-credit "honors" preset.
As a homeschooler you set your own diploma standard. The safe move is to match your state's public-school graduation requirements (or exceed them) so the diploma and transcript read as conventional. Your state's specifics — and whether it imposes anything at all on homeschool graduation — are on the laws-by-state hub, and the full breakdown of a diploma is in the diploma guide.
Why track credits across all four years
Credit gaps are invisible until senior year, when they're expensive to fix. Tracking earned-plus-planned against a target turns a four-year plan into something you can actually see: a science area sitting at 2 of 3, an elective column a half-credit short, a foreign-language requirement that quietly never started. Catch those as a sophomore and they're a scheduling note; catch them in April of senior year and they're a crisis. This tracker is built to surface them early — set the targets once, then update earned credits each time a course finishes.
Questions homeschool families actually ask
What counts as one credit?
The common convention is one full-year course (≈120–180 hours) = 1.0 credit, a one-semester course = 0.5. You can also count a completed textbook or logged hours as a credit. Any definition works as long as you apply it consistently across subjects — see the hours guide if you count by time.
Do I have to use these subject areas?
No — they're a common default. Edit any area name, change the targets, delete areas you don't use, or add your own (e.g. "Bible," "Computer Science," "Career & Technical"). The total target updates as you go; use the presets as a starting point and tailor from there.
Does my state require a specific number of credits?
For homeschoolers, usually not — in most states you set your own diploma requirements. A few states attach conditions for funding, dual-enrollment, or athletics. Even where you're free, aligning with your state's public-school credit pattern keeps things simple. Check the laws-by-state hub for your specifics.
How does this connect to the transcript?
Directly — the credits you earn here are the credits that appear on the transcript, and the grades feed the GPA. Track them as you go and the transcript is just a matter of laying them out; the diploma guide covers what the finished record should show.
Want the graduation & transcript playbook?
We write occasionally about the things that trip families up on the road to a diploma — credit counts, course rigor colleges want, transcripts, and state-by-state graduation rules. Leave an email and we'll send it when there's something worth your time.
Plan the credits once. Watch them complete themselves.
10Talents tracks every course and credit as the years go by, flags the gaps against your diploma plan, and turns the whole thing into a transcript on demand — for unlimited children, no spreadsheet.
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