Case Study: Homeschooling Superior Citizens

When arguing the pros and cons of any issue, it’s usually helpful to have agreed-upon facts on hand. Unfortunately, when it comes to homeschooling, there are very few reliable studies and statistics available.

• There are about 2.2 million home-educated students in the United States. It appears the homeschool population is continuing to grow (at an estimated 2% to 8% per annum over the past few years).

• Families engaged in home-based education are not dependent on public, tax-funded resources for their children’s education. The finances associated with their homeschooling likely represent over $16 billion that American taxpayers do not have to spend since these children are not in public schools.

• Homeschool students typically score 15 to 30 percentile points above public-school students on standardized academic achievement tests, regardless of their parents’ level of formal education or their family’s household income.

• Home-educated students typically score above average on the SAT and ACT tests that colleges consider for admissions, and these students are increasingly being actively recruited by colleges.

• The home-educated rank typically above average on measures of social, emotional, and psychological development.

The result?

Research indicates that homeschooled adults participate in local community service, vote and attend public meetings more frequently than does the general population, and attend and succeed college at a higher rate than other students.

Notable homeschool alumni include Thomas Edison, both Theodore & Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Venus & Serena Williams, Agatha Christie, Alexander Graham Bell, Condoleezza Rice as well as Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

So, consider this next time you drop off your kids at school or lead them out the door to catch a school bus… :)