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We're here 9am-9pm ET Mon-Fri

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JMHS Blog

How Does High School Credit Recovery Work

Written by Nicole Krempasky on Tuesday, 09 March 2021. Posted in Adult Learner, Helpful Tips

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Life takes a lot of twists and turns, often ones we never expect. These turns may now mean that you’re missing some of the credits you need in order to complete your high school diploma. Find out how James Madison High School’s individual courses can help you recover your missing credits so you can finish your high school degree affordably and from your own home.

What is high school credit recovery?

The idea of taking individual high school courses may not be a common one, or something you even realize is possible until the need arises. There are many reasons why a student might need to take individual or stand-alone classes, like missing part or all of the class due to illness or injury, or not passing the class the first time around.

The Making up the missing credits is called credit recovery, and doing so through your local high school can sometimes be a complicated process. Classes are often conducted at specific times during a set time of year, making it difficult if you have other responsibilities on your plate. Adult learners sometimes face even more obstacles, needing to complete their diploma within a certain time frame for a job or having to balance a current job and family responsibilities. Whatever the reason, at JMHS, credit recovery is available to help make sure you can finish your studies on your timetable right from home. With open enrollment, you can enroll in the class or classes that are missing from your transcripts at any time during the year, so you don’t have to wait for inconvenient registration deadlines.

How can I recover my high school credits?

Because JMHS offers individual classes, you don’t need to enroll in a full program, meaning you can avoid repeating classes you’ve already taken. Instead, just enroll in the individual course or courses you’re missing. In addition to helping if you’ve missed or failed a course in the past, it’s also a good way to catch up to your graduating class if you’re still enrolled in high school.

In addition to being able to start your missing courses at any point during the year, you can work on them during whatever part of the day that works for your schedule, since all courses are self-paced. This means you can tailor your studies to your study-style. If you work better in the mornings, you can complete your work then. Or, if you’re a night owl, focus your attention on your classes at that time. If you have more than one course to make up, you have the freedom to complete them at the same time or work on them individually to ensure you understand the material completely before moving onto the next subject.

In order to enroll in individual classes for credit recovery, first find out for certain from your high school or guidance counselor which classes you’re missing or for which you need credit. JMHS is an accredited high school, but also check with your high school to be sure they will accept the needed credits from JMHS. Then, just get a copy of your transcript to submit to JMHS and enroll in your classes!

What classes can I take?

With JMHS, you can select up to five individual courses in which to enroll. All classes can commonly be found as part of traditional public high school curriculum, so there are a variety of subject areas from which to choose:

  • Math
    • Algebra
    • Geometry
    • Pre-calculus
  • Social Studies
    • American History
    • American Government and Economics
    • World History
  • Science
    • Biology
    • Chemistry
    • Earth Science
    • Physics
  • English
    • English classes levels I through IV
    • Public Speaking
  • Foreign Language
    • Spanish levels I through III

Give yourself credit with James Madison

Missing credits doesn't mean you can’t build for your future. Take the next steps towards earning your high school diploma online by letting James Madison help you recover the credits you need. Call an Admissions Specialist at or enroll online now.

About the Author

Nicole Krempasky

Nicole Krempasky

Nicole Krempasky earned a BA in Communications with a minor in Art History from Arcadia University. Just finishing her MA in International Journalism from Edinburgh Napier University, she is putting her writing and research skills to use as Penn Foster’s Marketing Coordinator. Nicole enjoys baking, traveling, and British TV.