There are many online sources which allow you to learn html for free. W3Schools tizag echoecho remember to practice while learning, and to learn css after you finish html.
All you need to know is pagetutor.com: http://www.pagetutor.com/html_tutor/index.html It's a complete source. Look no further.
After learning the basics I would recommend getting a program like Adobe Dreamweaver and then trying to build a site (it can be as simple as you like). Any time you aren't sure of how to do something, Google it and you will get an answer. This is what I did and I have a pretty good understanding of HTML now.
Is the money for that w3schools certification really worth it? Because now I am interested in doing something like that before my next semester in college.