City of Tulare

Career Online High School (COHS) is an accredited online high school diploma and career certification program provided by Smart Horizons, a part of Cengage Learning. This California State Library pilot program makes COHS available through participating public libraries throughout the state. These libraries will offer free enrollment to a limited number of qualified adult students within their service areas.

Adults who are at least 19 years old and wish to earn their high school diplomas can apply to COHS.  Minors should pursue their high school education through existing high school programs.

Program applicants must live within the city of Tulare and have a Tulare Public Library card in good standing, or be willing to obtain one.

While both the GED and the high school diploma are important, there are several differences between them. Among the most significant is the fact that some colleges, institutions, and organizations require a high school diploma and may not accept the GED.  In addition to providing a high school diploma, COHS gives students the benefit of earning a career certificate and completing additional job preparation documents and training.

Students will be given up to 18 months to complete the program, which will consist of 18 credits. Students accepted into the program may transfer up to 14 credits from their former high schools.  Depending on how many credits a student is able to transfer, the program can be completed in as few as five months.

Complete the online survey.  After you have successfully finished the self-assessment, you will be contacted by your library within 5 business days to discuss the prerequisite course. Upon successful completion of the course, you will be contacted again by your library within 5 business days to schedule an interview and discuss your application into the program.