What percentage of children are being home-schooled?

Question

I am seeing more and more children out an about in public on weekdays during what should be school hours and with whom I assume to be a parent. On a recent visit to the optometrist, a women came in with 3 children - a boy about 10, a girl about 7 and another girl about 5. Now this was on a Monday afternoon about 1 PM. I could see if one had to go to the clinic, but why bring all of them? I couldn't help asking her why the kids weren't in school. The woman replied very snobbishly, "They are HOME schooled!" Now why would a parent want to home school their kids when it can be done for them and they can have the kids out from underfoot for 6 blissful hours a day? They are paying school taxes anyway. Is home-schooling more prevalent now than 40 years ago? Back then I had never heard of this option.

Answer 1

Hi..23 yrs old mother of 4 kids

ages 6 yr old daughter 4 yr old daughter 2 yr old son and a 5 month old daughter. I am a HOMESCHOOL PARENT..

My daughter was in public schools at the begining of the year however some problems on her bus where the boys were touching the girls and they would not do anything about this I took my daughter out of public school to homeschool

I have to say..I LOVE IT...Homeschoolin is so great and wonderful. You can actually find most of the stuff you need online for free. From worksheets to some learning games. Take them to the library. I also started taking them to the Zoo recently. We will also be taking them to the Museum this summer. I am so excited and so are they. I homeschool my preschooler because they said before she could enter Preschool she would need ADHD meds. And I disagree. To me they put these kids on meds to shut them up. Where they need to be social..And at 4  yrs old most kids are loud and very active.

Well anyways Homeschool is great.  I can be with my kids all day everyday and not have to worry about them and know that they are safe. And teaching them is so awesome..

Pround 23 yr old mother of 4 kids

ages 5months - 6yrs old

Answer 2

that was mean of that woman. she should have just replied like "oh they are home schooled" jeez that was mean. its not hard to just say it nicely. anyway i used to do that to and i was scared someone was going to say something to me(im not homeschooled) but my mom had to take me out weekly and we would go in stores, and i thought it was weird not being in school. Anyway i think it is getting to where parents want there kids to be safer especilaly after the Virgina Tech stuff happened and when kids get into trouble with other things, or they get bullied. it has gone up alot higher now

Answer 3

It is difficult to number how many homeschoolers there are, because of the differences in reporting requirements from state to state (some states require no reporting at all).  It is estimated that somewhere around 1-2 million children are homeschooled in the United States.  

Yes, homeschooling is more common now than it was 40 years ago.  The laws have changed, the school system has deteriorated, and more parents are choosing to take on their responsibility of educating their children themselves, rather than outsourcing it to a public or private school.  Other options, such as homebound but still a public school student and virtual schooling are growing as well (and often confused with homeschooling).  However, homeschooling did exist 40 years ago-public schooling is actually the "new" method.  

I would point out that you pay taxes to the school system whether you have children or not; whether they are infants, school age, or grown; whether you choose public school, private school or homeschool.  It is mandatory.  Those same taxes are used for programs such as food stamps and medicaid, but (most) people do not rely on that unless they have to.  Whether a family chooses to rely on government schooling or not is, frankly, none of your business.

Perhaps this mother took all three of her children for their checkups at the same time?  I do that when possible.  We live in a rural area, and with gas so high I definitely multi task every chance I get.  It saves time and money.

Also, some people love their children and do not think they need a government daycare in the guise of a school to babysit their children six hours a day.  I like having my children "underfoot", or rather, under my wing.

Answer 4

Hmm, are you assuming that the kids aren't doing any school work because they're "out and about" all day long?  Do you realize how much time is *wasted* in the 6-7 hours public school children are in school???  (Or any B&M school for that matter.)

Homeschooling, for my 10 y.o., only takes about 3 hours per day of direct formal curriculum work.  The rest of his day (usually about 6 more hours) is filled with self-directed independent study, classes outside the home, homeschool co-op, volunteering, scouts, clubs, and more.

My 8 y.o. daughter is in a public school.  So I know what PS is like and what HS is like.  In my DD's class, they spend 40 minutes in the morning just having breakfast (while watching the Cartoon Network!!!), then it's 20 minutes of bathroom time, 10 minutes or so to calm the kids back down, 20 minutes of circle time, 5-10 minutes lining the kids up to go to PE/Music/Library/Reading Lab, more time to settle them down there....a long time for lunch, on and on and on.  My son gets more 1:1 attention in his 3 hours than she does all day.  Then she has to ride the bus for 45 minutes in the morning, and 90 minutes in the afternoon.

FWIW, my HS'ed son *always* goes to his sister's doctor appointments - which are a lot.  He used to go to all her therapy (4 types) appointments also (now they're at school).  I bet you're one of the people who would give us a dirty look, or say, "Oh, is school out today?"

Did you ever think that the mom you saw doesn't have a sitter to drop one or more of the kids off to be watched?  What's wrong with bringing kids to a medical appointment?  Do you know how *much* education they can get????  When my son was 4 and under, he'd memorize all the anatomy posters.  By the time he was five, he could tell you major and minor muscles and how they work and how they can get messed up.  Why?  Because he'd been to sooooo many physical and occupational therapy sessions with his sister.  I've had several rounds of PT myself and he always tags along.  Most medical staff love discussing what they're doing with him.  They enjoy it not only because he's interested, but because he knows how to talk to adults respectfully and comfortably, because, like the HS'ed kids you saw at the optometrist, he's out in the *community* where *real life* happens.  He's not stuck in some crowded room with 25 other kids all within a year of his age.

You ask why a parent would want to homeschool their kids.  Well, did you ever stop to think that *some* people actually *like* their kids and enjoy being around them???  Personally I don't want my son's education done "for him".  My husband and I love to teach him.  Why?  Because no brick and mortar school, save for a very expensive private school for the gifted, can give our son what he needs:  individualized pacing, the ability to skip many grades, curriculum to meet his learning style, and the extra time in a day he receives to learn in more depth.  He doesn't have to wait for other kids to "catch up" or to behave to learn.  He can do it anytime, anywhere.

I don't see my son being at home all day as being "underfoot".  Quite the contrary.  He's been HS'ed all his life, too.  His sister attends a public school because they can teach her.  He's profoundly gifted and she's multiply disabled.  We do what works best for each child, and this is it.

In addition, it was our very school district who told us to HS our son when he was four.  They restated the same when they tested his IQ and academic achievement at age 7.  We've since moved and guess what?  The new district says the same.

We do pay taxes to our district - a LOT of taxes - $3600/year.  On top of that, we pay another $3000/year to homeschool our son.  Why?  Because it's the way it has to be.  We love it.  Our son loves it.  We love him, and being with him.

Before government public schools were "invented" to teach the masses and make a class of workers, the majority of children were educated at home.  Those who could afford it chose private tutoring or boarding schools.  Then the public school "assembly line" came along.  Then in the 1980's or so, families decided they could do much better.  So they started HS'ing.  It's legal in all 50 states.

FWIW, my son is 10 and tests better than 90% of 8th graders overall.  He's better than 99% of 8th graders in science and grammar also.  Contrast that with our local public school district graduating only 42% of 12th graders, and only having them score in the 40's for math and the 30's for reading.  No thank you for us - you can keep our tax money to throw it down the drain.

Answer 5

I have heard estimates from as low as 2% to as high as 10% of all American children homeschool. HSLDA says it's a higher percentage than the 1% that most news agencies quote.

Most homeschooling parents find time with their children blissful.  They don't have to dump them at a government nanny office to babysit in order to find bliss.

Answer 6

100% of my children are homeschooled. (smile)

I want to apologize for the homeschool mom's snobbish tone when she gave you the answer.   Some people live in areas where home school is under scrutiny and they get defensive.  

We are blessed to live in a homeschool friendly state where homeschool is accepted as normal.    

We have kids because we love kids and we want to be around them.   I think home schooling is more prevalent because of technology.   We can find answers with a simple search online.   We keep thinking of questions, keep getting anwers and keep getting an education..  The cycle doesn't end and we are not limited to what our state says we need to know, what the majority needs to know, or time limits of 8-3.

Answer 7

Rotfl...I'm sure you were being facetious when you asked why any parent would want to homeschool. I happen to enjoy being with my kids, and I love watching them learn. Too bad that lady was such a snob, most homeschoolers I know are very friendly, unless feeling attacked by someone who is asking why their kids aren't in school. ;-)

As for percentages, it's my understanding that there are more than 1.5 million homeschoolers in the US alone. That's out of approximately 80 million children between birth and 18.

Answer 8

"Now why would a parent want to home school their kids when it can be done for them and they can have the kids out from underfoot for 6 blissful hours a day?"

How sad that you think of your kids as something just to be managed.

I LOVE that my kids are with me during most of the day. We share a close relationship and they are great kids. You almost sound like your kids are some type of burden, they are far from that to me. They are only under my roof for about 18 years, after that, they will be living their own lives and I will be counting the moments until the next time they visit!

Answer 9

I’m sure you were only curious but it really is none of your business why her children are out in public with their mother. Homeschoolers get that question all the time and we do get tired of it. You may have even taken a tone first, since your question indicates you were being a little judgmental of the woman’s choice to bring her kids to the office in the first place. Imagine if every time you left your house someone acted like you should not be out in public. You’d get annoyed pretty quick I bet. No one means to offend, but it does get old. Our children do not need to be shut away in a school. They belong in our communities learning about the world around them.

     Why would I want my child to go away for six hours everyday? I am blissful with her home. I enjoy her company. She is very polite and never underfoot. Parenting is not an unwanted chore, it is what parents do. If I hated children, I would not have one. I chose to homeschool because our schools had failed my child entirely. She was in the third grade and could not read. The schools answer was to insist on ever increasing doses of medication for ADD. She was gaunt, doped up and still not learning. At that point my husband and I realized that we could not do any worse than the professionals had done, so we brought her home. Now she is drug free, enjoys reading and learning and has more time to play with her friends than she had before. We handle her distractibility by giving frequent breaks, lots of physical activity, one on one instruction, healthy meals and we play to her interests and strengths. She could not get that in public school. Is it challenging? Sure. Does it take time? Yeah. It is also a pleasure and a privilege to guide my daughter’s education. If we had not, I shudder to think of what would have become of our child.

Is homeschooling gaining popularity? Yes. Parents need options and schools are not providing them. I don’t mind paying the taxes. I do wish they were put to better use.

Answer 10

Isn't it like more than 8 hours of school? And then 4 hours of home work that you have to teach to them while you are trying to cook dinner, clean up a days mess, and spend some time with the kids who are so micro managed you have to schedule time for them? We haven't even mentioned the husband who is probably walking in at this point existed!

My kids are 9 (almost 10), 5 and almost 2 (both my almost have birthdays in about a week). That is what I was going through while my oldest was in school. Plus the stress of getting her on the bus and hoping she didn't have a black eye again when she got off! Getting to the bus stop on time because if you aren't there the kids don't get off they go back to school!

Why bring all the kids to a Dr's appointment? Well I  for one will say it can be difficult to find a teenager to watch your kids for an hour or two during school hours (unless you have one). Maybe they all had appointments? Not just at the Optometrist but maybe at a Dr's office? Or the dentist? Maybe she had to drop them off at various activities immediately after.

Yes I pay school taxes! I have to they don't give me a choice! Would I pay if they gave me ( a home school mom) the choice? Uh NO!!!! Why sink money into a system I don't use? Into someone else's kids who just use the school as a day care! Why should I send my kids into the system that failed me? It's only gotten worse in the last 10 years since I graduated!

I actually had a lady try to tell me that the schools were great! The education was good and so on. My response was when was the last time you or your kids were in a public school? She looked at me like I had no business asking that and then told me her kids graduated 35 years ago! My sisters response was classic! "A lots changed in 35 years!" It's not the same as it was then. Of course this was at a Home school kids graduation party! Every child there was home schooled. Her response very quietly to the guy next to her was "I can't stand all this home school stuff the kids are socially inept." The guy looked at her and said "You just insulted EVERY  child here! The kid who graduated was my brother!

Answer 11

I have three kids. Two are in PS and one is home schooled.

When my oldest entered High School, he became depressed and angry, a very marked difference from the kid he was before.

After a very long (probably too long) consideration, my husband and I decided to take him out of school and begin homeschooling him.

One of the things that really shocked me was how far behind he was...considering that he was in the 9th grade. He had barely any grasp of mathematics or simple grammar.

Never was I told that he was having any difficulties with these things, they just passed him along and let it become the next years teacher's problem. I think what happened was once he got to high school, he started to fall behind dramatically, and started to see himself negatively.

Since we started homeschooling in December, he's done a complete 180 and is so much happier and the depression and anger (well, he's 15, so he's angsty) is a thing of the past.

I love having him home with me. He's learning so much faster than he did before and actually takes the initiative to learn on his own. More importantly, he's developing critical thinking skills that aren't stressed in PS, often coming up with very introspective and thoughtful opinions. To be honest, I was scared at first that he'd see homeschooling as a free pass to sit and play on the Playstation all day, but that didn't happen.

I extracted a promise that if we did in fact stop PS, then he'd be expected to do the work he'd need for college, and he came through like a champ!

Our current lessons include 3 hours of regular curriculum, but we are also planting a garden, volunteering with a local theater group and learning to speak Italian!

At the end of this year I'll be deciding whether or not to remove my younger two from PS.

Some kids definitely do thrive in PS, but overall, I think it's up to the parents to decide what's best for their kids.

Answer 12

No-one knows. In this district, it is 100% of primary school kids and probably in the region of 80% of high school-aged kids.

Even in those States where home-ed'ers are supposed to register, the government accepts large numbers refuse to do so or simply just don't bother to do so. In our Home State, for instance, the Education Welfare Office reckons that 'less than 10% of all home-educating families are legally registered'.

The figures are probably similar across 83% of the country, 83% in terms of landmass rather than population though.

In the other 17% of the country, those areas where mainstream schools are accessible, there has also been an increasing number of families choosing to home-educate. I don't have any figures except that 'numbers have risen significantly in recent years' (whatever that means, lol!)

Personally I'm 15, living in a remote area and one of nine siblings, all of whom are home-educated.

Home-education has always been *the* means of educating children up here: my family have been home-educating in one form or another ever since 1901. Even today, for the vast majority of families, home-education is the only viable option.

The one difference nowadays is that kids here used to be home-educated until they turned 12 or 13 and then they went away to boarding school; whereas these days more and more kids are choosing to stay at home and forego High School.

Answer 13

Yes, homeschooling is much more prevalent than it was 40 years ago.  In my area alone - a large city in the midwest - there are well over 1,000 homeschooling families within less than an hour radius.  Our co op (where homeschool kids get together to take various classes) includes close to 200 kids on a weekly basis, grades 3-12.

The kids could have easily finished their schoolwork by 1 pm and be out running errands.  My 10yo 5th/6th grade son completes anywhere from 3-5 hours of school per day, and he's 3+ years above grade level.  It's pretty amazing what can be accomplished when a child doesn't have the distractions, unnecessary repetition, and administrative tasks of a classroom to deal with.  Some kids learn well in the structured environment of a classroom, but millions of kids just in the US thrive in a homeschool environment.

Why wouldn't I want to homeschool my son?  It's better for him (in his case), he thrives at it, and I love being able to teach him and learn alongside him.  If he functioned better in a school, he'd be there; he doesn't, so we homeschool.  

Having my son be raised by strangers doesn't equal 6 blissful hours a day for me...getting to spend time with him, to see him grow and develop and discover does.  I didn't choose to become a parent so I could hand him over to someone else at the earliest possible moment, and I take my responsibility as his mother very seriously.  At the end of the day, I'm the one who is ultimately responsible for his education, whether that means sending him to school or taking it on myself.  He learns better in an individual or small group environment and he learns exponentially faster than the lesson plans in a public school could take him, so we homeschool.   And we love it :)

Answer 14

instead of telling you how great homeschooling is...

I am going to try and actually answer your question

Answer 15

Well, while you may not have wanted to spend that time with your kids, many people quite enjoy being parents and don't feel the need to send them off for 7 hours a day. I frankly don't understand why people would have children if they don't want to spend time with them and have a specific goal of giving birth to them then having them out of the house as much as is reasonably possible. It is estimated that about 2% of school-aged children are being homeschooled, which means that less than 2% of families choose this option.

Why homeschool? Why not? Why send kids to school in the first place? If you'd been around, say, 170 years ago, it would have been completely the norm to have been homeschooled. Even after 1900, school boards were trying to convince parents to send their kids to school instead of them doing it themselves. But if I'm going to have kids and want to raise them, why should it be so strange that I'd want to teach them? To raise them full-time instead of sending them to somebody else? Especially given then state of the academic and social scenes in many schools today?

40 years ago, in many places, homeschooling wasn't really allowed. Government wanted to control standards and learning and all that, and slowly people have been reclaiming their right to raise and educate their kids. So yes, it's definitely more prevalent now than back then.

Answer 16

It's difficult to answer percentage because homeschoolers aren't included on any census.  From numbers groups have attempted to calculate it's about 2% of US students.  

The woman probably responded "snobbishly" because it's a nasty question.  It implies that you are second guessing her decision as a mother.  It is her right to take her kids out of school for an afternoon or a lifetime without strangers questioning it.

I homeschool my kids because it can't be done for me.  No public school would ever give my children the respect and opportunities that I have.  It just isn't done, and they wouldn't have the budget.

I also enjoy the extra 6 hours of bliss I have had with my children over the last 16 years.  At 180 days a year, it has been 1080 hours which is 45 days, over 67 days of waking hours.  I've gotten over 2 months of time my kids, what an amazing gift!  

:D