How to Know If You Should Outsource High School with Online Homeschool Courses

Outsourcing can be a great solution in any season of homeschooling, but it can be especially helpful when homeschooling the teen years and preparing for college or career. That’s where online homeschool courses save the day!

Not sure if online classes are right for your family? I’ve got you covered with some indicators that will help you know if outsourcing this way is right for you.

How to know if you should outsource high school with online homeschool courses

*This is a sponsored post and I was compensated for my time writing it;
see disclosure for further information.*

Before we jump into reasons you may want to outsource, keep in mind that I’m not advocating you outsource everything. I strongly believe there’s more to homeschooling than learning at home; I believe in co-laboring and co-learning. That can easily get lost if your student handles everything alone. 

All that to say, there are times when outsourcing will better meet your student’s needs. Additionally, there are times when outsourcing better meets your needs. In fact, it may be the very thing that keeps your homeschooling moving forward in a tricky time.

Should you turn to online homeschool lessons for the middle and high school?

So how do you know if it’s time to turn to online courses in the upper homeschool grades? These four things should help you determine if outsourcing is a good option for you and your teen.

Should you outsource high school with online homeschool courses?
Here’s how to know:

1. You can’t devote needed attention or time to complex subjects.

It’s no secret that homeschooling isn’t always easy. Let’s just call it: homeschooling can be really hard. Add younger siblings learning to read, normal household responsibilities, or work to the mix and it can be incredibly difficult to give your best while homeschooling.

Does that mean you throw in the towel? No. Instead you get help where you need it.

By outsourcing a subject or two, you provide quality instruction regardless of the other things demanding your attention. Simply put, outsourcing prevents your student from hitting a roadblock when life happens and you don’t have time to learn, relearn, or teach advanced concepts.

How to Know If You Should Outsource High School with Online Homeschool Courses

2. Your academic weaknesses are holding you back.

We all have strengths and weaknesses when it comes to teaching our kids. Unfortunately those strengths and weaknesses often have deep roots, going back to the problem areas in our own school years.

Despite any weak academic areas, you can chug along pretty well in the elementary years of homeschooling. However, that all changes when middle school and high school roll around. One day you’re thinking, “We’ll do better with this in the future.”

The next day you realize high school is here and time is limited. When that happens, you know it’s time to do better. Sometimes doing better comes in the form of outsourcing.

3. You can’t find curriculum to meet your needs.

I know it seems crazy when you consider the million and one homeschool curriculum choices out there, but there really are times when a good curriculum match is nowhere to be found. 

We can relate to this one, especially when it comes to science. You know that “Number 1 Science Curriculum” in all of those “Best Homeschool Curriculum” surveys? My teenager loathes it. 

Related: What to Do When You Can't Find the Right Homeschool Curriculum

That curriculum may be loved by 95% of homeschoolers, but we’re in the 5% who don’t. That means we’ve got to be creative about homeschooling high school science. Since there’s not much to choose from beyond “Number 1” in the upper grades, online homeschool courses are a great option.

4. You don’t enjoy a subject.

I’ve shared before that a love for learning is crucial for successful homeschooling. On a similar note, it’s okay to outsource it if there’s a subject that bores you to tears or that you find overwhelming. After all, the last thing your student needs is to hear you complaining about his lessons or procrastinating and causing him to get behind. 

We’ve got to remember that our kids hear; our opinions about learning shape theirs. If you can’t offer something positive about a subject, chances are you’re not the one who needs to be the one teaching it. In this case your need for online homeschool classes isn’t because you need an expert.

How to Know If You Should Outsource High School with Online Homeschool Courses

No, you should consider outsourcing in this case because your child needs to hear from someone who loves that areas you don’t. That’s how you keep from sharing your personal aversions from with your kids and continue raising kids who love to learn.

Related: The Only Thing You Really Need for Successful Homeschooling

Outsourcing with online homeschool lessons from College Prep Science

Now that we’ve covered why you may need help teaching the upper grades in your homeschool, let’s talk about where to turn for that help. While there are lots of options for most subject areas, that’s not the case with science. That’s why you need to know about College Prep Science.

College Prep Science offers live online classes for middle and high school science in the following areas:

  • biology
  • chemistry
  • physics
  • human anatomy/physiology
  • exercise and sports physiology
  • forensic science and human anatomy
  • pre-anatomy/physiology
  • pre-chemistry and more!

Win a FULL YEAR of online science
from College Prep Science!

Choose from biology, anatomy, chemistry, physics, and more!

These classes are at the top of my list for outsourcing science because they’re taught from a Christian worldview and include an interactive format, including online labs, tests, and assignments.

Outsourcing with online homeschool lessons from College Prep Science

If your student could benefit from hands-on learning in a group setting, you’ll want to be aware that College Prep Science offers two-day in-person labs for chemistry and biology, anatomy, and physiology.

These intensive labs are especially awesome because they cover a full year of labs, making them a great way to satisfy graduation requirements in many states. That’s so helpful if you can’t facilitate them through a local co-op or at home!

Outsourcing with online homeschool lessons from College Prep Science

Need help with ACT or CLEP preparation? College Prep Science can help with ACT Prep Online Bootcamp.


In closing, know that we all have some limitations in our homeschools. Those limitations may involve time, space, equipment, or even understanding.

If you’re up against any of those limits today — or even some I didn’t mention — remember that online homeschool classes are a fantastic way to prepare your teen for college and the working world.