Bridging Home and College: The Ivy Tech Advantage for Homeschool Students

At just 13 years old, Andy Rogers Jr. started taking the IndyGo bus to the downtown Indianapolis campus of Ivy Tech Community College. Homeschooled, his mother, Jaime Rogers, recognized his readiness for college-level coursework early on.

“Looking back on it, he probably did better than he should have at that age,” Jaime laughed as she recalled the beginning of her eldest son’s higher education journey.

“I thought, ‘He’s so responsible and smart—he should be able to do this,’” Jaime recalled. “We thought, ‘if he has the option to earn his associate degree before he even graduates high school, we’re good for that.’”

The Rogers are far from alone in seeing the benefits of Ivy Tech’s dual enrollment for their homeschooled teens over the last few years, as Ivy Tech Indianapolis has seen a sharp increase in both dual enrollment and dual credit for homeschooled students. 

After 2020, dual enrollment and dual credit for homeschooled students surged at the Indianapolis campus, increasing by 329.4% from 2019 to 2023. Full-time post-high school enrollment among homeschooled students also rose by a striking 384.6% during the same period.

This is a graph showing the trend of homeschooled high school students who were either dual-enrolled or taking dual credit courses from 2014 to 2024. After a slight dip in 2020, there is a sharp increase in dual enrollment for homeschooled students, representing a 329.4% rise from 2019 to 2023. At the time of this reporting, the dual credit and dual enrollment of homeschooled students in 2024 is on track to keep pace with 2023.

Here is the graph showing the trend of revenue-generating student enrollment from the academic year 2019-2020 to 2023-2024, representing a 384.6% increase. As the graph indicates, there has been a steady and significant increase in full-time enrollment of students who were homeschooled during secondary education over these years, with the highest count in 2023-2024.

Homeschooling itself has grown rapidly, with an estimated 1.9–2.7 million homeschooled students in the U.S. by 2023. Ivy Tech Indianapolis’ numbers could also potentially be even higher, as “homeschooled” is a non-required student-reported field. This is not surprising, as Indiana is one of 11 states that do not require parents to notify the Indiana Department of Education (DOE) when they decide to educate their children at home.

Dr. Andrew Buckle, Ivy Tech Indianapolis’ Executive Director of K-14, highlights the rise of homeschool co-ops, where families collaborate on education and often include college courses. 

“The concept of a family at home learning from a parent is what I think most people think of when they hear homeschooling, but the reality is much more complex than that. Co-ops and a la carte education certainly are growing more popular in this space,” Dr. Buckle said. “Individual families and homeschooling communities are looking for new ways to educate their children in what might be more nontraditional means. One of those means, as you can imagine, is supplementing their own educational endeavors at home with a co-op curriculum for their high schooler and enrolling in college courses as well.”

Today, nearly all families question the cost of higher education and even wonder if it is worth it, Dr. Buckle notes. Families with this dilemma, who were likely considering a more traditional four-year pathway after high school, are now thinking about how their local community college can help them on their higher education journey.

“More students can finish a credential with Ivy Tech and utilize our transfer partnerships more than other subgroups. Parents can also rethink their college savings if they know they can chip away at the cost of college while their student is in high school,” Dr. Buckle shared. “Going into our Free Summer term, I met with many homeschooling co-ops to market our initiative and Ivy Tech as a whole. Since, co-op administrators and some parents have shared their interests, and are looking for ways to partner more systematically with us. I would expect this to grow.”

Moving to Indy for Better

The Tucek family moved to Indianapolis from Illinois.

Their eldest son, Joseph, has been homeschooled his entire life and enrolled in Ivy Tech courses during his high school years once they landed in Indy. He balanced college courses, both online and in-person, at the Lawrence site while working through his high school classes at home.

The Tucek's relocation was partly inspired by their desire to be closer to a “plethora” of college options while living in a major metropolitan area. Ivy Tech Indianapolis became a natural choice for the family due to its cost, location, and value. 

“We’ve never heard a bad thing about Ivy Tech – It has such a great reputation,” Kathy Tucek, Joseph’s mom, explained. “Ivy Tech just made sense for us…The flexibility of Ivy Tech’s dual-enrollment program allowed Joseph to manage both his homeschool work and college courses without feeling overwhelmed.” 

Coincidentally enough, the Rogers family also moved to Indianapolis from Illinois by way of Kentucky. 

Not only are the Rogers Hoosier natives, but they knew the move back home would allow them to homeschool their children and potentially enroll them in college courses at Ivy Tech. Jaime jokes that her family has a legacy of attending Ivy Tech, with multiple family members, including her sister, mother-in-law, and their nieces and nephews, attending the College. Even Andy Sr., who graduated with an associate’s degree in informatics in 2020.

“I tell everybody that I know – especially the homeschool community – ‘Do you guys know that Ivy Tech has this program available? Or that program available’” Jaime said, chuckling. “I push the free summer courses all the time, trying to encourage other families to get going because it is such an amazing opportunity.”

The Rogers and Tucek families are among nearly 32,000 people who moved to Indiana from Illinois between 2018 and 2022, according to a report by Axios, as Indiana was among the top states for transplants from its neighboring Midwest states, including Michigan and Ohio.  

Fostering Independent Learning

For the Rogers and Tucek families, homeschooling encouraged independence and self-directed learning.

Jaime wanted her children to have opportunities free from systemic biases, tailoring their education to prepare them for college rigor.

“I wanted my children to be pushed. I didn’t want them to have limits based on the color of their skin,” Jaime said. "I enabled them over time to be able to teach themselves so that by the time they get to high school, they can do these things on their own, just as Andy Jr. has done. 

“Homeschooling really goes hand in hand with independent learning,” Andy Sr. continued. “To Jaime’s point, for many of his high school years, Andy Jr. was actually teaching himself, doing research and learning the curriculum on his own.”

Kathy echoed similar sentiments, stressing the importance of building initiative and confidence. The way to unlock that, she says, is finding the right curriculum for each student – as not every one of her children follows the same curriculum. Some find success with one, while others might find success with another. 

“When you start schooling with such a strong and consistent support network, I think that honestly gives your children so much confidence. If Joseph, or any of our kids, were struggling to understand something, they knew they could come to us, as their parents and teachers, or any of their siblings,” she said. “By the time they get to high school, you want them in a place where they can do these seemingly hard things on their own. Building initiative and a continual drive is an important lesson for them, especially as they go off to college and enter the workplace.”

Flexible & Accessible Exploration

The decision to enroll their children in college courses while still in high school wasn’t made lightly, but both the Rogers and Tucek families recognized the value of an early college experience. 

For Jaime, the decision to enroll Andy Jr. at Ivy Tech was a practical choice to set him up for success. 

"I thought, ‘Why wait if he's capable?’ The courses were there, and we knew he could handle it,” Jaime explained. “So we took advantage of what Ivy Tech offered,” she continued. “We knew it was a chance for him to jump-start his future. College credits, even without a degree yet, can open doors—whether that’s in work, in a trade, or at university.”

Joseph’s decision to enroll in Ivy Tech began with a similar rationale. After learning about Ivy Tech’s dual enrollment program at a homeschool convention, Joseph’s parents saw the value in him starting college early, exploring different courses, and helping him decide what degree path to pursue.

“It just made sense for us, especially with how flexible the dual enrollment courses were,” Kathy said. “Joseph could balance both his homeschool work and college classes while exploring what he wanted to pursue without feeling overwhelmed.”

Dr. Buckle says he and his team hear the word “flexible” a lot in the homeschooling community and understand it is a core priority for many families. 

“Co-ops might function one to three days a week in high school but are not recognized as such in the state, so parents may enroll their high schooler in college courses too, or as an enhancement of their classwork,” Dr. Buckle said. “Since the DOE and the state as a whole are championing these efforts, I can see why dual enrollment is appealing for this learning style.”

Both families share that the resources and support from the Ivy Tech staff are helpful, especially in terms of communication. 

“The advisors were amazing. I felt very supported by all of Joseph’s advisors. They made it easy for me to schedule a time with them, which I appreciated the most,” Kathy said. 

Jaime echoed similar sentiments, adding that she appreciated the guidance of Robyn Williams, Ivy Tech Indianapolis’ Director of Transition and Dual Enrollment. 

“I appreciated that she really looked out for the students in the dual enrollment program, especially Andy Jr. during his tenure at Ivy Tech,” Jaime said. “She’s been instrumental.” 

Joseph balanced his college and high school coursework with a part-time internship at Elanco Animal Health. He worked mornings at Elanco as an IT intern and attended classes at Ivy Tech’s Lawrence site or did his high school-level work in the afternoons. 

“After working in the mornings, I get home, and still have plenty of time to do my schoolwork,” Joseph explained. “I can move my time forward or back, wherever I need it to be. It’s been really flexible,” he added.

For both families, homeschooling’s flexibility, paired with Ivy Tech’s adaptable course offerings, made it possible for their children to succeed in both academics and life.

“It’s opened so many doors,” Joseph said, noting how dual enrollment helped prepare him for the challenges of higher education. “I’ve been able to manage my time better and get ahead in my academic goals,” he said.

A Bright Future

 “Andy Jr.’s done several dual enrollment panels and helped out a lot with IvyLife,” his father, Andy Sr., said. 

This involvement, his parents say, helped Andy Jr. develop socially while still focusing on his studies, adding another layer of the early college experience beyond the classroom.

For Jaime, seeing her son earn his associate degree at the age of 17 is a proud moment that confirms they made the right choice. 

“When he’s 50 or 60 years old and successful, he’s not going to look back and say, ‘I wish I hadn’t taken classes early at Ivy Tech, because it messed up my entire life,’” Jaime said with a laugh. 

As both families look forward, they are confident that their children’s time at Ivy Tech has provided them with the foundation they need for future success, whether that means continuing to a four-year university with a head start or entering the workforce.

After graduation in May 2025, Andy Jr. plans to follow in his parents' footsteps and enlist in the U.S. Marines. He will join basic training in San Diego in the summer before enrolling in college – hopefully at Purdue University – in the fall. 

Joseph, who started his dual enrollment courses at 17, plans to continue his education at Ivy Tech for the first year or two of college, focusing on general education courses before transferring to a four-year university to likely pursue a degree in the digital arts.

Both Andy Jr. and Joseph are proof of the value that Ivy Tech offers to homeschool families, giving them not only a head start in higher education but a place to gain the confidence and skills needed to succeed in their future endeavors.