Home Schooling: One of the Fastest Growing Trends

in Our Country

Why should you care about home

schooling?While about 82% of homeschooled children receive all of their education at home, some

students take classes at local schools or eventually return to a public school full time

– maybe in your classroom.

Race of Parents Who Home School

White77%

Black10%

Hispanic5%

Other8%

Question #1

Question #2

• More than ¾ of parents who home school have had some college, a Bachelor’s or graduate degree.

Question #3

• 80% of parents who home school come from two parent homes.

Question #4

$25,000 or Less

$25,001-$50,000

$50,001-$75,000

$75,001 or More

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

• About 15% of home schooling families are non-white.

Question #5

Question #6

The two primary reasons parents choose to home school are:

• Concern about the environment at school

• A desire to provide religious or moral instruction.

Question #7

About 55% of home schooling families have just one parent workingoutside the home.

Question #8Question #8

Michigan law mandates that home schooled children must be schooled from the ages of 6 to their 16th birthday.

Question #9

There are no requirements for how many days a home schooled child must be instructed in the state of Michigan.

Question #10 There are about 2 MILLION home schooled

children in the US – almost twice as much as in 2003.

Notable Facts*Lower income families are as likely to home

school their children as middle class or wealthy families.

*About half of the families who home school have both parents working outside the home.

*About 20% of parents who home school are single parents.

*About 25% of parents who home school have not attended college.

*Home schooled children tend to score higher on standardized tests than students receiving a public education.

Things to consider if a previously home schooled child is enrolled in your class:

• Contrary to popular belief, home schooled children have above-average social and psychological development.

• Home schooled children are usually self-motivated, independent learners.

Home schooled students score significantly higher on standardized tests, like the Iowa Test of Basic Skills – on average 37 percentile points higher.

150 Colleges and universities in the United States actively recruit students who were home schooled because they:

• read with comprehension• have a wealth of different educational

experiences• they know how to access and use

information • and they have an enthusiasm for learning.

Resources

• Princiotta, D., Bielick,S., Vand Brunt, A., & Chapman, C. (2006). Homeschooling in the United States: National Center for Educational Statistics. US Department of Education.

• www.NHERI.org (National Home Education Research Institute)

• www.HSLDA.org (Home School Legal Defense Association)