Features for an easier high school year at home

The weekly packet

Each week is one Side Quest packet for the subjects on your plan. Page one is a quest card with XP, objectives, and the week’s boss problem. Packets are personalized with the student’s first name and interests only — no last names, birthdays, or photos required. A full parent answer key comes with every week.

There are eight subjects to choose from: Algebra/Geometry, English Lit & Comp, Biology/Chemistry/Physics, US/World History, Spanish, Coding, Personal Finance, and College & Career Prep. Single Subject is any 1, 4-Pack is any 4, and All Subjects is all 8. The 36 weeks are grouped into four seasons, each ending with a larger final-boss review.

Collectible crew cards (Kai, Rin, and Marcus) land for the binder — one original card per week, with a holographic variant when the boss is cleared with a perfect score. Fun, not a gimmick that replaces the actual work.

Fillable PDFs on an iPad, tablet, or computer

Every weekly packet ships as two PDFs: a printer-friendly edition and a fillable edition with answer boxes. Students can type on an iPad, Android tablet, or computer, or write with a stylus in a free PDF app. Or they can print and handwrite. The lessons are the same either way.

This is not a website they have to stay logged into to do the day’s work. Download the packet, work offline if you want, and upload when the week is done.

Attendance: Day complete

Attendance is student-driven. At the end of each school day in the packet, your teen taps the Day complete box. That is the attendance record. You do not have to keep a separate daily attendance sheet unless you want to.

When a week is graded, days complete show on your private gradebook and roll into the quarterly report card (9 weeks × Monday–Friday = 45 possible days per quarter). If you use the fillable report card yourself, you can reflect those same day boxes there.

Upload it, we grade it

After Stripe checkout, a private welcome page lets you add each student and copy their links: an upload link for your teen (/u/…) and a gradebook link for you (/r/…). The two codes are different, and these pages are not listed in the sitemap or meant to be shared publicly.

Your teen can upload one finished PDF, or up to 10 photos (JPG, PNG, or HEIC from an iPhone), up to 25 MB per upload. We check each section against the answer key and score open-ended answers with the rubric in the key. Scores, days complete, XP, and cards go into the gradebook. The site’s stated turnaround is usually within 2 school days. Grading is included on the $7, $25, and $40 plans.

Open your gradebook anytime for grades, attendance, XP, estimated hours, and the quarterly report card. We do not send a weekly summary email. If you would rather grade at home, every packet still includes the answer key, and the fillable report card will add the scores you type.

Report cards, credits, and transcripts

Each quarter — weeks 9, 18, 27, and 36 — ends with a report card that totals grades, estimated hours, and attendance. It is a parent-issued progress report, not an official transcript and not a diploma.

High School Packets does not issue official transcripts. Families who need a homeschool transcript build and sign their own. Weekly packets include a credit and hours log you can save with dated work, completed pages, and answer keys. That is a strong record for a portfolio. It does not guarantee that any school, college, NCAA body, or auditor will accept the work, and we do not claim accreditation or standards-alignment guarantees. For a plain-English walkthrough of transcripts and hours, see How to Make a Homeschool High School Transcript.

Packet guidance notes that one high school credit is commonly treated as about 120 to 180 hours of work, and that a full year of these packets provides roughly 90 to 120 hours per subject before outside reading, labs, and projects, which you can log too. Check your state’s conventions. The online gradebook estimates hours from days complete and planned minutes; you can override with actual hours on the fillable report card.

California families and other states

Rules vary by state. California families who operate a private home school typically file a Private School Affidavit with the California Department of Education — see our PSA basics page (general information, not legal advice). A public independent-study charter is a different legal path. Wherever you live, you remain responsible for your state’s current requirements. Our state requirements overview points to official sources.

Plans and what is not included yet

Live plans: Single Subject $7/month, 4-Pack $25/month, All Subjects $40/month, billed monthly, cancel anytime. One-off worksheets are $1 each in the worksheet shop. A US print-and-ship option is on the roadmap (Coming soon) with a waitlist and no price yet. Until then, every plan is digital.

High School Packets is a supplemental curriculum, not an accredited school.

Questions

What does “Day complete” attendance mean?

At the end of each school day in the weekly packet, your teen taps the Day complete box. That box is the attendance record. It shows on your private gradebook and on the quarterly report card after the week is graded, or you can reflect those days on the fillable report card yourself.

Can my teen fill in the packet on an iPad?

Yes. Every weekly packet includes a printable PDF and a fillable PDF. Type into the answer boxes on an iPad, Android tablet, or computer, use a stylus in a free PDF app, or print for handwriting.

Do you issue official transcripts?

No. We do not issue diplomas or official transcripts. You get a credit and hours log, dated weekly work, answer keys, and a parent-issued quarterly report card to keep with your records. You decide how credits appear on the transcript you issue.

Is upload-and-grade included in every plan?

Yes. The $7, $25, and $40 plans each include a private upload link and gradebook. Grades usually land within 2 school days. There is no weekly summary email; you check the gradebook anytime.