Why Homeschool?

More than two million America children are homeschooled and the numbers are growing.  Parents are taking their children’s education seriously, deciding to take matters into their own hands, and teaching their children at home.  This trend of removing children from the public education system and is some cases private schools to educate them in the home is one that many parents are choosing to follow for a myriad of reasons.

More than two million America children are homeschooled and the numbers are growing.  Parents are taking their children’s education seriously, deciding to take matters into their own hands, and teaching their children at home.  This trend of removing children from the public education system and is some cases private schools to educate them in the home is one that many parents are choosing to follow for a myriad of reasons.  

While hard statistics on this growing trend are difficult to come by, the US Department of Education does track numbers of students being homeschooled.  New studies have been conducted to determine why parents homeschool and how homeschooled students fare, not only on college entrance exams and in college, but later in life after they enter the workforce.

Studies show that the primary reason for homeschooling has a variety of reasons which include quality of education, family values, safety from various dangers, and a several other considerations.  High on the concern of parents who homeschool does so out of concerns for the safety of their children in the public school system where drug use, negative peer pressure, and violence are a growing issue to deal with daily for students.  Another prominent reasons for homeschooling expressed by about three-fourths of parents was a desire to include moral or religious instruction in their children’s education. More than half of all parents are increasingly dissatisfied with the academic instruction in the public schools, making this the third most important reason for homeschooling.

Parents who homeschool often feel that the other educational system are in one way or another failing their children.  They are choosing a course that harkens back to the 1800s in America, when many people moved West and schools were hard to come by.  Today, parents are choosing the best homeschool programs that fit with their own ideas of what their children need.  A significant segment of homeschoolers have chosen to teach their children at home for reasons of family values and quality of education and so choose teaching materials or schools that are consistent with their values and ensuring materials that challenge their children.

With homeschool numbers on the rise, this educational trend is leaving the realm of what is considered odd or “alternative” and entering the mainstream.   It’s the fastest growing education method in America, at a rate of 2-8% a year, and is also becoming more popular in other countries like the United Kingdom and Australia.  The trend spans race, economic demographics, religious beliefs, and education level of the parent; the common denominator in homeschoolers is simply a concern for the quality of the education that their children receive, and wanting the best for our kids knows no demographics.  

For whatever reason parents choose to homeschool or whether they write their own curriculum or purchase what they feel is the best homeschool programs for their kids, homeschool students tend to score higher than their peers in public education on the standardized tests, regardless of their parents’ education level.  They also score above average on college entrance exams and are starting to be actively recruited by colleges.   

Studies of adults who were homeschooled have found that they generally do better in college than their publicly educated counterparts, which leads to better jobs.

Adults who were homeschooled also actively participate in community service at higher rates than the public.  While these traits cannot be positively linked to homeschooling, the research does indicate very strongly that despite many misconceptions of homeschooling and the belief that it is not mainstream…homeschooling may in fact contribute greatly to a more educated and thoughtful population.  

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