Online High School Diploma- Course Curriculum | Penn Foster High School
Student Login
Enroll Now Get Info Enroll Today! 1.888.427.6200
> > > Curriculum

Online High School Courses

Your online high school program consists of 16.5 core credits, and you choose 5 elective credits, ranging from academic electives, like American literature and algebra to career electives, like auto repair and vet assistant. The core curriculum is made up of English, math, social science, science, arts and humanities, and health and physical education courses. And with a variety of academic and career electives to choose from, you can customize your program to take the courses that interest you most!

Program Goal and Outcomes

Program Goal


  • Use critical thinking and reasoning skills to complete learning tasks in English Language Arts courses
  • Use declarative knowledge and demonstrate understanding to complete learning tasks in English Language Art courses
  • Apply fundamental mathematical skills to solve real world problems
  • Utilize writing skills to complete writing assessments
  • Demonstrate the ability to complete entry level lessons from Penn Foster career modules, academic level electives, or general level electives




  • Understand how to use your Student Portal.
  • Connect with Penn Foster on various social media sites.
  • Examine methods that will allow you to obtain greater financial independence
  • Describe how to build stronger personal and professional relationships
  • Identify career options and career resources
  • Effectively use a computer and critical computer programs


This course provides tips and techniques to make you a better reader.


  • Interpret a text by previewing and scanning
  • Identify central ideas in writing
  • Interpret works of fiction and poetry


  • Describe how to build and maintain positive relationships.
  • Explain how a positive attitude affects human relations.
  • Discuss how to work with supervisors.
  • Explain the productivity equation.
  • Describe the relationship between frustration and aggression.
  • Describe how to avoid being late or absent.
  • Discuss how to identify and repair injured relationships.




  • Describe the four steps in the writing process.
  • Discuss the difference between an adjective and an adverb.
  • Identify prepositional phrases and the objects of prepositions.
  • Explain the main components of complete sentences.
  • Identify and correct sentence fragments and run-on sentences.
  • Provide agreement between subjects and verbs.
  • Explain the proper use of the different parts of speech.


  • Use modifiers, prepositional phrases, and conjunctions correctly.
  • Correctly use apostrophes, hyphens, and periods.
  • Recognize and use the various elements of sentence structure.
  • Correct common writing mistakes.


  • Begin to write an essay.
  • Organize your writing time effectively.
  • Plan a writing project from beginning to end.
  • Organize your ideas effectively in an outline.
  • Express your thoughts and feelings more easily, more accurately.


  • Read more effectively—for both knowledge and enjoyment.
  • Identify various literary figures.

Additional Course Material:

  • Great American Short Stories
  • The Call of the Wild
  • Great Short Poems
  • Songs for the Open Road: Poems of Travel & Adventure
  • Civil Disobedience and Other Essays
  • Great Speeches by Native Americans
  • Narrative of Sojourner Truth
  • A Midsummer Night's Dream




  • Solve real-world problems involving whole numbers
  • Solve real-world problems involving fractions
  • Solve real-world problems involving decimals
  • Compare the English and metric systems of measurement
  • Explain ratios, proportions, and percents


  • Estimate results quickly.
  • Make smart consumer decisions.
  • Calculate yearly interest rates.
  • Discuss the options available regarding your personal insurance.
  • Determine when you’ve saved enough money to start investing.
  • Explain the difference between common stock and preferred stock.


  • Solve word problems using equations.
  • Use the four basic operations with positive and negative numbers.
  • Give examples of monomials and polynomials.
  • Simplify polynomials by combining like monomials.
  • Simplify and solve one-step and multistep equations.
  • Identify and name various components of geometry.
  • Identify different types of quadrilaterals and triangles.
  • Solve equations using the principles of geometry.


The course covers topics in geology, oceanography, meteorology, environmental science, and astronomy.


  • Explain the basic principles and methods of Earth Science
  • Discuss the various surface processes on Earth
  • Identify features of Earth's atmosphere and oceans
  • Explain the causes of geologic activity
  • Describe the impact of human activity on natural resources
  • Explain the formation and properties of the solar system and universe


  • Describe the characteristics, chemistry, and ecology of living things
  • Analyze cells and their processes for obtaining energy and reproducing
  • Explain how traits are passed on from one generation to the next
  • Explain how different species of living things have evolved and are classified
  • Identify the characteristics and behavior of plants and animals
  • Describe the anatomy and physiology of the human body


  • Explain how objects move when forces are applied
  • Describe the effects of heat energy on matter
  • Analyze waves and radiation
  • Apply the principles of chemistry
  • Determine what scientific principles apply to electricity and electronics

Social Studies

This course focuses on US history from the earliest human settlers in North America thousands of years ago to the modern-day. You’ll learn the story of the native people who lived in this region long before Europeans came to create colonies. Follow the colonists as they faced the unknown and attempted to make new lives for themselves in North America. Finally, you’ll experience the birth and growth of the United States, a young nation that has managed to pack a wealth of world-changing events into its short history.


  • Describe settlement of the colonies in America
  • Identify events from the American Revolution to the ratification of the United States Constitution
  • Recognize expansion and industrialization in the United States during the early 18th century
  • Describe the causes and lasting effects of the American Civil War
  • Analyze how the events leading up to World War I shaped the United States
  • Discuss the effects of the Great Depression and World War II on the United States
  • Recognize changes in America from the 1960s through today


  • Summarize the process used to ratify the Constitution.
  • Describe the process for amending the Constitution.
  • Outline the process by which laws are made.
When thinking about studying the entirety of world history, it’s easy to see how it appears to be a nearly impossible task. One way of making the vast amount of information manageable to learn is to present the information in a way that focuses on the highlights and large-scale trends seen in history. Your World History course begins with a very brief summary of ancient civilizations. You’ll focus most of your studies on events and peoples in world history from 1450 to the present.


  • Recognize features and achievements of ancient civilizations, and Europe during the Renaissance and Age of Exploration
  • Compare society and politics of world regions during the period of 1500-1800
  • Explain causes of revolution, impacts of industrialization on society, and factors leading to development of global empires during the period of 1750-1914
  • Describe how the Great War, Great Depression, and nationalism affected world regions
  • Describe how World War II, the Cold War, and economic globalization affected world regions

Health & Physical Education



  • Explain the relationship between calories and energy.
  • Select healthy ingredients and preparation methods.
  • List the advantages of cardiorespiratory fitness.
  • Recognize physical and psychological symptoms of stress.
  • Identify stress reduction techniques and common stressors of daily life.
GENERAL ELECTIVES Expand All Collapse All

High School Diploma with Career Pathway

Interested in taking steps toward your career while completing your high school diploma. We have 10 career pathways for you to choose from!

Sample Course Lessons

All of your lessons include reading materials, videos, exercises and activities to help you build your skills. Each Penn Foster High School course includes a quick video to introduce the course and the material you will be learning. Here is a preview of the welcome videos for Basic English and Math.

Basic English

Watch the Basic English introductory video to see how Penn Foster English courses can help you.

General Math 1

Watch the General Math introductory video to see how Penn Foster math courses apply to your everyday life.
You are required to take five credits in electives.
Computer Specifications
As you know this is an online academic program. This means you will need high-speed internet access to begin your program. In addition, you will need access to a Microsoft® Windows® based computer running Windows 7® or later or an Apple® Mac® computer running OS X® or later, and an email account to participate in and complete your program. Computer specifications for Information Technology Pathway: You will need high-speed internet access to begin your program. In addition, you will need access to a Microsoft® Windows® based computer running Windows 7® or later, Microsoft® Office 365, and an email account to participate in and complete your program.
State Restrictions
We reserve the right to change program content and materials when it becomes necessary. Microsoft, Windows XP are trademarks of Microsoft Corporation registered in the United States of America and/or other jurisdictions. Apple, Mac, and OS X are trademarks of Apple, Inc. registered in the United States and/or other jurisdictions.
Enroll Now Get Info

Start for $1 Save up to $316!

offer ends 6/15/17