Busting Top Homeschooling Myths

Key Takeaways

• 90% of homeschool parents perceive that their children have the same or better social skills as those in traditional schools.
• 78% of parents of homeschooled children say their child is well prepared for the transition to college.
• Parents with homeschooled children spend an average of $1,008/year on educational expenses, while those with students in traditional schools spend an average of $930/year—just a $78 difference.
• 69% of parents of homeschooled children perceive their children as being more advanced than students in traditional schools.

The Home School Advantage

As with most myths, there is a grain of truth that makes them sound good, but it doesn’t necessarily make them accurate. We’re going to explore many of the myths that are circling around homeschooling. Do homeschooled students have different social skills than others, and are they equally prepared for college? To find out the answers to these and other questions about homeschooling, we commissioned an online survey of 990 American parents. Let’s unearth the truth about many of the most persistent myths.

The Social Skills Myth

How do the social skills of homeschooled students compare to traditional-school students? The truth may pleasantly surprise you.

One of the most eye-opening findings in our study is that 90% of homeschool parents perceived that their children have the same or better social skills as those in traditional schools.  We also found that homeschooled students have had slightly less difficulty making friends than traditional-school students and fewer health and family problems. As for extracurricular activities, traditional-school students were more likely than homeschooled students to participate in sports. However, sports were still the top extracurricular activity among homeschooled children, as shown below.

Top 5 extracurriculars for homeschooled students: 

1. Sports teams (59%)
2. Music programs (43%)
3. Art and photography clubs (22%) 
4. Academic clubs (17%)
5. Foreign language clubs (17%)

Top 5 extracurriculars for traditional-school students: 

1. Sports teams (66%)
2. Music programs (41%)
3. Academic clubs (15%)
4. Community service and volunteer organizations (15%)
5. Drama and theater clubs (13%)

These findings may indicate that homeschooled students are far from socially deprived, and other evidence points to this same conclusion. Another recent study concluded that homeschooling could enhance a child’s social skills as long as home educators connect them with opportunities to socialize with other children. And that’s easier to do in communities with multiple extracurricular activities to choose from.

The Academic Performance Myth

Whether you’re for or against standardized academic achievement tests, the scores often matter when it comes to college admission. Do homeschooled students have higher grades and perform better than traditional-school students on standardized tests, or do they struggle?

The vast majority of parents of homeschooled students perceived their children’s academic progress as equal to or greater than traditional-school students. Only 6% felt their child wasn’t keeping up. On what basis did these parents of homeschooled students make their assessments? Many said they use report card grades (65%) or homework completion and quality (64%), while slightly less than half (46%) named the completion of projects and assignments.

How do these parent perceptions hold up to reality? The answer to that pop quiz question is: very well. There have been a number of studies over the years suggesting that homeschooled students may get better grades. In fact, they score 15 to 25 percentile points above traditional-school students on standardized tests. That might be due to their higher likelihood of utilizing a tutor outside of their primary educational setup; we found that 25% of homeschooled students had tutoring access compared to just 9% of traditional-school students.

Paving the Way

The annual back-to-school shopping frenzy isn’t just reserved for the hallways of traditional schools. A significant 29% of homeschool parents dig deep into their pockets, shelling out $200 or more to equip their home classrooms, while a whopping 44% of non-homeschool parents do the same for their school-bound children. As costs pile up, it’s hardly surprising that nearly half (48%) of all parents are hunting for discounts and coupons to ease the financial strain. A majority at 56% believe the federal government should step in, offering tax credits or deductions for those who choose the homeschooling path.

The College Admissions Myth

Most parents of homeschooled students said they play to send them to college, and they felt their children were ready for it. That’s not to say there weren’t any difficulties during the admissions process. Let’s explore their biggest issues and offer some ideas to help.

The college admission difficulties that parents of homeschooled children reported most often were affording application fees, applying for student loans, and preparing for tests. Over a third also shared that they had issues with completing complex forms and dealing with the pressure the process puts on their child.

Despite the hurdles most people experience when applying to colleges, 78% of parents of homeschooled students felt their child was well prepared for higher education. (Only slightly more parents of traditional-school students said the same: 81%.) In addition to social skills and maturity, parents may gauge college preparedness by high school GPA and standardized test scores used for admissions. Previous research indicates homeschoolers have higher GPAs than other students, and another study concluded that homeschooled students score higher on the ACT than public school students. Their ACT scores have also trended upward over the last two decades.

There are some differences that might impact the college admissions experience for homeschooled students versus traditional-school students. When a student comes from an accredited public or private school, the admissions officer is dealing with an institution that has a known track record. This isn’t always the case with homeschooled students. To counter this difficulty, many experts advise homeschooled students to take a few community college courses that can earn both high school and college credit.

We gleaned another excellent piece of advice from one of our survey respondents, who is a mother of homeschool-educated children. She suggested reaching out to other parents of homeschooled children who have gone through the college admissions process and learning from their successes and mistakes.

Just the Homeschool Facts

The truth is clear: Homeschooled students can have great social skills, excel academically, and pursue higher education. There’s also evidence to support that homeschoolers’ college graduation rates are higher than those of traditionally schooled students, meaning they can get into a four-year college and succeed.

The decision to homeschool boils down to the personal needs and preferences of the parents or guardians and students. Some children may do better in a homeschool environment, especially those with disabilities, which can make traditional school environments more difficult to navigate. A homeschool education also doesn’t have to cost more than that of a traditional school. In fact, some aspects may cost less. So, if you are thinking of homeschooling but are worried about these issues, maybe it’s time to study it further. The resources are ready and waiting for you.

Methodology 

We commissioned an online survey to 990 American parents about their children’s education. In order to qualify for the survey, the respondent had to be the parent of at least one child currently in K-12 education. Of these parents, 833 had at least one child in a “traditional” K-12 school, and 157 homeschooled at least one of their children who were currently in K-12 level education.

About Homeschool+

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