Elementary & Middle Homeschoolers: Do you plan to continue homeschool through high school?

Question

It seems to be true that homeschool demographics are shaped like a pyramid. With most being elementary (base of pyramid) followed by middle school (middle of pyramid) and then the fewest homeschoolers being high school (tip of pyramid).

For elementary and middle homeschoolers: Do you intend to continue through high school? Why or why not?

Answer 1

Traditionally, the kids in my family have been home educated until the end of year 7 then gone away to boarding school for high school (years 8 to 12 here). That's how it was for my parents, grandparents and great grandparents.

Now, we're home educated right through from Kindie to the end of year 12.

When I have my own kids, I'll happily keep them at home right through to the end of year 12 if that's what they want, or alternatively I'll consider letting them go away to school once they've turned 13 if that's what they want (depending on the individual child and the quality and the ethos of the school they want to go to, of course!)

Answer 2

We plan to keep homeschooling on through high school. I've been involved with the local city high schools through foster parenting and I wasn't impressed. It is considered very hip in our city schools to dress and talk like a "gangsta". The kids are openly promiscuous and there are several mommies attending high school here. ( I don't judge them, but I don't want my daughter being exposed to the same situations and pressures that influenced their decisions not to wait or use a condom.) I spent time with honors students who did not have even a basic grasp of geography or literature. (One student was shocked to find out Haiti was a real place. She had thought it was fictional, because she had only heard of it in "Voodoo" movies.) I hear from friends that the county schools are better academically, but very preppy and conservative. We're quite the family of bohemians, so I don't know if we'd enjoy that kind of atmosphere. In one local county school, there was a fatal shooting a few years back. (Remember the kids shot at morning prayer? That was here.) A friend of mine's brother came home covered in the blood of another student. He had a cut on his face where a bullet knocked a sharp piece of marble off the wall and it struck him with enough force to break the skin. He'd been in the prayer circle when the gunman opened fire. He's lucky to be alive. It was pretty gruesome. He was scared for a while after that. Everyone was. I'm also involved in a women's group that is forming a mentoring program for high schools. We've been asked to do so by a concerned mother. The mother recently found out that her daughter is cutting herself and has an eating disorder. According to the daughter, she's only doing what her friends are doing. She thought it was normal. All things considered, I just think we can do better at home. Our little town has so much to offer in the way of extra curricular activities that I don't think there is a chance of my daughter getting bored. The library is filled with excellent books, so I don't think we'll run out of things to learn either.

EDIT: Hefalump's post reminded me, there was a middle school girl molested by a teacher here, about 3 years ago. She told, he was fired, then GIVEN A LETTER OF RECOMENDATION by the principal and sent to another school. This was found out by the public and the principal lost his job too. How horrifying.

EDIT: LOL Adding to the sarcasm: I guess my kid will grow up to be a mutant. I will learn to live with the guilt.

Answer 3

We originally planned on at least until the end of jr. high (so, end of gr. 9), then we'll see about high school (10-12).

Now we're thinking we'll probably go all the way through, unless some school option is available that seems too good to pass up or the kids really want to go to school. It'll depend on the academics a bit, too. My dd may very well be able to be able to start some high school courses when she's in gr. 8. She may not have any desire to be a 14yo in a class of 16/17yo's! My ds is only 7, so hard to say just yet. ;)

I've been noticing that while the pyramid you speak of has been true, there are more and more people deciding to homeschool through high school--a higher percentage than just the increase in homeschoolers in general.

Answer 4

I plan to continue all the way.  In fact, my oldest is in her first year of High School now.  I also have a second grader and a Kindergartner.   I intend to homeschool them all the way through.  The public schools get worse year by year, they are horrible right now, I don't even want to imagine what they'll be like when my second grader is old enough for High School!

Answer 5

We plan to go through high school with our kids except for one of my girls who has this desire to go to a Christian boarding school.    If we feel good about that at the time then she will do that for High School.  However, that is another 4 years away yet.

Answer 6

i plan to do highschool through the computer when i do high school so i guess yes

Answer 7

My parents homeschooled me all the way through highschool, and are planning on doing the same for all of my younger siblings.  I have heard of families sending their children back to public or private schools for highschool, but where I live it really isn't that common. Most homeschoolers around here opt to homeschool all the way through.

After all, whatever reasons you had for choosing to homeschool initially are most likely still there in highschool, and many of the problems in the schools simply get worse during those last four years.

Answer 8

We do, we believe that the high school years are actually the most important years to home school.

It is true that parents often loose their confidence come high school years; this is very unfortunate; they should trust that the foundation they laid is good enough to built on, and trust their children's abilities.

If there is a course that is too much, like lab chemistry, or a foreign language; let them take the class at a local community college, or vo-tech; many here do just that.

It is not unusual to see a 14, or 15 year old take such a class while finishing the rest of his/her high school program at home.

There is no need for young people to attend a conventional school for four years, when a high school program can easily be completed in two, giving them a head start on college classes, and an opportunity to get work experience as well.

Young adults who are not home schooled often opt for the GED, attend a virtual academy, or  an alternative high school for just those very reasons.

We do not place grade levels on our children at all, they work at their own pace, and often are using different levels in different subjects, but in the end all of them are done around age 16.

Answer 9

We started homeschooling in 8th grade.  I thought that high school would be easier for him in public school for two reasons.  One, we are on block system and the kids only take 4 classes a semester.  The other is that I work at the high school.  

Well, he did well at home in 8th grade and learned.  He took the standardized test without being 'taught the test' as he was in public school.   He did well on the standardized test.  It was impressive.

So... we gave him the choice of going back to public school and he chose to stay at home.

What convinced me more than anything was the answer from a seminar tape that I got from our local library.   The seminar was on high school home school and it gave me all the resources and convincing I needed to continue homeschooling.

One thing that stayed with me was the topic of "Reasons to Homeschool".  The reason we homeschool did not change from the 8th grade to the 9th.   He still learns better without distractions and with one on one attention.  That one on one attention may be in form of a video lecture that we watch and discuss together after watching it, but it is the way that he learns best.  We will stick with homeschooling.

Answer 10

We will.  My son is in 5th, has been homeschooled since he was 6.  Part of the reason is that he's already starting some courses that he'd otherwise take in high school (like Algebra), and part of the reason is that he wants to take a much broader range of courses than are offered in the schools around us.

He's already studied 3 foreign languages and intends to keep them going through high school; he is starting a 7th grade science curriculum soon, and the rest of his courses (writing, history, lit, geography, and several electives) are done through an integrated curriculum (TRISMS).  He works really well this way, being able to research and read at his own level, and doesn't want to go back to following the class.

At the rate he's going, he'll be finished with high school requirements by the time he's 14-15 and will be taking concurrent enrollment and AP through his high school years.  He'll likely graduate with several college credits.  There just wouldn't be any point in sending him back, you know?

Answer 11

I intend on homeschooling my daughter thru highschool.  I don't want her exposed to the same mess I was in highschool.

Answer 12

i agree with kyndra. i went to a public highschool. most of the highschools now and have been for a long time...under tight security because teens bring knives,guns, and drugs to school. there have been many cases of students even raping or sexually assaulting a teacher...not to mention teachers that have molested the students. my child is in public "elementary" school now...in kindergarten she was seriously injured by another student...later she was injured by a teacher who picked her up by her shirt because she was angry and left marks all on her neck. twice she has been missing at the school and their excuse was they have 600 students to keep up with! as soon as i am able...i will snatch her out of all public schooling. if i cant afford private "christian" school...then i will just have to not work...stay home and homeschool for the sake of my child.