According to a study published January 3 by the National Home Education Research Institute (NHERI), it’s estimated that over 2 million children were homeschooled in the United States in 2010. If your child is homeschooled, he or she is part of a rapidly growing population of children.
Michael Smith, president of the Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA), says: “The growth of the modern homeschool movement has been remarkable. . . . Just 30 years ago there were only an estimated 20,000 homeschooled children.” Now an estimated 4% of the school-aged population is homeschooled.
If you’re wondering how well homeschooled children are doing, The Christian Post has links to articles indicating that “homeschooled children outperform their peers before and during college.”
My Family’s Homeschool Journey
Homeschooling definitely worked well for my family. Here are some of my posts telling about my family’s homeschool journey:
Homeschool Freedom from Uniforms and Uniformity
Top 5 Homeschool Lessons My Children Taught Me
Of course, homeschooling isn’t for everyone. But if you feel called to homeschool your children, you can feel safe knowing that homeschooling is a rapidly expanding educational option that really does work.
Great post I was just telling someone this yesterday =)
Thanks so much! I think it’s great that new studies about homeschooling are being published … it’s wonderful to have research showing that homeschooling works and for homeschoolers to know they’re definitely not alone!
Hooray for homeschooling! Thanks for sharing this, Deb.
I just linked to your post on my Counting Coconuts Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Counting-Coconuts/113247502064131?v=wall&ref=mf.
Thanks SO MUCH for linking to my post – I love getting the word out!
Yep! We’re one of those families!
Great post! 🙂
Glad to hear it, Rachel! And thanks for your kind words!
Did you know school districts are tallying how much money they lose because of homeschooling? Homeschoolers may end up paying up soon. Our school districts are in such budget crunches they won’t be able to provide all services for free. I know ours just sent out a report listing how much was lost to homeschooling and how they would save. Not sure what the legalities are but if I were a homeschooling parent I would look into it.
Thanks for your comment, Nikki! I recommend homeschool parents join a homeschool legal-defense organization for the helpful information, to help preserve homeschoolers’ rights, and just in case they might ever need legal help. Local homeschool organizations are usually great for keeping homeschoolers informed as well. (Christian Home Educators of Colorado was always a great source of information for us.)
We supported Homeschool Legal Defense Association (http://www.hslda.org/) with membership each year we homeschooled and enjoyed receiving their regular publication (as well as used their teacher membership card for getting teacher discounts at bookstores). We even ordered our graduation diplomas, caps, and gowns through them!
Now there’s another legal defense association as well called Homeschool Legal Advantage. They have an offer for my blog readers: “Visit http://www.HomeschoolLegalAdvantage.com. Click on JOIN NOW and supply the requested information. At checkout, use the coupon code GIFT for your first-year membership, which includes a free last will and testament.”
Thanks for sharing this info. As a “new” homeschooling family sometimes I have my days of doubt but it’s so reassuring to have blogs like yours to reassure me!
I’m so happy to hear that, Kat! I really glad I can help reassure you.
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Thanks for your kind comment and for following me! God bless you, too! I’m on my way to visit your blog now.
Yay! That’s so exciting. We’re not planning on being a homeschool family at this time but I think it is a wonderful option and would embrace it given the opportunity to do so. I think it’s great so many parents are doing what’s needed to provide for their kids in more than just a finacial way. I say that because so often providing for our children has become about securing a finacial future. It’s a bit off topic I know. This report brings a smile to my face! I have many friends who have choosen the homeschool route and I am amazed at how well it has worked for their families. Very encouraging indeed.
Thanks for your comment, Michelle! It is great to see how homeschooling is working well for so many families. But I think you’re doing wonderful things for your children as well. It’s true that financial security can become a big issue for families, but parents like you are trying to do so much more, whether or not you’re homeschooling.
Hi Deb,
Thanks for following my blog and for your comments and compliments!!
This is a great blog! My niece is 9. She just started at a Montessori School in November. She Loves it!! I am passing your blog info on to my sister!
Have a great weekend!!
Julz@ http://www.julzjewz.com and http://spookyjulz.blogspot.com/
Thanks, Julie! It’s great that your niece is in a Montessori elementary school and loves it! Thanks for passing on my blog info to your sister. I hope you have a great weekend, too!
Hello, Thank you so much for stopping by and following. I am your newest follower and I really appreciated this post.
Lisa xx
Thanks for your kind comment, Lisa – and for following me!
Yes, it does work! But I am always looking for ways to be a better teacher. I just shared of our need to improve our geography studies, and now signed up for your “FREE geography album” Thank you. I’m visiting from the Hip Homeschool Hop and now following your blog.
Thank you for your comment, Jennifer! Sorry I didn’t respond sooner – I just found your comment. Thanks so much for signing up for my mailing list and following my blog!
We started homeschooling a year and half ago and LOVE it. I wish we had started earlier, but oh well, at least are enjoying it so far. In our area, our public schools are AWFUL and if you can’t afford private school, you homeschool. We had other reasons for homeschooling, but now with the economy as it is, and there are more and more parents here either homeschooling or finding someone to home school their children. In fact, I recently started a blog for home schooling families in our area to get them info on forms, field trips, mini classes, etc. I can not wait to start teaching our youngest who will be three in a few weeks once he is old enough. For now we introduce concepts such as colors, shapes, practical life skills, etc using the Montessori method – which is a perfect fit for my very active little boy.
That’s wonderful, Alexandra! I’m so glad you’re enjoying your homeschooling experience! My family loved homeschooling, too, and I love hearing that you’re starting with Montessori for your youngest. 🙂