In the 1970s, American educator and author John Holt questioned the formal school’s focus on rote learning (memorization based on repetition) and argued this created an oppressive classroom environment designed to make children compliant employees. Holt inspired the first homeschooler, Raymond Moore, who argued that children should be schooled at home until 8 or 9. Early homeschoolers generally worked with their local school boards, meeting requirements, and submitting their home education plans.
In the late 1970s, 3.3% of school-age children were homeschooled. This percentage has grown to 5.4% in recent years. The number of homeschooled children grew substantially during the pandemic.
Homeschooling is an intricate subject, and it raises the question: Is homeschooling good or bad for kids? Homeschooling can be great to ensure personalized attention, safety, and well-being. On the other hand, homeschooling can cause a lack of diverse perspectives and limited socialization.
Homeschooling ensures personalized attention. Unlike traditional schooling, homeschooling has a small teacher-to-student ratio. Currently, the TEA states that local education agencies are required to attempt to maintain an average 11:1 ratio. However, just 70 years ago, the normal ratio was 26.9 students per teacher. Despite this ratio decreasing substantially over the years, the high numbers are still a concern for parents who worry there will be less one-on-one engagement between the teacher and individual students. For this reason, homeschooling would be the best option as it ensures all of a student’s needs are met by a single teacher.
Homeschooling ensures safety and well-being. In 2021, 4,752 children died of gun violence. Nearly 350 school shooting incidents occurred across the U.S. in 2023. From 2000 to 2021, there were 276 casualties in active shooter incidents at elementary and secondary schools. These statistics are worrying for parents and may cause them to choose homeschooling to avoid their children being put at risk. Another important thing to mention is the fact that school shootings aren’t the only threat students could face at school. Students may face bullying, harassment and can be exposed to drugs, alcohol, and other inappropriate behavior at the hands of peer pressure. With this in mind, it is only logical that education at home may be much safer than what they experience in a regular school.
On the other hand, homeschooling can cause a lack of diverse perspectives. According to a LinkedIn article, homeschooling may result in reduced exposure to diverse perspectives, cultures, and backgrounds that are commonly encountered in traditional school environments. Homeschooling was previously driven by a shared ideology (usually religious). Although it is not as common, some families still choose homeschooling to teach religious values and focus on that instead of meeting a curriculum thoroughly. This lack of a diverse peer group can limit opportunities for building tolerance, empathy, and cultural awareness.
Homeschooling can also cause limited socialization. According to the Coalition for Responsible Home Education, some homeschool graduates report that they received only limited social interaction while being homeschooled, leaving them with crippling social anxiety, or unable to fit in with their peers upon reaching adulthood. When homeschooled children are restricted to only being schooled at home, homeschooled children do not obtain adequate socialization. This is because traditional education is a great way for kids to learn how to communicate, make friends, develop healthy relationships, and get along with people who are different from them. To prevent this, homeschooled kids should participate in outside activities such as homeschool groups or classes, sports teams, music/arts groups, summer camps, summer school, etc.
Homeschooling can be a positive experience or a negative one. It all depends on the guardian’s ability to meet the state curriculum as well as their needs (both socially and academically).
