Frequently asked questions
What is Transcript Keeper?
A free web app at transcriptkeeper.com where homeschool families keep high school records as they go — courses, credits, grades, test scores, and activities — and print a signed, college-ready transcript PDF whenever one is needed. GPA is calculated for you from your own grading scale. Sign in with Google or Apple; both parents can share one family account.
What is a homeschool transcript?
A one-page academic record of a student's high school work: the courses taken in grades 9–12, the credits and grades earned, GPA, and usually test scores and activities. It's issued by the parent as the administrator of the family's homeschool ("school of record").
Do colleges accept parent-made transcripts?
Yes. Colleges — including selective ones — routinely accept transcripts issued by the homeschooling parent, provided they're clear, complete, and signed. Many pair the transcript with test scores, course descriptions, or dual-credit records for context. No accreditation is required in most states, including Texas, where a homeschool is treated as a private school.
What counts as a credit?
One credit generally represents a full year of high-school-level work in a subject — roughly 120–150 hours of study or completion of a standard course/textbook. A semester course earns half a credit. Most students earn 6–8 credits per year and graduate with 22–28.
How is GPA calculated?
Each letter grade maps to points on your grading scale (typically A = 4.0, B = 3.0, and so on). Multiply each course's points by its credits, add them up, and divide by the total graded credits. Courses still in progress aren't counted until they have a grade.
What's the difference between weighted and unweighted GPA?
Unweighted GPA treats every course equally on the 4.0 scale. Weighted GPA adds bonus points for more rigorous courses — commonly +0.5 for honors and +1.0 for AP or dual-credit — so it can exceed 4.0. Transcripts often show both; colleges frequently recalculate to their own method anyway.
What grading scale should I use?
The typical Texas letter scale is the default here: each letter carries a standard numeric conversion (A+ = 99, A = 96, A- = 92, B+ = 89, B = 86, and so on down to D = 70 and F = 60) alongside its 4.0-scale GPA points. The parent sets the scale, though — what matters is printing it on the transcript so readers know how grades map to points.
Should middle-school work appear on the transcript?
High-school-level courses completed before 9th grade (Algebra I or a foreign language, for example) may be listed for credit. Everything else from middle school stays off.
Who signs the transcript?
The parent or guardian who administers the homeschool signs as the school administrator, together with a short certification statement affirming the record is accurate. That signature is what makes it "official" — notarization is rarely needed unless a specific institution asks for it.