High school sophomore Jacob Heppe puts in 16 hours a week training in gymnastics—a sport he’s pursued for 11 years. He works equally hard on his studies, so when he earned a perfect 4.0 grade point average for the fall 2024 semester, he applied to USA Gymnastics for their Academic All-American Recognition award.

But the governing body for gymnastics in the US questioned Jacob’s GPA, because he’s homeschooled. Officials demanded that someone other than Jacob’s parents confirm his academic record.

HSLDA stepped in to resolve the situation.

Stability and flexibility

Julene Heppe started homeschooling Jacob when he was in kindergarten. (She homeschools their younger son as well.) Though the Heppes originally chose to homeschool for religious reasons, Julene said the decision also helped minimize disruptions to her sons’ education during the frequent moves required by her husband’s career in the US Air Force.

“Homeschooling has provided a lot of stability,” she said.

Jacob added it has also provided the flexibility to pursue gymnastics, which requires a major time commitment, not simply for training, but also for traveling to meets. The 15-year-old has already attended competitions in Colorado, Arizona, and Texas this year. He also plans to compete at an upcoming event in Oklahoma City.

Homeschooled teen Jacob Heppe at a recent competition

“A lot of the other boys have to take days off from school or show up late for practice,” he said.

Hitting an obstacle

As his grades attest, Jacob’s athletic pursuits have not hampered his ability to focus on academics. That’s why it was a disappointment when USA Gymnastics pushed back on his application for recognition as a top student.

The organization insisted it could not issue an academic award to Jacob unless his transcripts were “confirmed by the accredited independent organization or school system that is responsible for oversight and certification of [his] homeschool studies.”

Julene said she was unsure whether it was possible to comply with this requirement. So she leveraged her HSLDA membership for assistance.

“I knew HSLDA works on situations like this,” Julene stated. Shortly after her email query, she was contacted by HSLDA Senior Counsel Tj Schmidt. “I talked with him for about thirty minutes, and it was very helpful,” she said.

Reaching a solution

Schmidt was able to draw upon a good deal of experience dealing with agencies that govern college sports, such as the National Collegiate Athletic Association. He’s also assisted homeschooled athletes striving to compete at elite levels, including junior Olympians in sports ranging from archery to luge.

In Jacob’s case, Schmidt quickly ascertained the problem. Like many homeschooling families, the Heppes do not use an accredited agency for their educational program. And New Mexico requires families to submit homeschool paperwork directly with the state education department, rather than with the local public school.

Ultimately, Schmidt notified USA Gymnastics that the Heppes were homeschooling in accordance with New Mexico law and that Jacob had indeed earned straight A’s for the semester in question. He also urged the governing body to change its policy.

Jacob with his Academic All-American award

We have yet to hear whether USA Gymnastics intends to alter the way it examines the grades of homeschool students. However, just a few weeks after Schmidt sent his letter, the agency granted an Academic All-American Recognition award to Jacob.

Julene was gratified by the outcome. In addition to the award serving as recognition of Jacob’s hard work as a student, she said, “It’s a good thing to have on a college application because it shows he can balance academics and athletics.”