The paces

Kindergarten to a bachelor's, at your speed.

Every pace covers the same Illinois requirements for that grade. The only thing that changes is how much lands on your desk each morning. Start a K-to-bachelor path and you do not have to pick the college program today; decide when high school is almost finished. Each pace is a structure, not a promise about when any one student will finish.

Watch: how the paces differ

A 40-second look at daily load and where each pace ends.

Elementary (K–5)

Elementary Core

Kindergarten through 5th grade, one grade per year, done by lunch.

Completes elementary school one grade at a time

A standard elementary path: kindergarten through 5th grade, one grade per school year. Reading, math, writing, science, social studies and the Illinois-required health and safety topics are scheduled every day the calendar says school is in session.

Best for: Families starting young who want a calm, predictable rhythm and plenty of afternoon left over.

A normal school day: Three to five short lessons — roughly 60–90 minutes in kindergarten, growing toward two hours by 5th grade.

  • Each grade is enrolled and paid for on its own; you never buy six years at once.
  • At the end of every grade you retake the short survey so the next grade matches how your child actually learns now.

Bought one box at a time

Kindergarten

1st Grade

2nd Grade

3rd Grade

4th Grade

5th Grade

Each box is its own enrollment: a fresh survey, its own curriculum order and its own price. The next box unlocks only after the current one is finished and the new one is paid for.

Elementary Accelerated

K–5 at an accelerated pace — one grade per semester for a student who is ahead.

Completes elementary school at an accelerated pace

The same elementary content at double speed — one grade per semester. Nothing is skipped; the daily lesson count is simply higher and the calendar is denser.

Best for: A student already reading and working above grade level who gets bored waiting for the rest of the year.

A normal school day: Six to nine lesson items, usually two and a half to three hours of focused work.

  • Still purchased one grade at a time — a semester's grade at a time, in practice.
  • Parents approve every completed day, so pace can be dialed back at any grade boundary.

Bought one box at a time

Kindergarten

1st Grade

2nd Grade

3rd Grade

4th Grade

5th Grade

Each box is its own enrollment: a fresh survey, its own curriculum order and its own price. The next box unlocks only after the current one is finished and the new one is paid for.

Junior high (6–8)

Junior High Core

6th through 8th grade at a normal pace, including the Constitution test.

Completes junior high one grade at a time

6th, 7th and 8th grade at the traditional pace, one grade per year. Includes the Illinois-required U.S. and Illinois Constitution coursework and test in 8th grade, plus the writing and pre-algebra-to-algebra progression that high school assumes.

Best for: Families who want junior high to stay ordinary and unhurried.

A normal school day: Five subjects a day in short blocks — about two hours.

  • Each grade is a separate enrollment with its own curriculum order.
  • Finishing 8th grade opens the high school paces, not an automatic purchase.

Bought one box at a time

6th Grade

7th Grade

8th Grade

Each box is its own enrollment: a fresh survey, its own curriculum order and its own price. The next box unlocks only after the current one is finished and the new one is paid for.

Junior High Accelerated

All three junior high grades at an accelerated pace, so high school starts early.

Completes junior high at an accelerated pace

All three junior high grades in two years by running one grade per semester through part of the path. Students land in 9th-grade work a full year early without skipping the Constitution requirement or the algebra runway.

Best for: A student who wants a head start on high school and can handle a longer morning.

A normal school day: Seven or eight lesson items, roughly three hours.

  • Still grade by grade at checkout — the pace changes, the purchase pattern does not.
  • You can drop back to the core pace at any grade boundary.

Bought one box at a time

6th Grade

7th Grade

8th Grade

Each box is its own enrollment: a fresh survey, its own curriculum order and its own price. The next box unlocks only after the current one is finished and the new one is paid for.

Junior High + Two-Year Diploma

Start in 6th grade and move straight into an accelerated high school diploma path.

Completes junior high and high school at an accelerated pace

A compressed run that starts in 6th grade and finishes with a high school diploma: two years for junior high, two years for all four high school grades. Every Illinois credit requirement is still scheduled — the calendar just runs one grade per semester.

Best for: A driven middle schooler ready for an accelerated diploma path.

A normal school day: Eight or nine lesson items, about four hours of school.

  • Each of the seven grades is enrolled and paid for separately as the student reaches it.
  • College programs are a separate decision later — nothing is committed now.

Bought one box at a time

6th Grade

7th Grade

8th Grade

9th Grade

10th Grade

11th Grade

12th Grade

Each box is its own enrollment: a fresh survey, its own curriculum order and its own price. The next box unlocks only after the current one is finished and the new one is paid for.

High school & college

Short Days

Four years of high school with short daily lessons, usually done by lunch.

Completes high school one grade at a time

Four traditional years of high school with the whole Illinois credit load spread out, so most days end before lunch. Assignments are laid out day by day, and the transcript builds itself as work is approved.

Best for: Students balancing a job, sport, farm, or ministry alongside school.

A normal school day: About two hours a day, four to six lesson items.

  • 9th, 10th, 11th and 12th grade are four separate enrollments.
  • You can accelerate later — the pace is re-chosen at every grade.

Bought one box at a time

9th Grade

10th Grade

11th Grade

12th Grade

Each box is its own enrollment: a fresh survey, its own curriculum order and its own price. The next box unlocks only after the current one is finished and the new one is paid for.

Three-Year Diploma

Three years of high school with a slightly longer school day, no summer required.

Completes high school at a three-year pace

High school on a three-year pace with a moderately longer school day and no summer sessions required. The same credits as the four-year path, compressed into a tighter calendar.

Best for: A student who wants a shorter path without a dramatic jump in daily work.

A normal school day: About three hours a day, six or seven lesson items.

  • Each grade is enrolled and shipped separately, two weeks before it starts.
  • Pace is a structure, not a promise about when any one student will finish.

Bought one box at a time

9th Grade

10th Grade

11th Grade

12th Grade

Each box is its own enrollment: a fresh survey, its own curriculum order and its own price. The next box unlocks only after the current one is finished and the new one is paid for.

Two-Year Diploma

Compress all four high school grades into two years by doing one grade per semester.

Completes high school at a two-year pace

All four high school grades on a two-year pace by running one grade per semester. Nothing is dropped — the day is simply fuller, and the calendar keeps every required course on schedule.

Best for: A focused student who wants an accelerated diploma path and time for college or work after.

A normal school day: About four hours a day, eight or nine lesson items.

  • Still one grade at a time at checkout, roughly every six months.
  • Parent approval on daily work keeps the accelerated pace honest.

Bought one box at a time

9th Grade

10th Grade

11th Grade

12th Grade

Each box is its own enrollment: a fresh survey, its own curriculum order and its own price. The next box unlocks only after the current one is finished and the new one is paid for.

Diploma + Associate Pathway

Finish high school at an accelerated pace, then move into a two-year associate degree program.

Completes high school and an associate degree pathway

An accelerated high school pace, then a two-year associate degree program at a relaxed project cadence. College work is competency-based, so progress comes from finished projects rather than seat time.

Best for: Students who want a degree started immediately after high school without an intense college load.

A normal school day: About four hours a day in high school; one college project due every four school days after that.

  • High school grades are purchased one at a time; college terms are enrolled separately.
  • The associate degree is awarded by the partner degree program, not by Quick Academy.

Bought one box at a time

9th Grade

10th Grade

11th Grade

12th Grade

Associate degree · Year 1

Associate degree · Year 2

Each box is its own enrollment: a fresh survey, its own curriculum order and its own price. The next box unlocks only after the current one is finished and the new one is paid for.

Three-Year Associate Pathway

Earn a high school diploma at an accelerated pace, then complete an associate degree program.

Completes high school and an accelerated associate degree pathway

A diploma on an accelerated high school pace and an associate degree in the following year. The college year runs at a fast competency pace with a project due every other school day.

Best for: A student targeting an accelerated associate degree pathway.

A normal school day: About four hours a day, with a college project due every two school days in the associate year.

  • Every grade and every college term is a separate enrollment and payment.
  • Degree conferral comes from the partner program.

Bought one box at a time

9th Grade

10th Grade

11th Grade

12th Grade

Associate degree

Each box is its own enrollment: a fresh survey, its own curriculum order and its own price. The next box unlocks only after the current one is finished and the new one is paid for.

Four-Year Bachelor Pathway

The original

Accelerated high school followed by one year each for associate and bachelor's degrees.

Completes high school and both degree pathways

The original Quick Academy path: accelerated high school, then one year for an associate degree and one year for a bachelor's, with the college half running on competency projects instead of semesters.

Best for: The self-directed student targeting a bachelor's degree through an accelerated structure.

A normal school day: About four hours a day in high school; one college project due every two school days.

  • Grades and college terms are purchased one at a time as the student reaches them.
  • The college program choice is made near the end of high school.
  • Quick Academy is not accredited and does not grant degrees; the partner program does.

Bought one box at a time

9th Grade

10th Grade

11th Grade

12th Grade

Associate degree

Bachelor's degree

Each box is its own enrollment: a fresh survey, its own curriculum order and its own price. The next box unlocks only after the current one is finished and the new one is paid for.

Six-Year Bachelor Pathway

Take a full four years for high school, then add an associate and a bachelor's degree afterward.

Completes high school and both degree pathways

A full, unhurried four years of high school followed by two accelerated college years — an associate, then a bachelor's. Short school days for the high school half, competency projects for the college half.

Best for: Students who don't want to rush high school but still want a degree early.

A normal school day: About two hours a day in high school; a college project every two school days afterward.

  • Six separate enrollments, one at a time, over six years.
  • Degrees are awarded by the partner degree program.

Bought one box at a time

9th Grade

10th Grade

11th Grade

12th Grade

Associate degree

Bachelor's degree

Each box is its own enrollment: a fresh survey, its own curriculum order and its own price. The next box unlocks only after the current one is finished and the new one is paid for.

Full K–12 path

Full K–12 Path

Kindergarten all the way through a diploma, one grade at a time.

Completes K–12 one grade at a time

The whole thing, kindergarten through a high school diploma, one grade per year on Illinois standards. Elementary days are short, junior high adds the Constitution requirement, and high school schedules the full credit load course by course.

Best for: Families who want one plan that carries a child from kindergarten to a diploma without rebuilding it every few years.

A normal school day: Grows with the student: about an hour in kindergarten, two hours in elementary, closer to three by senior year.

  • This is a map, not a bundle — you enroll, order books for, and pay for one grade at a time.
  • Every grade begins with a fresh survey, so the curriculum can change as your child does.
  • Completed grades stay on the record and transcript permanently.

Bought one box at a time

Kindergarten

1st Grade

2nd Grade

3rd Grade

4th Grade

5th Grade

6th Grade

7th Grade

8th Grade

9th Grade

10th Grade

11th Grade

12th Grade

Each box is its own enrollment: a fresh survey, its own curriculum order and its own price. The next box unlocks only after the current one is finished and the new one is paid for.

K–12 + Bachelor's

Every grade from kindergarten on, accelerating into both degrees at the end.

Completes K–12 and continues into the associate and bachelor's pathway

Kindergarten through a bachelor's degree on an accelerated structure. Elementary runs at a normal pace, junior high and high school run one grade per semester, and the final two years are competency-based college work toward an associate and then a bachelor's degree.

Best for: Families planning far ahead who want the option of an accelerated degree pathway.

A normal school day: Normal elementary days early on; about four hours a day once acceleration starts, with a college project due every other school day at the end.

  • Purchased grade by grade the entire way — including the college terms, which are enrolled one term at a time.
  • You do not pick a college program now; that decision comes when high school is nearly finished.
  • Quick Academy is not an accredited school and does not grant the degrees — college coursework runs through the partner degree program.

Bought one box at a time

Kindergarten

1st Grade

2nd Grade

3rd Grade

4th Grade

5th Grade

6th Grade

7th Grade

8th Grade

9th Grade

10th Grade

11th Grade

12th Grade

Associate degree

Bachelor's degree

Each box is its own enrollment: a fresh survey, its own curriculum order and its own price. The next box unlocks only after the current one is finished and the new one is paid for.

Built on Illinois requirements

In Illinois a homeschool is treated as a private school. State law asks that instruction be in English and cover the branches of education taught to public school children — language arts, mathematics, biological and physical sciences, social sciences, fine arts, and physical development and health. There is no state-issued homeschool diploma and no state credit minimum for homeschools.

The credit list below is the Illinois public high school graduation standard. Quick Academy plans to it by choice, so your student's records look familiar to colleges and employers — it is not a legal requirement for homeschools. Requirements change; confirm current rules with the Illinois State Board of Education or your own legal counsel. Packets plan to the 16-credit standard — no electives, just the core courses for each grade. More states are on the way.

Kindergarten through 8th grade

  • Language arts — reading, writing, spelling and grammar
  • Mathematics
  • Biological and physical science
  • Social sciences, including U.S. history and American government
  • Fine arts — art and music
  • Health and daily physical development
  • The U.S. and Illinois Constitution test before finishing 8th grade

High school credits

  • 4 credits of English
  • 3 credits of Math including Algebra I and geometry content
  • 2 credits of Science
  • 2 credits of Social Studies including U.S. History, plus a semester of civics
  • 1 credit of art, music, world language or vocational study
  • Daily physical education, plus health and consumer education

Quick Academy is a curriculum, planning and recordkeeping service for homeschooling families. It is not an accredited school and does not award an accredited diploma or degree. The parent or guardian remains the educational authority for the homeschool.

College degrees are awarded by the applicable accredited institution, not Quick Academy. Admission, tuition, financial aid, transfer and application of credits, degree requirements and graduation are all determined by that institution or provider.