Homeschool Report Cards

What to include in your homeschool report cards and get homeschool report card templates to help you get started.

By: Andrea Dillon 

Report cards are not something that many homeschoolers consider. We tend to use other methods of documentation to meet the state homeschool law requirements. However, report cards can be useful in homeschooling if you need to show a quick overview of your child’s progress. How do you get a homeschool report card? Why would you need a report card? What do you need to include on your homeschool report card? How do you make a report card for your homeschooler? We will help answer all of these and give you a few free homeschool report card template options below. 

How Do You Get A Homeschool Report Card? 

You will need to make it or find a homeschool report card template to use. Depending on your homeschool curriculum, you might be able to print a decent report straight from your curriculum or program provider. One example of this is Time4Learning’s automated grading and generated reports. So your first step should be checking in with your curriculum or program and seeing what resources they have available. While they may not have something that will be a print-and-go option, you can probably find information to help make filling out your own report card a little easier. 

Why Would You Need A Homeschool Report Card?

You may need to create and have an abbreviated progress report about your homeschooler during your time homeschooling—something less elaborate as a portfolio to show what your homeschooler has learned. A homeschool report card can come in handy for this. 

A homeschool report card may be useful when: 

• Returning to school to provide the classroom teacher with an idea of where your child is in their lessons.
• Tutoring another family’s child as a way to document what the child has accomplished.
• Noting progress regularly to help you compile a more detailed report later on. 
• Taking part in promotion requiring the child to bring in a report card for a specific treat, deal, or discount. 
• Signing up for a program or activity program that requires proof of grades. 
• Providing your child with a visual representation of their learning and practice on receiving an evaluation.
• Communicating between a split homeschool family to update the other educator on where the child is in their progress and lesson. 

What Should You Include In Your Homeschool Report Card? 

The items you should include in your report card will differ depending on your needs. Some versions may just report grades, some might have a written progress report, and some may need to have a combination of both. 

Graded Homeschool Report Cards 

Graded homeschool report cards are more of the standard report cards that we see from public schools. These are divided by subjects and include letter grade, number grade, or pass/fail recordings. These are most useful for providing a record when signing up for a sport/activity or for special promotions that require a report card brought in. 

We have a variety of free homeschool report card templates for you below. We offer three different versions of the graded style in multiple colors, so you can use the typical grading scale, pass/fail, or use your own grading scale. 

We have a version of a more traditional report card that includes attendance available in multiple colors as well. 

Who Assigns Homeschool Report Card Grades? 

This one, again, will be on you or the homeschool instructor unless your program has automatic grading. If you need to assign grades on your own, you will need to think about what you will grade. Some families only grade tests, some use rubrics, and some use state standards. You will need to find the method of assessment that fits your homeschool curriculum and your homeschool situation. 

Alternative Homeschool Report Cards 

Many families find general report cards lacking in actually showing their child’s progress and areas where they need to have more support. That’s when alternative homeschool report cards can come in handy. 

• Exposition Report Cards are an excellent option for giving frequent updates from tutors to the homeschool family or between family members. These report cards are divided by subject or curriculum and then have a section for the instructor to explain the homeschooler’s achievements and areas of struggle. 

• Self-Report Cards are perfect for getting your children to think about their strengths and achievements. These can also help you see places where they are having difficulty that you might not have witnessed. 

Creating Your Own Homeschool Report Card

Our templates and examples above are just a few examples of homeschool report cards you can use. Some of you may want to get more creative and customize your own version. To do this, I would recommend using a program like Canva. With a program like this, you can add your own subjects, decide how you want to document the assessments, and add your own imagery/school name. 

Other Homeschool Reporting Options

Remember, homeschool grade cards aren’t the most common way to report for homeschooling. Many homeschool families choose homeschool portfolios and homeschool testing to document their homeschooling journey. 

Also, check out our information on creating transcripts for your homeschool high school students too! 

Do you have questions about homeschool report cards? Have you used homeschool report cards before? Ask away and share your experiences in the comments below. 

Tags: academic records, progress reports, transcripts