What to teach in California
Which courses here cover the required subjects, which subjects they do not, and roughly how many hours they account for.
What California specifies
- Subjects
- Yes — 1 group of required subjects
- Hours or days
- Private home school/PSP: none set by statute beyond full-time day school. Private tutor: 3 hours/day, 175 days/year, between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m.
- Assessment
- Not required.
The subjects California requires
- Branches of study required in public schools, taught in English (Ed. Code 51210 for grades 1-6: English, math, social sciences, science, visual and performing arts, health, physical education; Ed. Code 51220 for grades 7-12)
Quoted from the statute or regulation cited on the law page. Requirements for Grades K–5 are listed where the state sets them, but this site teaches Grades 6–12, so only those are matched below.
Courses that cover them
California's list touches three of the four subjects taught here — mathematics, English, science. It does not name social studies, which you are free to teach anyway and most families do. Each course below is a full year.
Mathematics
| Grade | Course |
|---|---|
| Grade 6 | Grade 6 Math |
| Grade 7 | Grade 7 Math |
| Grade 8 | Grade 8 Math |
| Grade 9 | Algebra I |
| Grade 10 | Geometry |
| Grade 11 | Algebra II |
| Grade 12 | Precalculus |
English
Science
| Grade | Course |
|---|---|
| Grade 6 | Science 6: Matter, Energy & Earth Systems |
| Grade 7 | Life Science & Scientific Inquiry |
| Grade 8 | Physical Science: Matter, Forces & Energy |
| Grade 9 | Earth & Space Science |
| Grade 10 | Life Science: Biology |
| Grade 11 | Physical Science: Chemistry |
| Grade 12 | Physics & Environmental Science |
Each is planned as a 36-week year of about 180 sessions, five a week — the year 20 of the 21 course guides set out explicitly. How long a session runs is yours to set.
Does this meet the hours?
Private home school/PSP: none set by statute beyond full-time day school. Private tutor: 3 hours/day, 175 days/year, between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m.
Each course here plans a 36-week year of about 180 sessions, five a week — the year 20 of the 21 course guides set out explicitly. The length of a session is left to you, because a Grade 6 session and a Grade 12 one are not the same thing.
Four such courses run across the same 180-session year, so a four-course year meets California's 175 days without any arithmetic: the days are the calendar, not a total to accumulate.
The four high school years
In most states the parent issues the diploma and writes the transcript, which makes the four-year plan the record — there is no school registrar keeping one for you. A full sequence of these courses looks like this.
| Grade | Mathematics | English | Science |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 9 | Algebra I | English 9 | Earth & Space Science |
| Grade 10 | Geometry | English 10 | Life Science |
| Grade 11 | Algebra II | English 11 | Physical Science |
| Grade 12 | Precalculus | English 12 | Physics & Environmental Science |
Four subjects across four years is 12 full-year courses. Credits, grades and the diploma itself are California's business, not this site's — what California says about diplomas and transcripts.
What this site does not teach
California requires 3 subjects that these courses do not cover: health, physical education, art. Saying so plainly is more use than a page implying full coverage. Families commonly meet these through sport clubs, instrument or art lessons, a language app or tutor, and documented family activity — all of which count where the state asks for a log rather than a transcript.