Homeschool Record Keeping: What to Keep and How to Stay Organized

Wondering how to stay organized with your homeschool record-keeping? Here are a few tips for staying organized throughout the school year!

I’ve been homeschooling for almost two decades now. Along the way, I’ve learned one thing that can send many of us homeschool parents into a slight panic— student assessment and adequate record keeping. However, I’ve also learned that it doesn’t have to be complicated.

Let me tell you my secret. If you want to be successful at maintaining a meaningful, organized record-keeping system, you must have it ready to go BEFORE the school year begins. But don’t worry— it’s a fluid process. It’s alright if things need to change a little throughout the year. However, I have found that if I don’t have something in place before the school books open, I will be sitting at the table with a pile of unorganized chaos in the spring. No one wants that.

What Exactly SHOULD Be Included in Homeschool Records?

As soon as you start intentionally homeschooling your child, start keeping records. The grade or age doesn’t really matter. Plus, the older your child gets, the more you will see the need for helpful tools to keep yourself (and your student) organized regularly.

So, what information should you keep? Here is a list of the types of records I save:

• Attendance (some states require this, some don’t)
• List of Curriculum Used
• Daily Planner- what your student accomplished each day
• Reading Book Log
• Assessments- pre-tests, grades, tests, essays, etc.
• State Testing Results (some states require this, some don’t)
• Report Card or Grade Record (some states require this, some don’t)
• Samples of Work- worksheets, written work, projects, photos, etc.

You’ll definitely want to keep key pieces of student work from the school year to provide a picture of your educational journey. This serves as a record of progress as well as preserving some favorite memories from the year. The most important fact to remember: your homeschool records are a snapshot, not the whole story. We are not aiming at saving every single piece of Johnny’s handwriting sheets here. We just want to give a sampling. Honestly, there’s no need to keep every single handwriting page. Your notebooks, binders, and boxes will be overflowing with mundane details!

When deciding if something should go into my homeschool records, I weigh it against these questions:

• Does this show fairly significant progress? (samples of work throughout the year)
• Does this provide essential proof of learning (like a test, quiz, or essay)?
• Does this particular item have a special meaning to my child? (favorite memories)

My State Doesn’t Require That Much. Why Should I Do More?

Many states require parents to keep a portfolio or something similar for record-keeping, but even if your state doesn’t, I would challenge you to consider the value of creating one anyway. It will serve as documentation to provide support in homeschooling your children if you ever need it. Also, NCAA and other scholarships may require some documentation of middle school and high school coursework. Having a portfolio is a good way to be prepared should your child ever need it. Even if your state only requires a formal report card or testing, regularly organized record-keeping will ensure you have everything you need should your location or circumstances change.

Wondering HOW to Keep Track Of All These Things?

At the beginning of every school year, I take my kids shopping for a new 2-inch notebook. If you can get everything in a smaller notebook, go for it. Challenge yourself to stick with NO LARGER than 2 inches though. I also purchase dividers for each subject. We put a piece of cardstock in the front pocket. The kids enjoy decorating these each year.

These notebooks are used throughout the year (usually each Friday) to store the work we want to keep. At the end of the year, I file these notebooks away in a large plastic tub. Each child has a tub of their own, and I store these tubs in the garage (also great in the attic). Someday, they can have their notebooks and planners. Meanwhile, I have all my homeschool records ready to showcase our work from year-to-year! Read more on how I Wrap Up the School Year here.

We keep all of our records in the Student Homeschool Planner. It is the perfect tool to set your school year up for success. Easy peasy.

Our Student Homeschool Planner is a core piece of documentation that also keeps the process less tedious in the long run. It is especially helpful for your middle school and high school students, as it provides an organized record of your child’s coursework and helps with writing transcripts. It also records book lists, field trips, volunteer hours, grades, yearly calendars, attendance, and so much more!

What Is Inside the Student Homeschool Planner?

SECTION ONE: PLANNING

About Me page: This is our favorite first-day activity and a great way to ease into the school year. Plus, it’s such fun to look back at as the years go by.

Yearly Goals & Habits: We should always be growing. Don’t skip this. It’s a great skill to teach your kiddos! If you have little ones, just talk to them about what they might make as a goal for that year. Allow them to draw pictures, and then record their answers with keywords or phrases. Older kids can really think through each question about what they hope to achieve during the school year.

List of curriculum for the year: Here, I make a list of what we are using for each subject, complete with the name of the books or tools that we are using. This section is the secret sauce for making your curriculum “open-and-go.” As long as you list the tools and detail how often they should be used, your child can take the reigns!

As a bonus, our High School Student Planner provides a list of course ideas, including some creative ideas for required subjects and electives.

Homeschool Calendars and Attendance Records: Setting up your annual calendar is a crucial part of the planning process. You’ll want to figure out exactly when to start and finish school by scheduling in your breaks BEFORE it’s the middle of the year.

In every state I have ever lived in, you must count and record attendance for school days. I let my kids check off the day at the beginning of the school day.

SECTION TWO: THE WEEKLY CHECKLIST

The bulk of our planner is the weekly checklists. These checklists are how we keep track of assignments completed each week, as well as the children’s chores and daily habits. Students will use this section to check off each subject and task as it is completed each day. As they get older, they can take over more ownership of these pages. Ultimately, the goal is to teach kids how to work independently.

One of my favorite things about these pages are the reflection pieces at the bottom of the pages. Students can look back at their week and see how they are growing. They can reflect on their week by rating themselves and I can give them feedback as well. I enjoy seeing how they think their week went. It serves as a great encouragement tool as well as a way to develop skills to analyze their own work and behavior.

SECTION THREE: STUDENT RECORDING

Field Trip Evaluation: We love to take field trips! They are a valuable part of our educational experience. We use this section to keep track of the field trips we take throughout the year. Students have space to write what they learned on the field trip, what they liked about it, and what challenged them. They can even give it a star rating. This is so fun to look back on over the years to remember all of the places we visited that supported what we were learning!

Reading Log: I have my kids record every book they read: date, title, author, and their star rating. Seeing all they’ve accomplished throughout the year inspires them to keep reading! It also reminds them to broaden their reading scope. Many times, they discover they love a book that they never would have picked up on their own!

Media Log: We live in a media-rich culture, and some of it can be highly beneficial to schooling. Because of this, we include sheets where students can record any media they’ve consumed: date, title, type, and their star rating.

Academic Record: My state requires these, but even if they didn’t, it’s kind of fun. They are great to share with grandparents or with companies that offer rewards for good grades. Plus, it’s a good habit to start getting ready for the high school years. We’ve found that some places around town give treats for good grades, so it could be a great way to reward hard work (for free)!

Life Skills Checklists: Each Student Homeschool Planner has a section with a life skill checklist organized by age group. I suggest looking through the list at the beginning of the year with your kids to determine what they should work on through out the year. It’s funny how we forget to teach some of these simple skills! This is a great tool for helping kids decide what to focus on for their goals in the beginning of the year. Throughout the year, I use it to remind myself to make sure my kids are learning and mastering everyday life skills as well as academics. At the end of the school year, they’ll be able to see how much they have learned.

Year-End Review: This is the last part of the Student Homeschool Planner. This gives my kids a chance to reflect on the year and assess it on their own. As they reflect on their goals and habits, they can also note how God has been working in their lives.

CAREER PLANNING SECTION:

This section is designed for high school students and can be found in our High School Student Homeschool Planner. This is a simple resource that can help teens with career planning. With this section of the planner, they will be guided through the career exploration process as they prepare to make future decisions.

Get Your Student Planner and Make Homeschool Records Easy

We created Student Homeschool Planners for every age level to support homeschooling your child from early kindergarten learning all the way through high school! This compact planner has literally everything in one spot to meet a wide variety of needs and circumstances— everything from a yearly calendar to attendance records, all the way to the educational snapshot (my version of lesson plans).

Find out more about our Student Homeschool Planners.

Need More Homeschool Planning Resources?

• Homeschool Planning Boot Camp
• How to Choose the Best Homeschool Curriculum
• 5 Ways to Teach Your Child to Work Independently

July 2023—Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in August 2014 and has been completely revamped and updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness.