Homeschool Dual Enrollment in Washington
Yes. Washington's Running Start program lets 11th and 12th graders in home-based instruction take college courses, with the school district paying the college in place of tuition.
How Running Start works for homeschoolers
Under section 28A.600.310 of the Revised Code of Washington (RCW), every school district must let eligible students take part, explicitly including students in home-based instruction.
A homeschooled student applies to a participating college and enrolls in the public high school only to take part. The district then sends the college a set amount per full-time equivalent student. If your child was homeschooled the year before, the district does not count your child in its accountability reports.
Running Start courses are regular college sections open to the college's own students, not classes made up only of high school students at a high school.
Rising 11th graders, students who have finished 10th grade, may take up to 10 quarter credits in the summer term.
Before your child can enroll
Grade level
Your child is in 11th or 12th grade, or is eligible for those grades without enough credits for a diploma.
College admission
Your child meets the admission standards the participating college sets with school districts. The college tells you and the district in writing, within 10 days of accepting your child, which courses and hours your child has.
Enrolling in a college course
First step
Contact your district's Running Start coordinator and the college's Running Start office to learn the application and placement steps.
What it costs
At a community or technical college, your child pays the college's mandatory fees plus up to 10 percent of tuition, prorated by credit load. Other colleges may charge up to 10 percent plus technology fees. Colleges must offer fee waivers to students eligible for free or reduced-price school meals, and books and transportation are the family's.
When to apply
Apply before the college's registration date for the quarter you want, and leave time for placement.
A homeschool plan alongside college courses
We teach the subjects your teen takes at home and generate the homeschool transcript from that coursework.
$149/month per child after the trial.