Online High School On Your Terms

• 17 core courses
• 5 elective courses

Fast track = 6 months***
Average time = 14 months***

Penn Foster is completely self-paced, so if you’re someone who has more time to study and likes to learn quickly, you may be able to finish your diploma in as little as 6 months. If you want a more steady pace or don’t have a lot of time to study every week, the average timeframe may work better for you.

You’ll need to complete 21 credits to graduate! 17 of those credits include your normal high school classes like:

• English 1: Introduction to Language Arts
• General Math 1
• Biology
• US History

And you can choose electives that work for you to round out your last 5 credits!

Already have a career in mind or just curious about a field that interests you? Our career pathways let you use your five electives to explore jobs and build real skills while you’re still in high school. Whether you're into animals, teaching preschool, or working with your hands, a career pathway can help you get a head start on your future.

If you are interested in pursuing post-secondary education within your state, you should check with your state to understand the requirements. State may impose certain requirements. For example, an online High School diploma may not be recognized by some colleges and universities within your state to receive financial aid. We recommend you check with the institution for any specific restrictions. If you are under the age of 18 and reside in Tennessee, you may be assessed using a nationally standardized achievement test in ELA and mathematics.

Ready when you are! At Penn Foster High School, you can start classes anytime once you and your parent or guardian are set. You’ll need to be at least 13 and finished with 8th grade. A parent or guardian just needs to enroll you and make the first payment—online or by calling 1-888-427-6200. Once that’s done, you can log in and start learning the same day!

Nope! You have the freedom to learn whenever and wherever works for you. That means you can decide when you study, take exams, and graduate on your timeline. Learn more about the day in the life of an online high school student.

If you’ve already completed some high school, you can potentially transfer those classes to Penn Foster so you can pick up where you left off!

Stuck on something? No worries—you can message your instructors, email, or even set up a call right from your Learner Center.

Up to you! You’re in charge of your schedule. If you have time to put in the work or are a quick learner, you can graduate on your timeline.

For sure! We have a yearly graduation ceremony, so if you’re looking for that traditional life experience, you can walk the stage with other grads!

It’s possible to graduate early depending on your learning style and how much time you dedicate to studying. Our self-paced classes allow you to decide how much studying you do and the time it takes to complete your diploma.

We want you to be able to pick up where you left off, so we’ll take a look at your official school transcript and see which classes work. Visit our high school credit transfer page for more details.

Yes! Whether you only need a few credits to graduate from your high school or you want to take summer classes to get ahead, Penn Foster offers a variety of individual classes that can help you reach your goals!

Yes, though it’s important to note that all colleges have different admissions requirements, so admission isn’t guaranteed . Before enrolling, it’s important to check with colleges and universities you may be interested in to see if they accept Penn Foster.

You can view the schools alumni have told us they’ve been accepted to after graduation to get a better idea of what kind of colleges have accepted our students in the past.