Why is Homeschooling on the Rise

Homeschooling is on the rise. There are two major reasons why homeschooling is on the rise. Children experience this in schools and it doesn’t matter if they are in public, charter, or private schools.  The two main reasons come from many families this author has spoken with and read articles. The reason is children are being bullied. They are being bullied by other students and by adults (teachers, administrators, paraprofessionals, and others). The other reason is that the child’s academic needs are not being met.

This author has spoken with many parents and families about the reasons to homeschool and here are some examples.   This mother lived in an urban public school district.  The mother met with the teacher for a parent-teacher conference in January. The teacher stated that the child was meeting all the goals for the state test in May.  The mother was very proud of the accomplishment of the child.  The mother asked the teacher what was next for the child.  The mother was thinking of advanced materials or thinking outside-of-the-box activities.  The teacher said the child would help the other children in the class and review skills.  But the mother said what about my child’s advancement.  The teacher said with so many other children not meeting the goals for the state testing the teacher had to focus her time on those children.  This mother homeschooled her child since her academic needs were not being met.

Another example of professional staff bullying two children.  This family lives in a prestigious suburban college town.  This family has twins which are a boy and a girl.  The boy was called dumb and a tool in many classes. Teachers told him, he should be glad that his family owns a business because he wouldn’t make it in the “real world”.  The daughter was dealing with “cat calls” and advancement from adult staff members. The mother got pepper spray for the daughter to carry, so she would be safe.  The family was in fear of her being sexually assaulted.  The mother said she would talk with the principal and both children said no because it would be worse for them at school if she did.

There are so many other examples from parents about why they are homeschooling their children.  Most of the families are stating that the child’s needs are being met.  Many families are changing their routines to homeschool.  Families are changing their work routines to homeschool their children. Homeschool does not look the same for every family. Many families homeschool on weekends and evenings. Many families are learning in the community. The children are learning differently than how they were instructed in a “traditional” school. That is a major draw towards homeschooling because it can meet the needs of the child.

The Washington Post on October 31, 2023, published an article titled Home schooling’s rise from fringe to fastest-growing form of education. It stated Homeschooling is becoming the fastest-growing form of education.  It is not the past radical  “religious” beliefs any longer.  It has been increasing since COVID-19.  There is no actual total account of how many families are homeschooled. The reason is each state has different requirements for homeschools.  Some states like NY, MA, RI, and PA have strict requirements.  Some states like ID, AK, TX, OK, MO, IA, IL, IN, MI, NJ, and CT have no or low requirements for homeschooling. So, finding actual data is very difficult.

There are critics of homeschooling also. The critics want homeschooling families to be accountable for outcomes and progression.  However, most of the schools that the children come from have many requirements. In those schools, the children’s needs were not being met. That is why the children are being homeschooled.  The families found that their children were not growing and learning in traditional schools. So they decided to homeschool them.  Homeschooling will continue to increase since parents/families are finding ways to meet their children’s educational needs. I