The answer to our question is yes. Let’s begin with the owner of the Advanced Placement Program. Each year, the College Board helps millions of students prepare for a successful transition to college through programs such as the SAT, the Advanced Placement Program, and BigFuture.

And yes, homeschools can participate in the SAT, the Advanced Placement Program, and BigFuture. In fact, as a homeschool educator, you can register an AP Course Audit account and follow the required steps in the AP Course Audit to label your courses “AP.”

Homeschool Providers of AP Courses
AP Central AP Course Audit Guide  

So yes, AP courses are available to homeschools. However, any course designated as AP must have completed the AP Course Audit conducted through the College Boards Advanced Placement Program. This means that some AP courses may not be registered with the College Board and are therefore not eligible for the AP designation. It’s up to the parent to make the final determination.

Here’s a list of resources to get you started:

• https://www.apexlearningvs.com/homeschool/ (around $700 per course, APEX registers their courses with AP course audit)
• https://www.khanacademy.org/ (free courses, are not registered with AP course audit)
• https://openstax.org/subjects/high-school (free courses, are not registered with AP course audit)

AP Exams and AP Courses (hslda.org)

Here's an example of a course that can use the AP designation:

APEX Learning offers the following course: AP U.S. Government and Politics

From their course overview page, you will see the following: This course has been authorized by the College Board to use the AP designation.

https://www.apexlearningvs.com/course/ap-us-government-politics/

Here's an example of a course that cannot use the AP designation:

Khan Academy offers the following course: AP U.S. Government and Politics

From their course overview page, you will see the following: AP is a registered trademark of the College Board, which has not reviewed this resource.

https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/ap-us-government-and-politics

Beware! Some parents are finding they have invested in an AP course that doesn't qualify for the AP designation. When it's too late to turn back, you can always assign the course an Honors designation.

H 3164 General Bill, Summary: AP testing

During the 2022-2023 school year, a bill to amend the code of laws in South Carolina to make AP testing available to homeschool students through the public school system was active. You can learn more about this bill through the following link.

https://www.scstatehouse.gov/billsearch.php?billnumbers=3164&session=124&summary=B

If the bill passes, homeschools will need to arrange to take exams at a local school that does administer the tests. You can learn more about the registration process through the following link.

https://apstudents.collegeboard.org/faqs/im-homeschooled-how-can-i-take-ap-exam

If the bill passes, homeschools will need to locate a school administering the tests in their location. An AP course ledger is available from the following link.

https://apcourseaudit.inflexion.org/ledger/

Members are encouraged to share information regarding their experiences with the SAT, Advanced Placement Program, and BigFuture programs through the feedback form located to the left of this section.

Since 1984, each school district in South Carolina has been required to provide Advanced Placement (AP) courses in all secondary schools in grades 11 and 12. You can learn more from the following link.

https://ed.sc.gov/data/test-scores/national-assessments/ap/

Last Revised: 05/27/2023